Installing PDL on a Linux Debian based operating system for power users

This page describes how to install PDL on a Linux Debian based operating system. It is meant for power users since it makes use of the command line and other advanced concepts.

Make sure you are accessing the main, non-free and contrib sections of whatever Debian repository you are accessing. In other words, check tha your /etc/apt/sources.list has a line like the following

deb http://ftp.debian.org stable main contrib non-free

where the words main, contrib and non-free show up.

Update the available list of packages by typing on a terminal as root

apt-get update

Install the relevant PDL Debian packages by typing (again as root)

apt-get install pdl pgplot5 libterm-readline-gnu-perl g77 libc6-dev libx11-dev netpbm

Now we have to install the perl module that gives some of the plotting capabilities of PDL, which is called PGPLOT. We must get into CPAN shell mode, by writing on the terminal (as root)

 perl -MCPAN -e shell

Type no when the question Are you ready for manual configuration? comes up.

Now type

 install ExtUtils::F77

and then

 install PGPLOT

Take the default proposal when asked Default Device for plot tests? by just hitting .

Get out of the CPAN shell window by typing

 exit

You can from now on enjoy PDL by typing (but NOT as root!)

perldl

on a terminal. This will bring up a PDL prompt where you can have a look at the demos by typing

 demo

Et voila!!