🚀 go-pugleaf

I don't think IDL is an IBM product (though perhaps it is available on IBM
platforms:  there are PC, VMS, and Unix versions).  I think it is a product
from Research Systems, Inc. (RSI) originally, and I know they still market
the product.  In addition, IMSL markets IMSL/IDL, which is a combination
of IDL and some of IMSL's subroutine libraries (which IMSL will tell you
are more robust and full featured than those which come with IDL).  I've
also been told that PV-Wave syntax is nearly identical to IDL (perhaps
PV-Wave is closer to AVS than is IDL or IMSL/IDL).

Having used AVS some and IDL a little, I'd say they are pretty different
even if you can do some of the same things with them.  AVS has a rather
different approach from IDL's command line format, and IDL seems more
scientifically aimed with more functionality built in.

For chemistry, if crunching numbers and looking at results is the aim,
AVS may not have the scientific functions you want (of course you can
write your own or pull in some from a library).  If visualizing numbers
is the aim, maybe IDL won't have the flexibility that you want and AVS
is better.  There are a dozen or more modules that came with our DEC AVS 4
specifically for chemistry application, with their own data types and
everything.  These might do what you want right out of the box.

Andrew
rhoades@ll.mit.edu