Exactly! Typing "import matplotlib" at the python REPL instantly gave you the capability of Matlab without the requirement of a commercial license. If I recall

Exactly! Typing "import matplotlib" at the python REPL instantly gave you the capability of Matlab without the requirement of a commercial license. If I recall correctly, matplotlib was built after Matlab increased the prices for its commercial license for academics. Between matplotlib and pandas I believe we have a sufficient explanation as to how python became the language of choice for data analysis.