i use Matlab and Mathematica at uni. Matlab is more user friendly i reckon.

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I use Mathematica 4.2 and I like it. I''ve never used mathlab however so I can''t say which is better.

I''d vote Matlab since it''ll do what you need it to do... and you can easily interface your own code if needs be. Of course, I''m fairly biased since I use Matlab heavily in my work.

As to how to afford Matlab... if your a student you can get a Student Version at around 1/10th the cost of the professional version.

If you expect to do a LOT of work with Matlab, it''s worth the investment of a personal license. Thankfully I have free access at both work and home! (and no, it''s not pirated)

Timkin