[R] R vs Python performance-wise

[Jose Quesada]

Hi,

Has anyone run any R vs Python (numpy) tests?
I'd love to see what the differences performance-wise are, specially  
handling large sparse matrices.
Since both rely on external C code, there might not be much of a  
difference.

If you know and use both languages, what are the main differences and what  
made you stick to one over another?

I also noticed that there are strong libraries for social networks on both.

python:
networkX: https://networkx.lanl.gov/wiki
pySNA: http://www.menslibera.com.tr/pysna/

R:
sna, network etc. see:
http://www.jstatsoft.org/v24

Has anyone run a bechmark of the two systems doing the same operation?

Which is the right environment for large social networks? Some packages  
have bindings for both languages, and of course, there's  a reliable way  
to bind the two languages together, Rpy:
http://rpy.sourceforge.net/

So this may not be a big deal which one to pick.

Thanks,
-Jose

-- 
Jose Quesada, PhD.
Max Planck Institute, Human Development, Berlin
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~jquesada