Category: 3. Advantages of Matlab

Following are the drawbacks or disadvantages of MATLAB:
➨MATLAB is interpreted language and hence it takes more time to execute than other compiled languages such as C, C++.
➨It is expensive than regular C or Fortran compiler. Individuals find it expensive to purchase.
➨It requires fast computer with sufficient amount of memory. This adds to the cost for individuals willing to use it for programming.
➨It is difficult to develop real time applications using MATLAB as it sits “on top” of windows.
➨It is not free and hence users need to obtain licensed version from MathWorks, Inc.

Following are the benefits or advantages of MATLAB:
➨It is easy to use due to its command line interface and file oriented structure.
➨MATLAB is platform independent and hence it can be installed on different Operating Systems such as Windows, Vista, Linux and Macintosh.
➨MATLAB has huge built-in library of functions for many predefined tasks. This makes job more comfortable and saves time. These functions are available as part of various toolkits which include signal processing, image processing, communications, control systems, neural networks etc.
➨It offers plotting and imaging related commands which are independent of devices.
➨MATLAB provides tool to develop GUI based applications which can also licensed based on MAC address to customers using few lines of code script. MATLAB applications are compiled into machine independent p-code.
➨Errors are easier to fix as it is interpreted language.
➨Matrix operations are easier and quick to perform. MATLAB can handle and manipulate large data sets. Hence it is used to develop and code many of algorithms quickly.
➨MATLAB is inexpensive software.

There are many characteristics or functions available in the Matlab environment which makes it better than many other programming languages. Some of the characteristics of Matlab are different predefined functions, integration support with other environments and visualization tools for custom plots and graphics. Please find the below points which proves that Matlab is widely used across many fields.

1. Matlab environment has its predefined functions and libraries which helps the programmers to use it easily. There are various complex mathematical problems which we face in our daily life; this can be executed in Matlab with a single function or code. Similarly, Matlab provides a range of toolkits that are used in many fields like aerospace engineering, communications and signal processing, etc.
2. Matlab supports various platforms like LINUX, different versions of Windows, etc. So, programs or application files written in one platform can also be run or read on another platform which makes it more efficient and effective.
3. Matlab does not need a compiler to execute the code, so if we write a few lines of code then we will get instant results that are not available in other programming languages like C, C++. This makes interpreting and implementing the code in Matlab easier. However this process is a bit slow so, Matlab compilers are available which can be used to run the programs faster.
4. Matlab has many inbuilt commands for visualization which are required for plotting and other applications. They can be viewed through any output device which will be connected to the device where Matlab is installed. It can also be used to process the images and videos easily. This makes Matlab a great visualization tool which makes plotting easy.
5. Matlab is also used to perform data analysis. There are various sources where it can be integrated whether it is an excel or database. After importing the data set into the environment, it offers various tools and libraries to perform cleaning and other techniques to make the data appropriate for further analysis. After removing unwanted information, we have to build a model depending on the business objective. It has its toolkits, packages, and functions for model development like logistic regression, clustering, random forest and support vector models. After building the model, model refinement tools are available which compares different models and provides the model which has better accuracy and it is ready to be deployed in production. So, from the initial methods of analysis to the end, all the functions are present in Matlab which makes it a great tool for data analysis.
6. Matlab coder is also present which helps in converting the code in Matlab to any other language like C++, JAVA, etc. which increases the readability and helps the programmers to read the code easily.
7. Matlab provides Deep learning tools and libraries which is included in its recent version to produce the desired results. It has included this important library which can be used in many other fields like control system, communication, image and signal processing.
8. Matlab has its pre-defined libraries and tools which enable the users to build GUI (Graphical User Interface) for their respective programs. This is also a great help for the users who don’t have any prior experience and knowledge in Matlab.
9. Matlab Online provides the knowledge and use of the platform without downloading and installing the software. You can use it using any web browser if you have access to the internet.
10. It has well-written documentation for help related to any function or libraries used in its environment. Various online seminars, biannual updates related to the different bugs are introduced in the market which helps the users to learn easily.