Software at MIT

Name: Matlab
Topic: What's new?
Category: Help
Last modified: Fr, Mar 28, 2008
Problems or Questions?

What's New in the Athena Matlab locker

NOTE: a number of links in the older detail descriptions below are broken- they link to information in lockers that no longer exist. We are keeping the information for those releases on this page as a historical record of old Matlab releases on Athena

Changes in the Matlab locker include:

• Matlab 7.6 installed, March 2008
• Matlab 7.5 made the default, January 2008
• Matlab 7.5 installed, October 2007
• Matlab 7.4 made the default, June 2007
• Matlab 7.4 installed, Simscape added, January 2007
• Matlab 7.3 set as default, MATLAB Builder for Java added, January 2007
• Matlab 7.3 installed, October 2006
• lpsolve (Mixed Integer Linear Programming solver) added, August 2006
• Matlab 7.2 set as default, June 2006
• Matlab 7.2 available (R2006a), March 2006
• Matlab 7.1 default (R14SP3), January 2006
• Matlab 7.1 (R14SP3), September 2005
• Matlab 7.0.4SP2 (R14SP2), April 2005
• Matlab 7.0.1SP1 (R14SP1), October-December 2004
• Matlab 7.0 (R14), June 2004
• Matlab 6.5.1 (R13 SP1), October 2003
• Summer Update, August 2002
• Summer Update, August 2001
• Communications Toolbox, March 2001
• Matlab 6 (R12), January 2001
• Matlab 5.3.1, LMI Control Toolbox, January 2000
• Matlab 5.3, Fuzzy Logic Toolbox, May 1999
• Contrib Toolboxes, December 1998
• Summer Update, July 1998
• Status Notes, January 1998
• Status Notes, September 1997
• Locker Reorganization, August 1997
• Toolbox Updates, October 1996 (Wavelet Toolbox; Compiler)
• Toolbox Updates, January 1996
• Toolbox Updates, August 22 1995
• IBM Athena Update, August 10 1995
• Spring Break Update, April 1 1995

March, 2008

Matlab 7.6 (Release R2008a) is installed.

January, 2008

Matlab 7.5 (Release R2007b) set as default

October, 2007

Matlab 7.5 (Release R2007b) is installed.

June, 2007

Matlab 7.4 (Release R2007a) set as default.

March, 2007

Matlab 7.4 (Release R2007a) is installed, and we add Simscape. Symbolic and Extended Symbolic Toolboxes are no longer available for Solaris.

January, 2007

Matlab 7.3 (Release R2006b) is set as default, and we add MATLAB Builder for Java. This is the last 32 bit Solaris release.

October, 2006

Matlab 7.3 (Release R2006b) is installed.

August, 2006

lpsolve (Mixed Linear Programming solver) is added to the Matlab locker(s).

June, 2006

Matlab 7.2 (Release R2006a) is set as default.

March, 2006

Matlab 7.2 (Release R2006a) is installed.

For more information, see:

• Release Notes

January, 2006

Matlab 7.1 (Release 14SP3) is made the default. We add many Toolboxes:

• Bioinformatics Toolbox
• Extended Symbolic Math Toolbox
• Filter Design Toolbox
• Financial Toolbox
• GARCH Toolbox
• Genetic Algorithm and Direct Search Toolbox
• MATLAB Report Generator
• Mapping Toolbox
• Model Predictive Control Toolbox
• RF Toolbox
• SimBiology
• SimMechanics
• Stateflow
• Virtual Reality Toolbox

For more information, see:

• Release Notes

September, 2005

Matlab 7.1 (Release 14SP3) is now available. It fixes still more bugs and introduces updates to many of the Toolboxes. We plan to make this the default version during IAP 2006; R14SP2 is the current default.

April, 2005

Matlab 7.0.4SP2 (Release 14SP2) is now available. It fixes more bugs and introduces updates to many of the Toolboxes. We make this the default version in Summer 2005.

