Installing octave package in ubuntu

Question

anyone can help me with this error?

octave:4> pkg install signal-1.2.0.tar.gz
error: the following dependencies where unsatisfied:
   signal needs optim >= 1.0.0
 signal needs specfun >= 0.0.0
 signal needs control >= 2.2.3
 signal needs general >= 1.3.2
octave:4> pkg install optim-1.2.2.tar.gz
error: the following dependencies where unsatisfied:
   optim needs miscellaneous >= 1.0.10
 optim needs struct >= 1.0.10
octave:4> pkg install struct-1.0.10.tar.gz
make: /usr/bin/mkoctfile: Command not found
make: *** [fields2cell.oct] Error 127
'make' returned the following error: make: Entering directory `/tmp/oct-fDBs5k/struct-1.0.10/src'
/usr/bin/mkoctfile -s fields2cell.cc
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/oct-fDBs5k/struct-1.0.10/src'
error: called from `pkg>configure_make' in file /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/pkg/pkg.m near line 1391, column 9
error: called from:
error:   /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/pkg/pkg.m at line 834, column 5
error:   /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/pkg/pkg.m at line 383, column 9

I need to install signal package, but I have to download other to work from I have noticed but it gets stuck when installing struct package.

@edit The same error when trying to install misc~ package.

octave:5> pkg install miscellaneous-1.2.0.tar.gz
error: the following dependencies where unsatisfied:
   miscellaneous needs general >= 1.3.1
octave:5> pkg install general-1.3.2.tar.gz
make: /usr/bin/mkoctfile: Command not found
make: *** [__exit__.oct] Error 127
'make' returned the following error: make: Entering directory `/tmp/oct-CA6o4U/general/src'
/usr/bin/mkoctfile __exit__.cc
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/oct-CA6o4U/general/src'
error: called from `pkg>configure_make' in file /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/pkg/pkg.m near line 1391, column 9
error: called from:
error:   /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/pkg/pkg.m at line 834, column 5
error:   /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/pkg/pkg.m at line 383, column 9

@edit additional info:

octave:6> which mkoctfile
`mkoctfile' is a function from the file /usr/share/octave/3.6.2/m/miscellaneous/mkoctfile.m

I have no idea what to do..

Answer 1

You need to install mkoctfile. Depending on your ubuntu version this will be in different packages. It used be in octave-pkg-dev but now is on liboctave-dev.

Ubuntu and Debian place this as separate package because it is only needed if you want to build the packages yourself. They expect you to use the Octave packages that they packaged (sudo apt-get install octave-signal). Their versions will be behind the actual version but the same happens with the Octave version they distribute. That's the price to pay for stability.