Octave for Microsoft Windows: Difference between revisions

→‎GNU Octave in MSYS2: Add notes for Octave in MSYS2
(→‎Pre-installed Packages: update pkg list for 6.3.0)
(→‎GNU Octave in MSYS2: Add notes for Octave in MSYS2)
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Alternatively, Octave can be started using the msys2 shell that can be started with {{Path|cmdshell.bat}} in Octave's root installation folder.
Alternatively, Octave can be started using the msys2 shell that can be started with {{Path|cmdshell.bat}} in Octave's root installation folder.
=GNU Octave in MSYS2=
[https://www.msys2.org/ MSYS2] is a collection of tools and libraries providing an easy-to-use environment for building, installing and running native Windows software. GNU Octave is available as a [https://packages.msys2.org/base/mingw-w64-octave package] in MSYS2.
The best (and recommended) way to use Octave on Windows is to use the provided installers (see above). But for some special requirements, the version of Octave packaged by MSYS2 might be the better solution. Those special requirements might include:
* Users might want to use e.g. Octave packages that depend on third party packages not included in MXE Octave.
* Users might need features of newer versions of packages that are included in an older version in MXE Octave.
* ...
MSYS2 follows a rolling release cycle. So, its packages are most likely more up-to-date than the packages included in Octave's installer for Windows.
It includes a (working) package manager (<code>pacman</code>) that provides the option to install a much wider range of packages than what can possibly be included in Octave's installer for Windows.
To use Octave in MSYS2, install the MSYS2 environment following [https://www.msys2.org/#installation their instructions]. At the <code>bash</code> shell (use e.g. "MSYS2 MinGW 64-bit" from the start menu), update the installation by <code>pacman -Syu</code>. After that, install a version of Octave that matches your environment (and the shell you are using), e.g. <code>pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-octave</code>.
This will install (among others), the main executables of Octave <code>octave-gui</code> (linked with Qt, i.e., including the "qt" graphics toolkit and the GUI) and <code>octave-cli</code> (linked without Qt, i.e., only "fltk" and "gnuplot" graphics toolkit and no GUI). The Octave GUI can be started with <code>octave-gui --gui</code> from MSYS2's <code>bash</code> shell.


=GNU Octave on [https://cygwin.com/ cygwin]=
=GNU Octave on [https://cygwin.com/ cygwin]=
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