Hi

[Brendan Cusick]

In response to JWE's comments, I'll share the source of my confusion.
The Octave window looks exactly like what I remember of MS DOS, and so
didn't realize that I had actually launched the app.  I thought I
needed to do something further to get to the program.  Contrast this
with R, which really is just the same thing but with a white window.
The small differences of 1) having a white rather than black window
and 2) the header "R Console" on the top, really make a difference.  I
think something designating that yes, in fact, you are currently using
octave, could eliminate more amateur questions like mine.

On 1/22/09, John W. Eaton <jwe at octave.org> wrote:
> On 22-Jan-2009, Brendan Cusick wrote:
>
>  | I'm sure I am doing something wrong.  I downloaded octave according to
>  | instructions.  There is an octave icon on my desktop.  However, when i open,
>  | all i get is a black prompt window.  Suggestions on how to get the program
>  | started?
>
>
> You got it started.
>
>  Now, type a command at the prompt, like
>
>   octave:1> help
>
>  or
>
>   octave:1> inv ([1,2;3,4])
>
>  Would it make you feel better if the window that comes up when you
>  click on the icon had the familiar [File] [Edit] ... [Help] buttons,
>  but you still had to type commands at a prompt?  Would you have been
>  less confused if those buttons had appeared?  This is a serious
>  question.  Have we now arrived at a point where people can't use
>  software if it doesn't present thse buttons?
>
>
>  jwe
>