In my past engineering university Matlab is popular. Students and staff get access to a network license and courses (non CS) are built around it. It is what old

In my past engineering university Matlab is popular. Students and staff get access to a network license and courses (non CS) are built around it. It is what older professors are used to and I don't see them shifting to a new language given how busy university professors are, and that Matlab just works. So outside the university, Octave is the path of least resistance for those not planning to purchase Matlab or get it by "other means".