Hi there. I have a problem installing the newest version of gnuplot which is 5.0. I downloaded it from this website (sourceforge): a source tarball. The Ubuntu 12.04 archive manager in my laptop placed it in the directory /home/alex/gnuplot-5.0.0.tar. I opened the directory/folder with a click and began reading manuals. The install procedure (read INSTALL.gnu) calls for issuing this command:

It is impossible to get to the directory gnuplot-5.0.0.tar via a terminal. If I type cd gnuplot-5.0.0.tar it says that this is not a derectory. If I omit .tar it does not recognize the name at all. I tried to rename it but after that I could not open it even with a click.

What shall I do?

Thanks, - A.

This is the simple-minded GUI oriented approach that I use:-

From http://sourceforge.net/projects/gnuplot/files/
I selectedThis downloaded I double-clicked on this file and (see attached) selected the directory gnuplot-5.0.0 and dragged it onto my desktop.

Attached Thumbnails

 

1 members found this post helpful.

Brilliant. Thank you much. I am already in the directory, however my joy was premature. After I ran ./configure command as recommended in the file INSTALL.gnu the installer ran thru all the steps and I decided to check the version. This is what I got:

In other words I still have the old version 4.4.3.

You have two versions.
One was installed from the repositories and is in /usr/...

Your recently compiled one sits somewhere in your home directory.

The repository one takes precedence.

I'm sorry, I think you are mistaken. gnuplot-5.0.0 is a folder. How can I prove that the active gnuplot is 5.0?

Any test I run shows me that it is NOT gnuplot 5.0.0.

There are quite some steps involved in installing a package from source. Usually it is:
Once it is installed, you must find out where it was installed and make sure you run it from that installed place.

Furthermore, it seems that you try or tried to install Gnuplot outside the Ubuntu package manager. So will not ever show you what you just installed. Apt-get doesn't have any notice what you did.

Ubuntu might have a special procedure to compile a package from source which does involve the package manager. It is like that in Debian and Ubuntu is a Debian derivative. I don't know Ubuntu but you should check that. It is always better to involve the package manager. If you don't you'll run into surprises when you upgrade your system.

I know you are struggling some longer with Gnuplot, but I don't know what your exact problem is. But in any case, compiling from the source tarball is really, really the very last resort. And your problem must really be pressing in order to want that.

If the Ubuntu repositories offer the source package and you can use Ubuntu tools to build it that should be the way before trying the tarball.

jlinkels

Version 4.6 is the latest Debian repository version - 5.0.0 has to be compiled from source.

There are a number of possible actions you could take which would give precedence to 5.0.0.

JeremyBoyden, what are the actions you are referring to? Jlinkels, thanks for all that information. I forgot to mention I tried make install but not make alone. It failed because it could not create a folder, I think it was usr/local/gnuplot. Said permission denied. I am away from that machine now, may be mistaken. Later today I will try to create this folder manually, will see what'll happen.

I used archive manager to open the tarball. Otherwise it could not have opened and created the folders. Is archive manager the same as Ubuntu package manager?

Thanks, - A.

You need root permissions in order to install it in /usr/local/

Archive manager is something you use to open a tar archive. The Ubuntu package manager keeps track of all packages on your system, including dependencies. The two are not even related. it is usefel to spend some time reading about the package manager of your system.

jlinkels

You know, I am an application programmer and I have my hands full with numerical simulations of various kinds and handreds of other things. I know it would be very profitable for me to learn the Ubuntu OS in detail but I simply have no time. This is why I come here and post questions.

Now I ran make command that gave me a massive, multipage output, which I cannot even begin to understand, and then make install command which came back with two errors, one of them is:

So, I have to figure out what to do.

Thanks, - A.

How do I get the root permission?

Do you really need the absolute latest version of gnuplot?
What's wrong with using 4.6?

Jeremy hi. It is a good question. Actually I am not so sure. Just tonight I created a 3D image of the sphere (very beautiful) with meridians and parallels I need for further demos, so 4.6 version works, HOWEVER, I believe that there are a few bugs in 4.6 which hopefully will be removed in 5.0. For instance set term png does not work when I tried it. Also I hope the pdf manuals will improve. When I tried to use user manual for 5.0 and write commands in 4.6 many commands were not recognized, so I went back to 4.6. The manuals are atrocious and I have to try various combinations to find the correct spelling. The bottom line: I hope a switch to 5.0 will improve productivity a little bit.

Thanks, - A.

Actually the two versions are substantially different - see http://gnuplot.info/documentation.html which contains documentation for 4.6, 5.0 and the differences.

IMOH The documentation looks pretty decent.