no GUI for Matlab 6.1 under Linux Debian 3.1 (sarge)
 

Hi all,

I have changed my operating system to Linux Debian 3.1 (sarge). I installed Matlab 6.1 with no apparent trouble.

However, whenever I try to run matlab from a command shell, its splashwindow pops up for a while, vanishing afterwards, leaving me just with its bare command line prompt, after issuing the following message:

Opening Log file: /home/orca/java.log.23573
Warning: Failed to start the Java Virtual machine.
Warning: Disabling Java support.

I only have access to Matlab's command line, not to its graphical interface at all. Do you know what comes?

Some possibly relevant information is:

gcc: 3.3.5
glibc: 2.3.2
linux kernel: 2.6.8

I have downloaded and installed with success JRE version 1.5.0_04, from Sun, which seems to be working (according to some simple tests I've done) and I have checked that my system does have a directory /usr/share/local/en_US, with the only two files: cups_en_US, and entry.desktop

Someone has told me that perhaps I should use a downgraded version of the Java VIrtual Machine; might that be possible? If so, can I have more than one version of Java? How do I force Matlab to use a given one?

Any help is appreciated to solve this!

what does this file contain?
/home/orca/java.log.23573

Sorry for the delay Nathanael,

The message in the file java.log reads:

/usr/local/matlab6p1/sys/java/jre/glnx86/jre/lib/i386/native_threads/libzip.so: symbol errno, version GLIBC_2.0 not defined
in file libc.so.6 with link time reference (libzip.so)
Unable to initialize threads: cannot find class java/lang/Thread

Meanwhile I have received some help, from a guy called Brian Borchers, from another forum, called mathforum, which, in the bottom line, redirected me two these two "Technical Solutions" from the mathworks site:

http://www.mathworks.com/support/sol...lution=1-1ATCE

and

http://www.mathworks.com/support/sol...lution=1-1AFHN

The first "Solution" practically worked for me with:

export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.4.1

to the effect that the matlab window now pops up and remains, though the fonts seem to be a little too big...

My problem now is how to set this environment variable automatically when, and only when, I run the command matlab from a given shell, and not otherwise. I mean, in principle, I would not like to have the system assume that my kernel is 2.4.1 when, in fact, it is 2.6.8; this might have other (bad) implications, might it not?

Thanks again for any help!

Mauricio