Getting Started

                                                                      Chapter 1

Getting Started

                    In this chapter, we will introduce you to the tools you need to begin using MATLAB effectively. These include: some relevant information on computer platforms and software versions; installation and location protocols; how to launch the program, enter commands, use online help, and recover from hang-ups; a roster of MATLAB’s various windows; and finally, how to quit the soft-ware. We know you are anxious to get started using MATLAB, so we will keep this chapter brief. After you complete it, you can go immediately to Chapter 2 to find concrete and simple instructions for the use of MATLAB. We describe

the MATLAB interface more elaborately in Chapter 3.

Platforms and Versions

It is likely that you will run MATLAB on a PC (running Windows or Linux) or on some form of UNIX operating system. (The developers of MATLAB, The MathWorks, Inc., are no longer supporting Macintosh. Earlier versions of MATLAB were available for Macintosh; if you are running one of those, you

should find that our instructions for Windows platforms will suffice for your needs.) Unlike previous versions of MATLAB, version 6 looks virtually identi-cal on Windows and UNIX platforms. For definitiveness, we shall assume the reader is using a PC in a Windows environment. In those very few instances

where our instructions must be tailored differently for Linux or UNIX users,

we shall point it out clearly.

➱We use the word Windows to refer to all flavors of the Windows

operating system, that is, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000,

Windows Millennium Edition, and Windows NT.

This book is written to be compatible with the current version of MATLAB, namelyversion6 (alsoknownasRelease12). Thevastmajorityof theMATLAB commands we describe, as well as many features of the MATLAB interface (M-files, diary files, M-books, etc.), are valid for version 5.3 (Release 11), and
even earlier versions in some cases. We also note that the differences between the Professional Version and the Student Version (not the Student Edition) of MATLAB are rather minor and virtually unnoticeable to the new, or even mid-level, user. Again, in the few instances where we describe a MATLAB
feature that is only available in the Professional Version, we highlight that fact clearly.