MATLAB Explained: The Good, The Bad, and Its Role in Modern Programming

Published on September 30, 2024

MATLAB isn’t exactly the go-to language you hear about in general programming circles, but it’s hard to ignore its place in the world of computational mathematics and engineering. While languages like Python and Java are front and center, MATLAB has carved out its own niche, offering specialized tools that make it crucial for certain tasks. In this post, I want to dive into what makes MATLAB stand out, its drawbacks, and why it still manages to be relevant today.

MATLAB in Mathematical and Engineering Simulations

When it comes to mathematical modeling and engineering simulations, MATLAB really shines. It’s built to handle complicated calculations, simulations, and data analysis, better than any other language. If you're in engineering or science, MATLAB offers an intuitive platform that can make solving tough problems like linear algebra or differential equations seem almost straightforward. And with its specialized toolboxes—whether it's for signal processing, control systems, or even machine learning—MATLAB becomes a go-to solution that outperforms more general-purpose languages in these niche areas.

Pros: The Power of MATLAB in Specialized Fields

One of the things that drew me to MATLAB early on was its collection of high-level mathematical functions, which take a lot of the guesswork out of complex calculations. It lets you focus on problem-solving instead of getting bogged down in the technical details like memory management or performance optimization. Plus, its interactive environment encourages experimentation, allowing you to test theories quickly—something that's been a game-changer for me when working in the field of applied Physics with MATLAB.

Cons: The Drawbacks of MATLAB in General Programming

But like anything, MATLAB has its downsides too, and they’re hard to ignore. For one, the cost is pretty high, especially if you’re an individual developer or part of a smaller team—it can feel like a barrier to entry. And while MATLAB is fantastic for specialized tasks, it starts to fall short when you try to use it for general-purpose programming. It just doesn’t have the same flexibility or performance as something like Python or C++, especially when you’re scaling projects for broader use cases. I’ve found that it can feel sluggish in areas where lower-level languages would breeze

My Personal Experience with MATLAB

One reason why I even chose this topic to be my first Blog post was my personal relation to MATLAB. I started using it in my first Job as a Software Engineer for the Automotive Industry. The Job revolved around Physics and the software we made and maintained was deployed internationally. I quickly came to see both the Up- and Downsides of using MATLAB in an large-scale entreprise use-case. While there are great tools for debugging and code analysis, there are enough ways to make you in need of right those. Physics and Maths applications are pretty easy to create in MATLAB ( aslong as you know what you are doing on boths sides ), whereas some other 'basic' programming tasks and algorithms seem clunky and heavy. Later I started my own personal Project, which is part of the MATLAB Challenge for innovation and excellence. Here I used MATLAB in a different field, now for Machine Learning and Simulations, where it again really shined throughout most parts of the programming. Extensive and ready to use Toolboxes aswell as comprehensive Documentation really make it fun to code and easy to focus on the actually hard parts of a project.

Conclusion and my thoughts

While MATLAB might be a really great choice for Physics and Maths applications, I get why it isn't used widely across the industry: The costs for an employer and the stark specialization don't always seem to inviting. Still I think it really holds it's ground in Academia, Research and for personal Projects in the right areas. It might be a special language, but definetly a good one!