How To Install GNU Octave 10.1.0 on Ubuntu 24.10, Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04 And Derivative Systems

As you may already know, GNU Octave is a high-level programming language and numerical computing environment designed for scientific computing, data analysis, and machine learning. It provides a powerful interactive interface with extensive support for numerical operations, matrix manipulation, data visualization, and algorithm development. Octave is widely used in academia, research, and engineering fields as a free and open-source alternative to MATLAB.

With a syntax largely compatible with MATLAB, Octave allows users to run and modify scripts with minimal adjustments. It supports complex mathematical computations, including linear algebra, differential equations, and optimization problems. Additionally, Octave features built-in plotting capabilities using tools like Gnuplot or OpenGL, enabling users to generate detailed visualizations for their data.

Octave is available across multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its active community continuously contributes to improvements, making it a reliable and evolving tool for numerical computing. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or engineer, GNU Octave offers a versatile and cost-effective solution for high-performance mathematical computing.

GNU Octave 10.1.0 — Release Highlights

GNU Octave 10.1.0 is a major release that brings new features, improvements, and bug fixes to enhance both performance and usability. Here are the key highlights:

• New Features
  • Added matfile class for efficient loading and saving of MAT files without fully loading them into memory.
  • Introduced the table class, providing a convenient way to manage and manipulate tabular data, similar to MATLAB’s table type.
  • New functions like empty, isduration, istable, and isstring have been added for improved data type handling.
• Performance Enhancements
  • Major improvements in matrix operation performance, especially when working with sparse matrices.
  • Faster plotting with the qt graphics toolkit thanks to optimized rendering.
• Graphics System Improvements
  • Enhanced support for high-DPI displays.
  • More consistent color handling and improved text rendering across different backends.
  • New support for exporting plots directly to SVG 1.1 and PDF/A-1b formats.
• Language Compatibility
  • Improved compatibility with MATLAB syntax and behavior, reducing differences in function outputs and error messages.
  • Extended support for function handles and anonymous functions.
• Usability Improvements
  • Enhanced documentation and error messages for better user guidance.
  • More reliable package management system with fixes for installation and upgrade workflows.

This release makes Octave more powerful and user-friendly for scientific computing, data analysis, and numerical modeling. Whether you’re a long-time user or new to Octave, version 10.1.0 is a solid upgrade!

How to Install GNU Octave on Ubuntu 24.10, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 22.04 (via PPA)

Follow these steps to install Octave on Ubuntu using a Personal Package Archive (PPA).

(Optional) Step 0: Update Your System

Before installing any new software, update your system to ensure you have the latest packages and security updates:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 1: Add the Octave Repository

The latest version of Octave is not always included in Ubuntu’s default repositories, so add the official PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/octave

Press Enter when prompted to confirm.

Step 2: Update the Package List

After adding the Octave repository, update the package list:

sudo apt update

Step 3: Install GNU Octave

Now, install Octave with:

sudo apt install octave -y

(Optional) Remove GNU Octave

To uninstall Octave, use:

sudo apt remove --autoremove octave

To completely remove Octave, including all configuration files:

sudo apt purge octave -y

To remove the PPA repository:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/octave

Finally, clean up unnecessary dependencies:

sudo apt autoremove -y

How to Install GNU Octave on Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Ubuntu 24.10 (via Flatpak)

What is Flatpak?

Flatpak is a universal package management system designed to provide a secure and consistent way of distributing applications across various Linux distributions. Unlike traditional package managers, Flatpak applications run in their own sandboxed environment, ensuring better security and isolation from system files.

One of Flatpak’s key advantages is its decentralized nature. Users can download applications from Flathub, the primary Flatpak repository, rather than relying on distribution-specific repositories. However, Flatpak applications may take up more space due to bundled dependencies.

Setup Flatpak and Install GNU Octave

If you prefer to install GNU Octave using Flatpak, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install Flatpak (if not already installed)

First, ensure that Flatpak is installed on your system. If it is not, install it with:

sudo apt install flatpak

Step 2: Enable the Flathub Repository

Flathub hosts the Octave Flatpak package. To enable it, run:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Step 3: Install GNU Octave using Flatpak

Now, install GNU Octave from Flathub with:

flatpak install flathub org.octave.Octave

Step 4: Launch GNU Octave

After installation, you can start GNU Octave by running:

flatpak run org.octave.Octave

Alternatively, you can find it in the Applications Menu.

(Optional) Uninstall GNU Octave

If you need to remove Octave, use the following command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.octave.Octave

This will completely remove Octave and its associated data.