October-December, 2004

Matlab 7.0.1SP1 (Release 14SP1) is now available. It fixes bugs in 7.0 but also introduces significant updates to many of the Toolboxes. The compiler is again available for Solaris, and buildmcr works for Linux (but not Sun). A subsequent compiler patch bringing it to version 4.1.1 (December, 2001) seems to fix almost all the problems we have encountered. We make this release the default at this time.

June, 2004

Matlab 7.0 (Release 14) is now available. It is a major update and somewhat buggy; the compiler is not available for Solaris and buildmcr, the application deployment archive builder, is broken on Linux. Command-line switch remapping is currently identical to that used for Matlab 6.5.1, but we are contemplating reverting to the Mathworks' defaults.We need to do more testing, but hope to make it the default version for Fall 2004.

October, 2003

Matlab 6.5.1 (Release 13 Service Pack 1) is now available for all Athena platforms. It incorporates bug fixes and major updates to a number of the Toolboxes. We plan to make it the default during I.A.P. 2004. We continue to present the traditional interface on default launch, instead of the Java Desktop. Command-line switch remapping is identical to that used for Matlab 6.5.

For more information, see:

• Release 13 SP 1 Release Notes

August, 2002

Matlab 6.5 (Release 13) is now available for all Athena platforms, we would like to make it the default for the Fall, 2002 term but testing time is short. The Curve Fitting Toolbox has been added since last Summer's update. We continue to present the traditional interface on default launch, instead of the Java Desktop. Command-line switch remapping is identical to that used for Matlab 6.1.0.

For more information, see:

• Release 13 Release Notes

August, 2001

Matlab 6.1.0 (Release 12.1) is now available for all Athena platforms and has been made the Athena default. We find the Java Desktop works much better than in 6.0.0, but continue to disable it on a default launch due to the preference of the majority of users for the traditional interface.

For more information, see:

• Release 12.1 Release Notes

March, 2001

We add the Communications Toolbox. For more information, see:

• Communications Toolbox (pdf manual) or Mathworks' Communications Toolbox page

January, 2001

Matlab 6.0.0 (Release 12) is installed for all platforms; we run into many problems with the new Java Desktop and disable it by default (users can still run it by using a local "-desktop" command-line switch). We consider making it the default in Summer 2001, but it is superseded by the 6.1.0 release.

January, 2000

Matlab 5.3.1 (Release 11.1) is now available; it has been made the Athena default. It is available for all platforms.

New toolbox: the LMI Control Toolbox is available for Matlab 5.3.1.

For more information, see:

• Release 11.1 New Features

• Migrating to Release 11
• Mathworks' LMI Control Toolbox page

May, 1999

Matlab 5.3 (Release 11) is now available; it will become the Athena default in mid-summer 1999. It is available for all platforms except SGIs running Irix 6.2 and below (as part of the Athena 8.3 summer release, all public cluster SGIs will be running Irix 6.5). To run Matlab 5.3:

        athena% add matlab
        athena% matlab -ver 5.3 &

New toolbox: the Fuzzy Logic Toolbox is available for Matlab 5.3.

For more information, see:

• Release 11 New Features
• Migrating to Release 11
• Fuzzy Logic Toolbox (pdf manual) or Mathworks' Fuzzy Logic Toolbox page

December, 1998

Several changes have been made this semester to the user-contributed toolbox directory:

• contrib/simulink/ansim contains The Simulation Animation Block (added 1998/12/22)
• contrib/books/polking contains files to accompany John C. Polking's book Ordinary Differential Equations using MATLAB (Matlab 5.2 only, added 1998/12/16)
• contrib/18.06 contains updated files to accompany Gilbert Strang's Introduction to Linear Algebra (updated 1998/08/18)
• contrib/seawater contains A Library of MATLAB Computational Routines for the Properties of Seawater (added 1998/08/03)

All of the above toolboxes are available as part of the default Athena Matlab path.

July, 1998

Matlab 5.2 is now the default for all platforms except SGI Indys running Irix 5.3. (Matlab 5.1 is the final version which will run on Irix 5.3, and is now the default version for this platform. In August, SGI Indys in public clusters will be updated to Irix 6.2 as part of the Athena 8.2 release. At that point, they will run Matlab 5.2 as default.)

