2.2.1 The Xcas interface
How you run Xcas in a graphical environment depends on which
operating system you are using.
-
If you are using Unix, you can usually find
an entry for the program in a menu provided by the environment.
Otherwise, you can start it from a terminal by typing
xcas &
If for some reason Xcas becomes unresponsive, you can open a
terminal and type
killall xcas
That will kill any running Xcas processes. When you restart
Xcas, you will be asked if you want to resume where you left
off using an automatic backup file.
- If you are running Windows, you can use the explorer to go to the
directory where Xcas is installed. In that directory will be
a file called xcas.bat. Clicking on that file will start
Xcas.
- If you are running Mac OS, you can use the Finder to go to the
xcas_image.dmg file and double-click it. Then double-click
the Xcas disk icon. Finally, to launch Xcas,
double-click the Xcas program.
When you start Xcas, a
window will pop up with menu entries across the top, a bar
indicating information about the current Xcas configuration,
and an entry line you can use to enter commands. This interface will
be described in more detail later, and you can get help
from within Xcas with the menu item
Help▸Interface