Ubuntu installation query

[arctica]

Hi all,

I mainly work with Scilab on windows, but have now upgraded an Intel i3 Laptop with integrated Intel Graphics to Ubuntu 26.04.

How do I install Scilab correctly on Unbuntu 26.04?

Thanks

[mario]

I’m using Debian, but I think Ubuntu works similarly.
You cansudo apt install scilab, but I had some problems both with this apt version and with the flatpak one, so I prefer to download it manually, even thoug this should be not the most “official” way (moreover, this way you get the very last version).

Therefore, download the .tar.xz from the Scilab website; then unpack the archive in a folder you like (in my case ~/scilabXXX).

To launch it, run the scilab file in the scilabXXX/bin/ folder; in terminal, something like ~/scilabXXX/bin/./scilab.

[arctica]

Hi Mario,

I just plugged the query into ChatGPT and it made an install script, but not sure if it is valid.

Create a file install-scilab.sh eg in Kate
#!/bin/bash

set -e

echo “=========================================”
echo " Scilab Installer for Ubuntu 26.04"
echo “=========================================”

cd ~/Downloads

echo “”
echo “Looking for Scilab download…”

FILE=$(ls scilab-*.tar.xz 2>/dev/null | head -n 1)

if [ -z “$FILE” ]; then
echo “ERROR: No Scilab .tar.xz file found in ~/Downloads”
exit 1
fi

echo “Found: $FILE”

echo “”
echo “Extracting archive…”

tar -xvf “$FILE”

DIR=$(tar -tf “$FILE” | head -n 1 | cut -d/ -f1)

echo “”
echo “Detected extracted folder:”
echo “$DIR”

INSTALL_DIR=“/opt/$DIR”

echo “”
echo “Moving Scilab to:”
echo “$INSTALL_DIR”

sudo mv “$DIR” “$INSTALL_DIR”

echo “”
echo “Installing required packages…”

sudo apt update

sudo apt install -y
openjdk-17-jre
libncurses6
libtinfo6
libx11-6
libxext6
libxrender1
libxtst6
libxft2
libgtk-3-0

echo “”
echo “Creating compatibility symlink…”

if [ ! -e /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5 ]; then
sudo ln -s
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.6
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5
fi

echo “”
echo “Creating desktop launcher…”

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications

cat > ~/.local/share/applications/scilab.desktop <<EOF

Desktop Entry

Name=Scilab
Comment=Scientific Computing
Exec=$INSTALL_DIR/bin/scilab
Icon=$INSTALL_DIR/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/scilab.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Education;Science;
EOF

echo “”
echo “Adding Scilab to PATH…”

if ! grep -q “$INSTALL_DIR/bin” ~/.bashrc; then
echo “export PATH=$INSTALL_DIR/bin:$PATH” >> ~/.bashrc
fi

echo “”
echo “Refreshing application database…”

update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications || true

echo “”
echo “=========================================”
echo " Installation Complete"
echo “=========================================”
echo “”
echo “You can now:”
echo “”
echo “1. Launch Scilab from the Applications menu”
echo “2. Or type:”
echo “”
echo " scilab"
echo “”
echo “in a new terminal window.”
echo “”

make script executable
chmod +x install-scilab.sh

run installer
./install-scilab.sh

I still work with Scilab on Windows, and the sudo apt version is likely an older version (?2024). but I couldn’t get that working when I tried, even with pointing to the universe repository.

Lester

[vmagnin]

@arctica

How do I install Scilab correctly on Unbuntu 26.04?

Just download https://www.scilab.org/download/2026.0.1/scilab-2026.0.1.bin.x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.xz

and extract the content into your home. In the bin\ directory, there is a script scilab that you can run to launch the software.

I have installed it recently in Ubuntu 26.04 and it works perfectly. I have the latest 2026.0.1, instead of the 2024 officially available in the Ubuntu repositories.

If ever some libraries are needed, you will have to install them also.

[arctica]

Hello,

Thanks for the information, I will try the route you suggest. I have an icon for the Home folder in the bottom right, is that where it has to extract to? Still getting my head around moving around directories.

Thanks

Lester

[vmagnin]

@arctica

I have an icon for the Home folder in the bottom right, is that where it has to extract to?

If there is a house on the icon, yes it will open your home folder. In Linux, home folders are stored into the /home/ folder. The path to your home is /home/your_login/ and the scilab-2026.0.1 directory should be installed there.

In Ubuntu, there is a File Roller application to extract archive files.

[arctica]

Hello,

I downloaded the Linux version and managed to extract it to the home folder. I right click on the Scilab file (run as program) and it runs but the text is all tiny and impossible to work with, is there a fix for that? Apologies, I am not a “native” Linux user. Is there away to make an icon/shortcut that one can just click on to launch Scilab like in Windows?

Lester

[vmagnin]

Concerning the display, see:

Scilab 2026.0.0 font and scaling issue

I recently migrated to Linux mint from windows. Downloaded Scilab and installed it without problem but when I open it, the font and icon scaling is wrong, as you can see in the snapshot. I tried to increase the font under preferences but that only works for the scinotes and console code. I also tried to change my display scale settings but that didn’t work too. I found a similar post where the solution was to replace a file named “scirenderer.jar“ inside the installation directory. I tried it bu…

That’s a Java problem (Scilab has a Java GUI). You probably have a screen with a very high definition. I have the same problem on some machines and I have just set big fonts (30 or 36) in the preferences. Not a perfect solution. If you look at the end of the cited post there is something to install to fix the problem, but I have not tried.

As you have not installed Scilab from the official Ubuntu repositories, you will have to follow those steps for the icon:

• Open the folder /home/your_login/.local/share/applications. In Linux, folders (and files) having a name beginning by a dot are hidden. The shortcut CTRL+H can be used to display or hide them.
• There, with a text editor, create a file scilab.desktop containing such lines:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Scilab
Exec=/home/your_login/scilab-2026.0.1/bin/scilab
Terminal=false
Categories=Programming;
Keywords=script;Scilab
Icon=/home/your_login/scilab-2026.0.1/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/scilab.png

• If the icon is still not available in the Ubuntu menus, you may also need to type in a terminal (don’t type the $):

$ update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications

(the ~ is a shortcut for /home/your_login/)

Welcome in the Linux world

[arctica]

I got the font sizes increased for console and scinotes, that helps for the coding areas. Not a perfect solution but the simplest option for now. Verified that the Java was there and present as Java jdk and jre (25.xx). The font scaling in other parts of the window are still there; not sure what else to try.

Thanks

[vmagnin]

The problem is described here:

How to Set DPI for Java Swing Apps on Windows/Linux: Fix Small Fonts on High...

Maybe a “solution” would be to have a secondary screen with a moderate resolution. On one machine, I have a 1920x1080 screen and Scilab 2026 is displayed perfectly (Ubuntu 26.04).