I think tools like MATLAB could bridge the gap between spreadsheets and general-purpose programming/data analysis. It has the huge standard library Excel users

I think tools like MATLAB could bridge the gap between spreadsheets and general-purpose programming/data analysis. It has the huge standard library Excel users want, a REPL for prototyping, visual data inspection, and the ability to very quickly create charts and figures. The scripts are also easy to share and it doesn't involve use of the command line unless you want it to. Anyone want to teach "MATLAB for Bankers"?