Maxima -- GPL CAS based on DOE-MACSYMA Files

Most Linux distributions include a Maxima package that can be installed with the package manager; however, the version of the distribution you are using might come with a version of Maxima that is very old. The latest Maxima version found in this directory is usually as stable as previous versions, but more complete; we recommend always to use the latest version.

Requirements

The files in this section were built for 64-bit Linux systems on Intel-386 or compatible processors. It is also assumed that your system has a /usr/local/ directory where you can install additional packages.

Downloading

Check the version of the C library in your system using the following command:

ldd --version

The first line of the output should be something such as:

ldd (Ubuntu GLIBC 2.35-0ubuntu3.13) 2.35

Which says that the version of the C library is 2.35. You must then download from this directory a file with the string glibcX.XX, where the version X.XX is the same or older than the version of the C library in your system. The rest of the name of the file tells you the version of Maxima that will be installed and the Lisp flavors that will be available. If you don't find an appropriate file, you would have to use the methods explained in the sections Alternative installation methods or Installing from source in our Website.

Installation

To install it, you only need the following two commands:

cd /usr/local
sudo tar xvzf /path/where/you/downloaded/maxima-version.tar.gz

where maxima-version.tar.gz is the file you downloaded.

Post-installation check

After the installation, you can issue the following command:

maxima --list-avail

which should show the version of Maxima that you just installed and the Lisp variants available.

To create plots, you need to have Gnuplot installed in your system. To make sure that it is installed and running properly, run the following command:

gnuplot

which should start Gnuplot, showing a prompt where you can enter commands. At the prompt, enter the following command:

plot cos(x)

A new window should be opened with the plot of the cosine function. You can then enter exit in the Gnuplot prompt, to exit Gnuplot, and you are ready to use Maxima in a terminal, with the command maxima.

There is another version of maxima, rmaxima, that allows you to navigate the list of maxima commands you have used previously in the current session or previous ones, using the arrow keys or some control sequences. It can also complete known commands by pressing the tab key. It depends on an external program called rlwrap; if it is not installed in you system rmaxima will end with an error. In Linux distributions rlwrap is included in a package with the same name.

The files you installed include also a graphical interface to Maxima called xmaxima. It requires Tcl/Tk to be installed in your system; to check that it is installed and working, issue the following command:

wish

It should open an empty window and place a prompt in your terminal. At the prompt, enter exit to exit the program. You can then use xmaxima as interface for Maxima, by either issuing the command xmaximain a terminal, or clicking on the icon that should appear in your applications menu:

The wxMaxima interface is not installed with the packages downloaded from here. It is a separate package that can be downloaded from its own Website