Matlab is oversold as a general-purpose language

For example, let's say I want to apply DCT to a matrix. In Matlab it's simply dct(A). How do you do that in Python? Well, there's scipy.fftpack.dct, but when I try it, it turns out it operates on the rows of A, instead of the columns. So I start searching the help, and find there's a parameter called "axis", with the useless description "Axis over which to compute the transform." So I try axis=1, axis=2, then finally axis=0, and presto, it works. So sure, it's functionally equivalent to Matlab, but do I really want to go through all this every time I want to accomplish a simple task?

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MATLAB® is a high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming. Using MATLAB, you can analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models and applications. The language, tools, and built-in math functions enable you to explore multiple approaches and reach a solution faster than with spreadsheets or traditional programming languages, such as C/C++ or Java™.

You can use MATLAB for a range of applications, including signal processing and communications, image and video processing, control systems, test and measurement, computational finance, and computational biology. More than a million engineers and scientists in industry and academia use MATLAB, the language of technical computing.

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I work at a place where people use (and abuse) MATLAB a lot. The thing is, they're not programmers. As smart as they are (and they are truly brilliant) they're not especially good with computers, programming or computer science. If they tried to use a 'real' programming language, things would undoubtedly be even worse!

MATLAB is awesome at giving you powerful functions baked right in. That's good because people who aren't good at coding efficiently don't have to. Instead of messing up the whole program from start to finish, they only mess up the top level and that often isn't as big of a deal as messing up the small components that get used again and again and have to be as efficient as possible.

I agree that MATLAB isn't a general purpose programming language, but I don't think that that's how MathWorks is really selling it (note that "[creating] applications" is at the end of the list and analyzing data is at the beginning). They're mainly saying it's good for solving a specific group of problems - those that technically minded people (like scientists, engineers, economists and financial analysts) have to solve. I actually agree, especially when you take into consideration the fact that the people who really like MATLAB the most aren't really into programming or even that good at it.

Of course that's just my opinion. I'd like to hear how you guys disagree with me.

In any case, I've found that those parts of matlab can actually be used pretty effectively. I think the reason is that, even though matlab as a language is pretty crappy (IMO), these domains aren't actually dominated by programming languages. Take for example industrial control. It's extremely common to use PLC's, PAC's or FPGAs. These tools are, like simulink, largely operated via proprietary graphical environments.

Essentially, I agree with your points for uses of matlab where you don't write much custom code, and/or where your custom code is very insulated from the 'real world' and even from the rest of the system.

> The first problem is that the MathWorks actively markets MATLAB as a “general purpose programming language” with all the trappings, something which it is manifestly not.

From MATLAB site http://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/ :

> MATLAB® is a high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming.

"high-level" != "general-purpose". The author grossly misrepresents Mathworks' stance regarding MATLAB