New WIN98 installation of Scilab 2.5: PROBLEM: can't print to scilex from keyboard; can't change scilex background (using toolbar command)

[amark...@gmail.com]

hello and thank-you.
i tried to put everything I have to say in the subject line!

To amplify a little, I have just completed a new installation of scilab
2.5 on my ancient win98 operating system, on my toshiba tecra 8000
laptop.
on starting scilab, i find i am able to run demos, and generally
operate from the command line successfully.

however as you will understand i wish to edit files, and when i try the
editor (scilex) i find i am presented with a frame of black screen with
a toolbar on which i can change the typeface but not the background,
and i cannot put text into the editor.

any help would be greatly appreciated

mark

[Enrico Segre]

>>> <amark...@gmail.com> 05/11/06 2:19 AM >>>

>however as you will understand i wish to edit files, and when i try the
>editor (scilex) i find i am presented with a frame of black screen with
>a toolbar on which i can change the typeface but not the background,
>and i cannot put text into the editor.

Scilex is not the editor, but the main scilab engine. If you call it as it is, you basically just get a dos mode scilab console (IIRC).
The internal editor scipad was introduced in a very basic form later down the way (I think in 2.6), and was improved in the next releases. It might be that some later version of scilab still runs on win95. Otherwise, your choice is just an external text editor; there are many, and if you check in the contribution page, some have even some sort of scilab syntax support.
Enrico

ps: btw, it could be useful to compile a vintage copmatibility grid, i.e. up to which old scilab version runs on old OSs. I can say that I was able to run the current head branch on win98 until last week only (some smart guy broke the compatibility with the pathetical excuse that "microsoft reccommends their customers to buy xp for enhanced experience"), so I think 4.0 should still, and that I found out that the latest version I'm able to have up and running on RedHat8 is 2.7.

[Francois Vogel]

Hi,

Where did you find such an old lady? I'm not aware of any place on the
web where Scilab-2.5 is offered for download.

Since I'm interested in archaeology, I would be interested if you could
forward me both the Windows binary version and source code (or point me
to a download place).

Thanks,
Francois

[amark...@gmail.com]

Hi
Thank-you both Enrico and Francois, for your helpful explanations.

May I also ask, do you think that 2.5 is the right software for a
Pentium3, 64meg RAM machine?

I got my download from the following address:
www.es.oersted.dtu.dk/~kah/01032/Win98SW

Mark

[Enrico Segre]

>Where did you find such an old lady? I'm not aware of any place on the
>web where Scilab-2.5 is offered for download.

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/math/matrix/scilab-2.5.src.tar.gz
http://debian.uni-essen.de/misc/scilab/

hint: google for scilab-2.5

[Enrico Segre]

>May I also ask, do you think that 2.5 is the right software for a
>Pentium3, 64meg RAM machine?

dunno, the showstopper might rather be the OS. Just try and report!

Other link for 2.5, 2.6 and 2.72 exe for win: http://www.dim.uchile.cl/~labma33a/manuales.html

[Francois Vogel]

Thanks for the links.

> hint: google for scilab-2.5

I did it, but for some reason it removed the dash before launching the
actual search, even if I enclose the search term in quotes. Internet
Explorer oddity, I suppose. Therefore no relevant match.

Since we are there, where are even oldest Scilab versions stored? What
was before 2.5?

Francois