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IDL is vectorized, numerical, and interactive, and is commonly used for interactive processing of large amounts of data (including image processing). The syntax includes many constructs from Fortran and some from C.
IDL originated from early VMS Fortran, and its syntax still shows its heritage:
plot command.
As with most other array programming languages, IDL is very fast at doing vector operations (sometimes as fast as a well-coded custom loop in Fortran or C) but quite slow if elements need processing individually. Hence part of the art of using IDL (or any other array programming language, for that matter) for numerically heavy computations is to make use of the built-in vector operations.
Markwardt, Craig (2011-12-21). "Unofficial Format Specification of the IDL "SAVE" File". Retrieved 2013-02-13.
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