Matlab 4.2 and 5.1 are still available, and may be run by typing:

	athena% add matlab
        athena% matlab -ver 4.2 &     or   athena% matlab -ver 5.1 & 

January, 1998

• Matlab 4.2 will continue to be the default through the spring 1998 semester. Matlab 5.x will become the default over the summer.
• Matlab 5.1 is now available from the Dash menu (under Numerical/Math).

September, 1997

Matlab 5.1 is now available for Sun, SGI, and Linux. To start Matlab 5.1 from the command line, type:

	athena% add matlab
	athena% matlab -ver 5.1 &

Note: 4.2 is the final version available for DEC users.

August, 1997

The Matlab locker has been reorganized into a base locker and two version lockers, one for each of 4.2 and 5.1 (coming soon). Matlab 4.2 is still the default and will continue to be the default throughout the fall 1997 semester. To run the default version of Matlab, type

	athena% add matlab
	athena% matlab &

To run version 5.1 (on the Sun, when available), type

	athena% add matlab
	athena% matlab -ver 5.1 &

October, 1996

Two new toolboxes have been added to the Athena Matlab environment:

• Wavelet Toolbox. GUI and command line functionality for analysis, synthesis, de-noising, and compression of signals and images, continuous wavelet transform for multiscale signal analysis, analysis and synthesis of 1-D and 2-D discrete wavelet transform, and more. For a list of functions, type the command help wavelet at the Matlab prompt. You can also display a menu of wavelet functions with the command wavemenu. For information about wavelets, type the command waveinfo. There is also a suite of demonstrations available; for these, tye the command wavedemo.
  
• Matlab Compiler. Converts M-files into C source code and compiles them into C MEX-files. Many programs compiled with the Matlab Compiler will run significantly faster than their M-file counterparts. The M-file functions that will show speed-ups as a result of compilation are those that include FOR loops, contain lots of scalar operations, use integer and real data, and are not heavily vectorized. Note that Matlab's matrix-oriented operations are already highly optimized. As a result, the Matlab Compiler is unlikely to significantly speed up functions that spend most of their time in Matlab's built-in indexing, math, or graphics functions, or that are heavily vectorized.
  
  The mcc [function] command - typed at the Matlab prompt - initiates the entire conversion, compilation, and linking process for the specified function. Note that the compiled C Mex-files are platform specific; you will want to compile your M-files on each platform where you will want to run them. The Matlab Compiler is currently set up on Athena Sun and SGI workstations. For more information, type help mcc at the Matlab prompt.
  
  The Matlab Compiler as installed on Athena cannot be used to create standalone applications.

January, 1996

During IAP, three new toolboxes were added to the Athena Matlab environment:

• Partial Differential Equation Toolbox. A set of functions and a graphical user interface for specifying, solving and displaying results of generic 2-D partial differential equations, using the Finite Element method. For a complete list of functions, type the command help pde at the Matlab prompt. The following demos are also available:

• pdedemo1 - Exact solution of Poisson's equation on unit disk.
• pdedemo2 - Solve Helmholtz's equation and study the reflected waves.
• pdedemo3 - Solve a minimal surface problem.
• pdedemo4 - Solve PDE problem using subdomain decomposition.
• pdedemo5 - Solve a parabolic PDE (the heat equation).
• pdedemo6 - Solve a hyperbolic PDE (the wave equation).
• pdedemo7 - Adaptive solution with point source.
• pdedemo8 - Solve Poisson's equation on rectangular grid.

To get started using this toolbox, type the Matlab command pdetool. This will start the GUI tool that allows you to graphically create a geometry, generate a mesh, specify the equation and solve it. A copy of the PDE Toolbox User's Guide is avaialble in the OLC office, 11-115.

• Digital Signal Processing Blockset An extension to the SIMULINK environment for use in the design and simulation of digital signal processing. You can display a list of SIMULINK libraries in this package and of available demos by typing the Matlab command help dspblks.
• Fixed Point Math Blockset An extension to the SIMULINK environment to facilitate simulation of discrete-time dynamic systems that utilize fixed-point arithmetic. You can display a list of SIMULINK libraries in this package and of available demos by typing the Matlab command help fixpoint.

