2.2.1 The Xcas interface
How you start 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 your desktop 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
This will kill any running Xcas processes. Xcas
keeps an automatic backup files, so when you restart
Xcas, you will be asked if you want to resume where you left
off.
- If you are running Windows, you can use the explorer to go to the
directory where Xcas is installed. In that directory is
a file called xcas.bat. You can click on that file to 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, you can double-click the
Xcas program to launch Xcas.
When you start Xcas, a window will open with menu entries
across the top, below that will be a bar giving information about the
current Xcas configuration, and below that will be an entry
line you can use to enter commands. This interface will be described
in more detail later, but the menu item
Help▸Interface
will bring up an introduction.