The pylab API is a procedural interface to matplotlib's underlying object-oriented Python API. As mentioned in the previous chapter and stated in the matplotlib FAQ, the pylab module has been deprecated. The pyplot module is the preferred API for scripting. The original vision of pylab—to provide MATLAB users a nearly one-to-one mapping of the software they knew with that of an open source platform—has been accomplished. In the 12 years since its inception, matplotlib has become a household name in scientific computing circles, and as a result the need for pylab has decreased greatly.
The drawbacks of pylab include the following:
It hides the workings (and thus, the deeper knowledge) of matplotlib, thus preventing the natural discovery of deeper feature sets that are available to the user through matplotlib objects.
The additional development and maintenance of pylab are a burden for the matplotlib team in its continued efforts to provide the MATLAB functionality that...