Ubuntu installation query

Scilab beginners
8

Concerning the display, see:

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 :slightly_smiling_face: