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This is a really beginner question, but here it goes:
I'm a student programmer who knows Python, Ruby and some C who is trying to decide whether to learn GNU Octave or Matlab. I know that they have a lot in common, but it isn't clear to me how similar the syntax is or even the data structures are. Everyone says they are "similar", but no one says how similar they actually are. The above link shows several examples where they are syntactically similar or identical, is this true for the whole language?
I am trying to learn the language in general to do more scientific computing, possibly using some image analysis libraries. I know there are plenty of other languages I could program in, but my advisors say that knowing MATLAB or Octave is crucial in the sciences.
Additionally, is Matlab worth the cost? I don't have a lot of money, but if there are important differences in the libraries or elsewhere, I'm sure I could find the money.
Thanks in advance!