Python vs. Matlab

[Matt Feinstein]

On 22 Jan 2003 18:41:15 -0500, Mongryong <Mongryong at sympatico.ca>
wrote:

>Python vs Matlab (or any other similar language).
>Any opinions on this comparison?  Benchmarks? Functionality?
>One big up for Python is that it's FREE!

I've used Matlab a lot and Python a little--

Matlab does a number of essential things really well:
-- Visualizing, displaying, formatting, and annotating various kinds
of data
-- Linear algebra computations
-- Relatively small compute-it-and-display-it programs
-- Large number of specialized 'toolbox' calculations

Matlab also does a number of important things in a half-assed or ugly
fashion
-- GUIs
-- Object orientation
-- Interface to outside world
-- Non-numerical data structures

I would not bother with trying to get Python to do the things that
Matlab does well. I would be interested in leveraging Python's strong
points in a way that would help to overcome bad parts of Matlab.


Matt Feinstein    does not include his email address
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