Re: mfilename work around

[Jordi Gutierrez Hermoso]

On 22/05/07, Benjamin Lindner <address@hidden> wrote:
> > I'm not even sure if Cygwin is getting timely updates on Octave (seems
> > everyone using Cygwin is using Octave 2.1.73 which is about to be
> > declared officially obsolete), but both Ubuntu and Debian are getting
> > these updates.
>
> Woha, Hey, are you using cygwin and octave/cygwin ?

No, of course not. Ideologies aside, why would I use Octave's Windows
binaries when Debian's packages work so well and run on a completely
free operating system?

> Name one good reason NOT to use
> the 2.1.73 binary that comes packaged? (except speed - this one's granted)
> It works - that's it.
> Cygwin support in 2.9.10 is not excellent, so using it requires in-depth
> additional effort - not everyone has time to do it.
> No 2.9.x version is as fast as the 2.1.73 version. Even the 2.9.9+ win32
> binary lags behind the 2.1.73 cygwin gcc-3.2 version
> Yes 2.9.x has more features integrated into octave core, but that does not
> disqualify the 2.1.73, eh?

Debian's Octave has none of these problems or even minor annoyances
(although it has others, but that's what bug reporting and timely
updates are for). As for the disqualifications of 2.1.73, it's not me
who's doing it, but jwe has already done it just today:

    https://www.cae.wisc.edu/pipermail/octave-maintainers/2007-May/002932.html

I understand why a Windows binary of Octave has to exist at all, but
every time I see someone complaining about the difficulties of
installing this or that part of Octave on non-free operating systems,
which seems to account for a large amount of the volume of this
mailing list, I fall a little more in love with APT and the Debian
Octave team (hi guys!)... And since the OP wanted to not "deal with
it" (where I understand "it" to mean "problems with installing
Octave's components"), a free operating system is one way to not deal
with it.

Let's keep it friendly, eh? Keep running your Octave on non-free
operating systems if you must. I trust you have your reasons, but I'll
run it in its native liberated environment where it feels at home and
suggest others to do so when it seems relevant.

- Jordi G. H.