Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nodejs is for i/o Node is a general purpose language that can be used for all kinds of things. I switched from Python to node.js about a year ago for exactly the sort of tasks you are describing and could not be happier. Right off the bat I had huge speed improvements. Also, io is one of the biggest issues with web based data analysis, so it really should not be underestimated. I can do more with less with node tha…
> Node is a general purpose language that can be used for all kinds of things. Node is a library that can be used for all kinds of things. FTFY
Fair enough, it is not a language, but I would not call it a library either. Perhaps a platform?[1] It contains many libraries, but also has a cli tool, packages a runtime, a debugger, and even includes a package manager. It contains the sorts of things that would be packaged when you install languages like Python or Ruby.