Also added were some Contrib routines:

• bar3.m A 3-D bar plot tool. In it's simplest form, BAR3(Z) creates a 3-D bar plot of the elements of matrix Z. Type help bar3 at the Matlab prompt for more details. Some interesting examples include:

• bar3(rand(5))
• bar3(hamming(20)*hamming(20)')
• bar3(1:10,[-2 3],.8)

• suptitle.m Puts a title above all subplots (a "Super Title").
• chart.m Displays a map of characters in a font.

August 22, 1995

At the end of August, a minor Matlab release was made. This included 4 major changes in the Matlab locker:

• Matlab for the Linux operating system was added.
  There are 2 significant differences from other Athena platforms:

1. Due to operating system specific problems, the Athena Matlab script does not start a new xterm on this platform. The default behavior is the same as matlab -tty.
2. The Symbolic Toolbox is not available.

See the Linux Matlab Release notes for more details.

• System Identification Toolbox
  The System Identification Toolbox was upgraded to version 4.0. This version includes a graphical user interface that provides access to most of the toolbox functionality and provides access to significant online help text. Type "ident" at the Matlab prompt to start the System Identification graphical user interface.
• The Symbolic Toolbox was updated to use Maple 5.3. Additionally, a number of bug fixes were incorporated. Click here for a list of new and modified functions in the Symbolic Toolbox. Online Release Notes provide some information on changes made in Maple release 5.3.

Additionally, the documentation browser was changed to use the htmlview script. This script will open a new page in a running browser or start one if necessary.

August 10, 1995

Since the latest Athena release (early August 1995) fixed a problem with system libraries on the IBM workstations, Matlab 4.2c was made the default version of Matlab. This version is now the default on all Athena workstations.

April, 1995

Over Spring Break 1995, a number of changes were made in the Athena Matlab Locker. These include:

• Update to Matlab Version 4.2c. This is primarily a bug fix release. See the Matlab 4.2c Release Notes for more details.
• The Neural Networks Toolbox was added. The Neural Network Toolbox is a collection of functions for designing and simulating neural networks. To see some examples of this toolboxes capabilities, run the Matlab demo command, and select Neural Networks from the Toolboxes menu.
• The Mathworks ODE Suite. A collection of M-files for solving ordinary differential equations. For more information on the ODE suite m-files, see the README file. A technical description of the algorithms used is available in postscript form. Since this package provides new versions of ode23.m and ode45.m, it is not included in the default search path. To try out this package, do the following in Matlab:

       >>p = path;   % get MATLABPATH and prepend ODE suite directory
       >>path('/mit/matlab/Matlab4.2/toolbox/contrib/ode',p); 
       >> odedemo    % run new ODE demo package
       

To restore the default behavior

       >> path(p)    % sets MATLABPATH to previously saved value
       

• Several new contrib routines and toolboxes were added

• Link toolbox -- A collection of routines to aid in the creation of complex text objects with different fonts, colors and other properties, including sub- and superscripting.
• Styled Text Toolbox -- A collection of routines to simplify the task of adding text objects to plots. It includes functions for mixing fonts, subscripts and superscripts. Run the Matlab command stodemo to see some examples.
• A Horziontal error bar command -- See help herrorbar for details
• A filled bar plot routine -- See help fillbar for details.
• 2d and multidimensional histogram routines. -- See help hist2d and help histmulti for more information.
• A collection of Matlab workspace and namespace utilities. See help names within Matlab for a listing of functions.

Problems or Questions?

Help with Matlab
If you are affiliated with MIT, contact Athena Consulting (on Athena, type "olc"). Otherwise, see the other resources above or contact the vendor for help.

Sending bug reports
Athena users should report problems via the "sendbug" command.

Software at MIT
Questions or suggestions about availability of software on Athena should be sent to 3partysw@mit.edu.

Comments on this page
Questions or comments about this web page should be sent to acs-web@mit.edu.

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