Windows install

[Thomas L. Scofield]

Hello.

I am serving as a proxy to ask this question.  I am not a Windows user myself, although I have access to my wife's laptop running Windows Vista.  I tried out the Windows install from Octave-Forge last night, downloading the (unstable) version 3.1.50 installer.  While I was unaccustomed to the dialog box asking me which tools to install (I don't see it when I install on my Mac or in Linux), I believe the only tool I left unmarked was "Documentation"; the install seemed to go just fine, as I started Octave and could do a simple plot.

Nevertheless, I guess things aren't going quite as well for my students who I have instructed to download and install Octave on their personal machines.  I cannot say for sure that the ones who are having trouble are following the exact same download process (i.e., getting the binary from Octave-forge instead of the cygwin version, grabbing the unstable installer), as my instructions to them were to visit http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/download.html and download the software.  (I am sure most of these students are Windows users---certainly that is the case for those who have asked me for help---but it was by intention that I gave instructions which did not presume this.  The students are mostly undergraduate sophomore engineering students, and should be fairly tech savvy.)  Here is what one student wrote:

     I did end up completing the install last night with every option available (I was not able

     to select some as they were blocked/would not allow a 'check mark').  I then restarted

     my computer and tried the Octave program.  When opening, all that was displayed were

     some lines of command/information regarding the program.  I hit enter, and tried typing

     but only some type of source code involving Octave 3.0.1 appeared.

Evidently she did not grab the unstable installer.  Is it clear to the trained eye that she did not get a cygwin version, or is that a possibility as well?  I have only her words to describe her problem---I've not seen her screen for myself.

At any rate, the question comes down to:

 - Is this a recognizable/avoidable problem and, if so, what steps to avoid it?

 - Given that she has already installed something, is there an easy fix for this

    student without requiring a download of a different version?

 - Is there a difference between preferred installers for XP vs. Vista?

Thomas L. Scofield

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Associate Professor

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Calvin College

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