help with future application

[Peter Brooker <ra5589(at)email.sps.mot.com>]

We are presently considering how to handle simulation requirements for
future technologies. (Present technologies are handled well by
commercial codes). As such, we have access to various internal and
universitity codes of which we have the source code. These codes are in
C and FORTRAN.  The problem is that we have to link these codes together
and add GUIs to every thing to make them more user friendly. Also, once
a new model appears in the literature, we want to code this up as fast
as possible to try this out.

I see that IDL could be used to do this. For example, IDL could handle
all the input and output with GUIs as well as using CALL_EXTERNAL to
execute subroutine forms of all the codes. If IDL is used, then new
models could be programmed up very quickly.

The question is though, Is IDL the best choice for this linking
application? What about MATLAB? How do the Numerics of matrix inversion
of MATLAB compare to IDL?

thanks-Peter Brooker