Right! It's one thing to compare languages in the abstract, for e.g., to compare and contrast iteration or exceptions or whatever. It's a different thing to co

Right! It's one thing to compare languages in the abstract, for e.g., to compare and contrast iteration or exceptions or whatever. It's a different thing to compare languages for doing something specific -- in this case, scientific computing. If someone want to get something done in a realistic ( or affordable) time frame, then things like like libraries, community, and documentation become especially important.