Re: GNU Octave 3.4.0 Released (Mac OSX?)

[Ben Abbott]

On Feb 12, 2011, at 8:48 AM, Don Mathis wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso" <address@hidden>
> 
> 
>> On 11 February 2011 14:40, mathisdw <address@hidden> wrote:
>> 
>>> I've got a PhD in computer science but I find Octave extremely difficult to
>>> compile under any circumstances. Impossible really, for me.
>> 
>> Did you try to get a PhD in computer engineering instead? I find that
>> my MSc in applied mathematics is sufficient for compiling Octave.
>> 
>> Perhaps we should include in the README the minimum academic
>> qualifications necessary for compiling Octave... ;-)
>> 
>> (sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist)
>> 
>> - Jordi G. H.
> 
> What knowledge is required to compile Octave, and where can I get that 
> knowledge?  I try to follow the instructions but I get to dead ends, like 
> when it says to consult the INSTALL file for information about the Fortran 
> int size problem, and there's nothing there. And then when I do download the 
> latest ATT fortran compiler, it makes no difference -- I get the same error. 
> Or when I see a note in the MacOS README that says I have to use ATLAS for 
> OSX10.6.6 instead of BLAS, but the instructions stop there and I have no idea 
> how to do that.
> How do you guys compile octave? What platform are you on?
> Thanks
> 
> -Don Mathis

Please review the more recent README.MacOS at the link below.

        http://hg.savannah.gnu.org/hgweb/octave/file/b03fe57893ae/README.MacOS

The first decision you need to focus on is whether you want to use (1) the 
MacPorts package management, (2) the Fink package management, or (3) manage the 
packages yourself (manually). Do you already have MacPorts and/or Fink 
installed? If you are not sure, check to see if you have a root directory named 
"/sw" (for Fink) or "/opt" (for MacPorts).

If you are sure you don't have either MacPorts or Fink already installed, and 
don't know anything about them, please familiarize yourself with both before 
proceeding.

        http://www.finkproject.org/

        http://www.macports.org/

Ben