@louiscad keep in mind Python spent years catching up to R, and it was necessary for for Python devs to know R for that reason. So this is nothing new. Therefore it might be helpful to manage your expectations a bit and learn Python. I highly recommend this book. https://gumroad.com/l/py4java You're not going to get very effective interop unless you use Docker or something.

Thanks for the recommendation, will look into it!

@louiscad that's a good point. In a pure data science context, the concepts are truly what matters, not the programming platform. In an ideal world, it's better to use the programming platform you are most comfortable with. You can achieve that without learning Python, but it never hurts to learn it especially since many examples are in Python. In my opinion you have to learn the incumbent platform if you want to replace it.

@thomasnield In your case, you understand Python and it helped you get there, right?