It is not. Erlang is not the best tool for fast math and data crunching. Now it could supervise and feed data to a specialized data cruncher.
There is Wings3D, a subdivision 3D modeler, but that is kind of an exception.
> Python is easy to get started with, [...] especially due to its ability to easily integrate with C.
Erlang can also integrate with C. Granted not in ctypes or ffi type way, but with Python C-extension like way. It is not that bad. There are good examples of c libraries integrated that way (LevelDB for example, JSON parsers, etc).
> None of these are strong areas for Erlang/Elixir, but they are for Python.
Python is a great language. Use Python, why try to force yourself to not use it if you know and it works great.
> Erlang/Elixir certainly doesn't have the necessary breadth of libraries to support general-purpose tasks.
Erlang has been used for a wide variety of tasks. From messaging systems, to databases, to controlling hardware, to running websites, streaming video, real-time bidding systems, very large file storage back-ends, message brokers, chat systems, presence systems, game "lobby" services. Payment systems. The list goes on. In this sort of "concurrent and reliable backend systems" domain it solve quite a bit of general tasks if you wish. It can certainly open files, match patterns on binary data, talk to databases, send data over the networks.
> I'm starting to become interested in Scala. Why? My new job at Red Hat involves working with and hacking on software built in Java and Scala
Well presumably could have interviewed with Baho, Tail-f, Klarna. It sounds the author wants an excuse to use Erlang or Elixir, it seems applying for jobs that will lead to using those technologies might help with that.
> In my mind, if Erlang and Elixir want to grow, the community needs to identify ways to expand the scope of Erlang and Elixir to other potential use cases so that there are a larger number of natural onramps.
Agree with that. It seems there is repeated mention of ipython. Wonder if that is what is needed. Some kind of a shell with easy commands for saving and sharing modules and code. A lot of stuff ipython does recently with distribution and connecting to other nodes and so on is already baked in.
Heck someone even started one such project not too long ago (I just found it via a quick search).
https://github.com/robbielynch/ierlang
Maybe that is what's needed?