Why Scala?

You want to write a program that handles data. Which language should you choose?

There are a few different options. You might choose a dynamic language such as Python or R or a more traditional object-oriented language such as Java. In this section, we will explore how Scala differs from these languages and when it might make sense to use it.

When choosing a language, the architect's trade-off lies in a balance of provable correctness versus development speed. Which of these aspects you need to emphasize will depend on the application requirements and where on the permanence spectrum your program lies. Is this a short script that will be used by a few people who can easily fix any problems that arise? If so, you can probably permit a ...

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