Re: idl2matlab translate-o-matic

[Andrew <noymer(at)my-deja.com>]

In article <MPG.131b0ab058866bad989a3c@news.frii.com>,
  davidf@dfanning.com (David Fanning) wrote:
> [MATLAB] have had a strategy to seize the hearts and minds of
> young engineers in college with very cheap student
> software and they have executed it flawlessly. ...

That, _and_ the IDL student software takes the opposite strategy.

To wit, the student version of IDL is still at 5.0 (IIRC).

I don't know how this stacks up against MATLAB student version,
but the IDL student version is also badly crippled.  The max array
size is 256x256.  Try to make a 256x256 SURFACE with the IDL
student version, though.  It barfs.  SURFACE calls some internal
arrays, so the largest square array that can be SURFACE'd is 73x73.

And, the Student version of IDL (Linux) tells me that it expires in
March 2001.  NOTHING in the pre-sale documentation told me about
this.  (Of course, I am my own sysadmin...:-)

Just my $0.02.  I like IDL.  I have nothing against MATLAB -- never
used it.  I don't use Object Graphics (are these in the student
version?), but they look cool.  I am mostly interested in the graphics
not the number crunching so I'm happy with IDL --- the student version
could be shape'd up a little bit, though.  At the very least it would
be nice to have a new student version before March 2001 :-).
-- Andrew
noymer@my-deja.com


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