Re:Not a language, really (Score 1)

The funny part is, that as written there is nothing wrong with the statement:

"Calling R a programming language is like calling Mathematica or Matlab a language. ..."

Since by strict definition they are Turing Complete. So yes R is equivalent to Mathlab and Mathmatica, they are programming languages. I'm inferring by inflection that this isn't what the author intends say.

If I understand the intent of the original comment, the statement aptly show the difference between those use use programming languages and people who know what they are and how they work. Hobbes' and slashdotmsiriv's comments have the flavor of people who have written or know much about a programming languages internals. daknapp appears to be saying "This doesn't look like anything I've used, must not be a programming language".

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." -- Abraham Lincoln