[Summary] octave vs. scilab

[Nils Naumann]

Hi,

thank you for your replies. I think there is no need for a huge summary because
the answers are very similar. Here is a short resume:

Octave:
  pros:
   It's mostly source code compatible with matlab
   dynamic memory allocation
   good command line interface
   better performance than scilab
   available for a large scale of platforms (*nix, OS/2)

  cons:
   restricted graphic capacities
   not so much build in functions, but you can use the large pool of matlab code

Scilab:
  pros:
   more build in functions including very good ones for signal processing
   good graphic capacities
   graphic X Interface
   limited capability for symbolic expression manipulation
   numerical routines which may be marginally better than those of octave

  cons:
   big memory hog
   the interpreter eats lot of cpu time
   slower than octave
   you need X11R6 for running scilab
   it seems to have a built-in memory limit

Most people decided using octave mainly because it is matlab
compatible. Another important point is the better performance of
octave. The main weak spot of octave are the limited graphic capacities.

Nils

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Nils Naumann                                     Fido: 2:316/address@hidden
Mining University Leoben                     Internet: address@hidden