We would like to correct several inaccuracies in your review of MATLAB 4.2c (October '95, page 68).
You state that MATLAB 4.2c "has added the ability to create 3-D mesh, surface, and volumetric plots." But these features have been present for two years, since MATLAB 4. MATLAB 4.2c did introduce Power Mac and MATLAB Notebook support.
The statement that "MATLAB doesn't take advantage of basic graphical-interface features, such as scroll bars in windows, much less more-current features such as Macintosh Drag and Drop and AppleScript" is incorrect. MATLAB 4.2c includes support for Drag and Drop, AppleScript, PlainTalk text-to-speech technology, QuickTime output of MATLAB movies, and file output in many Macintosh formats (including PICT and EPS).
The reviewer apparently misunderstood the MATLAB Notebook, which allows users to interact with MATLAB from within Word 6.0, via AppleScript. As a result, users can produce live technical documents that include MATLAB computations, data, and graphics.
The review states that MATLAB versions 4.0 and later are incompatible with version 3.5 and earlier and that "you'll have to change the code in all your earlier M-files if you want them to run." In fact, only 9 commands out of approximately 1,000 in MATLAB were changed, and most M-files written for version 3.5 run without modification. Most MATLAB for Macintosh users have already updated to MATLAB 4 with little difficulty.
James M. Boyles, Manager
Mac Development Group, The MathWorks
Indeed, MATLAB does have AppleScript and Drag and Drop support. However, we were pointing out that some areas of MATLAB lack basic Mac OS features such as scrolling of graphics and copy-and-paste. And as for compatibility with version 3.5, MATLAB's manual lists 38 changed functions, not the 9 that Mr. Boyles claims.
--JR
Your review compared MATLAB with software that is intended for different purposes. Certainly, comparing MATLAB with other programs in areas in which MATLAB is not intended to serve as a primary tool does not do justice to the program.
The MathWorks' MATLAB is a matrix-numeric-computation program with plotting and model-simulation capabilities. Mathematica is a symbolic-computation and rendering program. Matrix-numeric computation and symbolic computation are entirely different. The computing engines required for these distinct tasks are not at all equal.
I use MATLAB, Mathematica, and Maple; they all have distinct strong points and complement each other rather than compete. For numeric computation, MATLAB is faster, both in programming and execution. For preliminary mathematical analysis and documentation of a problem, I prefer to use Mathematica. For symbolic computation, I prefer Maple.
Carlos Murillo
via the Internet
I agree with you that MATLAB is a good matrix-computation program and said so in the review. However, The MathWorks is framing MATLAB as an "advanced visualization [tool] for generating publication-quality graphics and performing visual data analysis." For that purpose, there are other products that do a better job, such as those from Spyglass and Wolfram. Although they are indeed different from each other, these products can use real (not just symbolic) data for graphic analysis.
