Re: Octave for Mac and embedded processors

[Paul Kienzle]

On Fri, Dec 01, 2000 at 11:26:27AM -0600, Mark A. Rubin wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm interested in Octave because I want to port algorithms coded in
> Matlab, first  to a platform with a Mac processor running Linux, then to an
> embedded real-time processor.  I have the Matlab Compiler, which generates 
> C code which in principle could be compiled and run with the gnu C/C++ 
> compiler 
> under Linux; but the code which the Matlab compiler generates requires 
> libraries
> of binaries which aren't available for the Mac or the embedded system.
> 
> Three questions:
> 
> 1) According to your web page, Octave can run either interactively or 
> noninteractively.
> When it's running nonintereactively, does it tend to run more like 
> interpreted code
> (e.g., as slowly as uncompiled Matlab) or more like compiled C (e.g., like
> Matlab MEX files)?

Noninteractive doesn't gain you any speed.  However, you can create the
equivalent of a MEX file using liboctave.  Being C++, you can use code
somewhat similar to your matlab code since the usual arithmetic operators
are overloaded to handle vector and matrix computations.

> 
> 2) Does the distribution for Octave consist exclusively of source code; i.e., 
> code  which 
> would be portable to any Unix/gnu C/C++ system?

Yes.

> 
> 3) When I transferred the downloaded .gz file for the stable version of 
> Octave,
> (from the FSF site as well as yours) Viruscan declared the file to be 
> infected.
> Subsequent re-scanning of the .gz file sitting on the disk said it was OK.
> I assume the code itself is checked at your end, and the virus-alert was 
> itself a bug, 
> but thought I should mention it (and await your reply before unzipping it!)

gunzip is a separate executable.  You cannot execute a .gz file directly.
If you have a virus free version of gunzip, then there is no way that
the simple act of unzipping a file could activate a virus.  Using tar to
extract the archive could conceivably but a virus infested executable
somewhere on your system, so do a "tar tf filename" beforehand to make
sure it isn't putting stuff where it shouldn't.  Presumably the tar ball
you have downloaded contains a source distribution.  Good luck checking
that source, or the ./configure command you need to execute beforehand
for trojans.  I think you will find this is an undecidable proposition.

> ...Have others reported problems like this?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mark
> 
> --
> Mark A. Rubin, Ph.D.
> Sensor Exploitation Group
> MIT Lincoln Laboratory
> 244 Wood Street, S4-341
> Lexington, MA 02420-9185
> address@hidden
> Phone: 781-981-5966
> Fax: 781-981-4094
> 
> 
> 



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