tic marks

I'm using the matlab module in the classroom. Do I really
have to get the current axis with 'gca' and then use 'set'
to set tic marks?

I'm new to this, but it seems coherent with the module that
I would be able to say, e.g.,
xticks(range(11))
and be done with it.
(Ignoring the question of spelling ;).

A reasonable request?

Thanks,
Alan Isaac

PS Comment: since setting tic marks is a very common desire,
I think it should show up somewhere on
http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/matplotlib.matlab.html