mchamran's profile - activity

Thanks for the input - I found the notes for the Boeing lecture here. I've read from others as well that they chose python/sage over programs like Matlab because it is an actual programming language. From my experience, many engineers (aerospace, mechanical, others...) have minimal backgrounds in programming and therefore the simplicity of languages like those offered by Matlab are very attractive. It allows them to focus more on the actual problem and less on the programming techniques.

After using Matlab, I admittedly find python/sage languages to be more complicated. Even the side-by-side code comparisons show Matlab code being generally shorter in length. Those that have a programming background can better appreciate and take advantage of the richness of the Python language. But for others without that background, the same 'richness' can prove to be a hurdle. Nevertheless, I'm still optimistic about integrating sage/python into my work.

Greetings,

I'm a aerospace engineering graduate student and a heavy matlab user. In aerospace engineering (controls, dynamics, navigation...) Matlab/Simulink is fairly standard both in academia and industry. I've been doing extensive looking searching for open-source alternatives, for reasons beyond this discussion.

I've come across multiple alternatives like Octave, Scilab, and Enthought's Python distrubution. After much reading, I been fascinated by Sage, but am wondering to what extent Sage is used for engineering applications. I get the feeling that Sage is primarily used by mathematicians and scientists, but haven't seen much discussion on usage by engineers for engineering applications.

Any insight in this regard would be appreciated, -Hamid