Matlab Online Versions

[Jessia Adachi]

Membersof the Tufts community have access to the online and desktop versions of MATLAB software and associated toolboxes on personal and institutional computers. This requires activation of an individual license, which must then be renewed on a yearly basis for continued use.

The list of toolboxes can be found on the MathWorks Products and Services page. Note that our license does not include some products that are specific to commercial customers (i.e., DO Qualification Kit, IEC Certification Kit).

It's a common misconception that Chromebooks aren't capable of running the powerful software found on PCs or Macs. If you're an engineering student, you might need to run some fairly intensive applications on your laptop. Chromebooks are a great solution for businesses and students because they're secure and cost-effective, but can they run something like MATLAB?

Unlike Mac and PC, MATLAB doesn't offer a native ChromeOS installation. Luckily, there are still a few ways to use MATLAB's computing power on a Chromebook or other ChromeOS device. We'll take a look at the online version of MATLAB and demonstrate how to install a full version of MATLAB using Linux apps on your Chromebook.

If you only need MATLAB for very basic tasks, like an introductory calculus or linear algebra course, your best bet is running MATLAB in the browser. MATLAB offers a robust online platform for cloud computing with a fair amount of power. You just need to sign into your university or organization's Mathworks account and choose the online option. Then, you can sign in directly at matlab.mathworks.com.

The main downside to using MATLAB online is that you can only store files on the cloud server assigned to you by Mathworks. Storage for the MATLAB drive is limited to 5GB if you're using a current license from a university or professional organization.

Sometimes, you need to store large matrices, which can eat up gigabytes very quickly. Plus, graphics also take up quite a bit of space. If you're doing serious research in academia or industry, you'll likely need an alternative to running things in the cloud. Still, for students using MATLAB on assignments, this should get the job done, but if you have an LTE Chromebook, make sure to turn off auto-sync for the MATLAB drive.

For those who can't make do with the online solution, there's another convenient option. Modern Chromebooks now support Linux apps. With Linux support, you can install the Linux version of MATLAB. To attempt this, you need some basic familiarity with the Terminal. Those needing a quick refresher on Linux on ChromeOS can check out our full guide to Linux apps on Chromebooks.

You're all set. That's the entire process for installing MATLAB on your Chromebook or another ChromeOS device. For those that don't need the local installation, the online experience can be nice if you don't need to store too many files.

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