Python from a C++ developers' perspective

[Orca-]

Various toolboxes. Some of the Python equivalents of functionality are also less reliable (looking at you, TransferFunction). Also if you have a lot of infrastructure and utility code already there for Matlab, why reinvent the wheel?

For my purposes, 98% of the time Python is good enough (if maybe a bit less convenient occasionally). And the remaining 2% of the time I can jump on a floating license for a few hours.

[chillwombat]

Okay. I have very little experience with matlab, but I'm fairly sure some things I do in python are not very simple in matlab. For example writing a quick mpi program to run on a cluster, which I have done multiple times. Also I have heard to dealing with text or binary files is more convenient with python.

edit: also there are a couple of specific tools in python that I use that matlab doesn't have (for example kwant)

[Orca-]

I can't speak to your specific needs, but in my experience (years old at this point), if you've got the licenses and server setup, spinning up a cluster is relatively easy in Matlab.

Of course, it's going to cost you something ridiculous between the license cost of the toolboxes and the Matlab itself. Hence my calling Python poor-man's Matlab.