[Bioperl-l] Is more than Perl and Bioperl necessary

[Fields, Christopher J]

That completely depends on what you want to accomplish.  For instance, if Perl/BioPerl get the work done for you, then there may be less of an incentive to use Python/Biopython, Ruby/BioRuby, etc.  If you find yourself having to script around using any of these, or you are simply interested in learning another language then that is another matter entirely, and learning the bioinformatics tools associated with <insert_lang_here> would naturally come along.

Frankly, I've grown more agnostic over time with lang preferences, but I do suggest you learn one language very well (warts and all), simply b/c it makes learning others so much easier.  I know Perl best, but I have been picking up Python and Ruby as well via other projects I'm involved with.  Frankly, all have advantages and disadvantages, and I find that people's lang preferences tends to be more of a personal (possibly artistic?) choice based on a language's design, coding practices, etc.  TIMTOWDI vs TIOOWTDI.

chris

On Oct 24, 2012, at 10:08 AM, Juan Jovel <jovel_juan at hotmail.com> wrote:

> 
> Hello Guys!
> I am a biologist, not a bioinformatician; however, I have educated myself a bit on Perl programming (and before in Turbo Pascal, C++, and Visual Basic). Even when I am not a good programmer, I manage to solve most (if not all) of my needs by using Perl and Bioperl (and occasionally R). However, I see a great enthusiasm for other languages (i.e. Phyton, for example). As experts, do you think it is worth investing some time learning Python for example? Does it offer advantages in terms of efficiency when solving bioinformatic problems? Or on the contrary, it is advisable to invest such time improving and refining the rudiments of Perl and Bioperl I already have?
> Sorry for the somewhat philosophical question.
> Regards,
> Juan 
> 
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