Debian

How to Install GNU Octave on Debian 10

GNU Octave provides you with all the necessary tools to do numerical computations, producing complex graphs and figures etc. GNU Octave has its own programming language which you can use to do your mathematical/numerical task. GNU Octave is an alternative to MATLAB. The GNU Octave programming language is also compatible with MATLAB programming language.  In this article, I am going to show you how to install GNU Octave on Debian 10. So, let’s get started.

Installing GNU Octave from Official Debian Package Repository:

A stable version of GNU Octave (version 4.4.x) is available in the official package repository of Debian 10 Buster. You can easily install it using the APT package manager.

First, update the APT package repository cache with the following command:

$ sudo apt update

The APT package repository cache should be updated.

Now, you can install GNU Octave with the following command:

$ sudo apt install octave

To confirm the installation, press Y and then press <Enter>.

The APT package manager will download and install all the required packages.

At this point, GNU Octave should be installed.

Once GNU Octave is installed, you should be able to find it in the Application Menu of Debian 10. To start GNU Octave, click on the GNU Octave icon.

As you’re running GNU Octave for the first time, it will show you a welcome screen and ask you some questions. On this welcome window, click on Next.

Click on Next.

Now, click on Finish.

GNU Octave should start. Now, it’s ready to use.

Installing GNU Octave Official Flatpak Repository:

Installing GNU Octave from the official Debian 10 package repository is easy. But, the GNU Octave version in the official package repository is older.

At the time of this writing, the latest version of GNU Octave is 5.1.0 which is distributed as a flatpak package. You can download GNU Octave 5.1.0 on Debian 10 from flathub flatpak repository.

Flatpak is not installed on Debian 10 by default. But, you can easily install Flatpak on Debian 10 from the official package repository of Debian 10.

First, update the APT package repository cache with the following command:

$ sudo apt update

The APT package repository cache should be updated.

Now, install Flatpak with the following command:

$ sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

Now, press Y and then press <Enter> to confirm the installation.

The APT package manager will download and install all the required packages.

At this point, Flatpak should be installed.

Now, add the Flathub Flatpak repository on Debian 10 with the following command:

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

Now, restart your computer with the following command:

$ sudo reboot

Once your computer starts, run the following command to install the latest version of GNU Octave from Flathub.

$ flatpak install flathub org.octave.Octave

Now, confirm the installation by pressing Y followed by <Enter>.

Flatpak will download all these big packages as listed in the screenshot below form the internet. Now, press Y and then press <Enter> to confirm.

Flatpak is downloading all the required packages. It will take a while to complete.

At this point, GNU Octave 5.1.0 Flatpak package should be installed.

Once GNU Octave is installed, you should be able to find it in the Application Menu of Debian 10. To start GNU Octave, click on the GNU Octave icon.

As you’re running GNU Octave for the first time, it will show you a welcome screen and ask you some questions. On this welcome window, click on Next.

Click on Next.

Now, click on Finish.

The latest version of GNU Octave should start. Now, you should be able to use it to do all sort of mathematical and numerical simulations.

So, that’s how you install GNU Octave on Debian 10 Buster. Thanks for reading this article.

About the author

Shahriar Shovon

Freelancer & Linux System Administrator. Also loves Web API development with Node.js and JavaScript. I was born in Bangladesh. I am currently studying Electronics and Communication Engineering at Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), one of the demanding public engineering universities of Bangladesh.