OMPC: an open-source MATLAB®-to-Python compiler

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroinformatics Vol. 3; p. 5
• Main Author: Jurica, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 10.02.2009; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: compiler; Computer programs; Computer science; Laboratories; Libraries; MATLAB; Neuroscience; Open access; Programming languages; python; Syntax; technical computation; compiler; technical computation; Matlab; Python
• ISSN: 1662-5196; 1662-5196
• DOI: 10.3389/neuro.11.005.2009

Free access to scientific information facilitates scientific progress. Open-access scientific journals are a first step in this direction; a further step is to make auxiliary and supplementary materials that accompany scientific publications, such as methodological procedures and data-analysis tools, open and accessible to the scientific community. To this purpose it is instrumental to establish a software base, which will grow toward a comprehensive free and open-source language of technical and scientific computing. Endeavors in this direction are met with an important obstacle. MATLAB((R)), the predominant computation tool in many fields of research, is a closed-source commercial product. To facilitate the transition to an open computation platform, we propose Open-source MATLAB((R))-to-Python Compiler (OMPC), a platform that uses syntax adaptation and emulation to allow transparent import of existing MATLAB((R)) functions into Python programs. The imported MATLAB((R)) modules will run independently of MATLAB((R)), relying on Python's numerical and scientific libraries. Python offers a stable and mature open source platform that, in many respects, surpasses commonly used, expensive commercial closed source packages. The proposed software will therefore facilitate the transparent transition towards a free and general open-source lingua franca for scientific computation, while enabling access to the existing methods and algorithms of technical computing already available in MATLAB((R)). OMPC is available at http://ompc.juricap.com.