How to install Ox in Ubuntu 14.04?

Question

everyone.

I'm kinda new in Ubuntu things, so please be patient with me.

In econometric/statistics, we use a lot a software called 'Ox' which is free for students and for research purposes. It's a cool option to R and C++. It's faster than R and simpler to program than C. If interested on it, give it a try.

The download options for Ox are here. Exactly in the -Ox 7 Console for linux- box. 64 bits option

When I downloaded it, I don't know what to do. I have the file on my PC but I don't know how to install it.

The site gives the following instructions that I sincerely, don't understand.

General

The default rpm package oxcons-7.00-0.i386.rpm includes the 32-bit version. The extended rpm package oxcons-7.00-0.x86_64.rpm contains the 64-bit version. The 64-bit version is invoked with the oxl64 command (in /usr/bin). The 64-bit version requires 64-bit versions of external dlls. These are available for quadpack, arfima, ssfpack and emm.

Linux Ubuntu/Debian

a) Ox is installed in /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox

b) oxl command is symbolic link in /usr/bin to /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/oxl while /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/oxl.bin is the Ox executable. The 64-bit command is oxl64.

b) Use alien to install the rpm. Alien is not installed by default in Ubuntu, so install this first.

c) Rename /usr/bin/oxl to /usr/bin/oxl5 if you already have Ox 5, and wish to keep it.

d) issue the command in a local folder:

sudo alien -i -c ox*.rpm

Under 64-bit linux there may be an error message that amd64 is not in the package. However, it seems to install fine.

e) When I tried this for 64-bit Ubuntu, installation was to the current folder, so must be moved to /usr/share/OxMetrics7 (again as sudo; this is not necessary under 32-bit Ubuntu).

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance. :)

Answer 1

First it is important you keep in mind that rpm packages are for fedora and redhat distributions, nevertheless sometimes they work on other linux distributions.

Those instructions are certainly confusing so let me rephrase them. Also keep in mind you have to be able to use sudo, which means you must have all permissions on the machine.

1) copy the rpm to /usr/share/OxMetrics7 like this

sudo cp /home/yourname/downloads/ox*.rpm /usr/share/OxMetrics7

Maybe /usr/share/OxMetrics7 does not exist so you have to create it

sudo mkdir /usr/share/OxMetrics7

2) once that is done go to that file

cd /usr/share/OxMetrics7

3) and then install the file as it says there

sudo alien -i -c ox*.rpm

once that is done, the excutable for oxl must be a file inside /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox

4) in linux executables are called bins. Search for a bin inside /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox. According to the company it is inside /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/

5) go to /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/ using

cd /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/

once inside list its content and check for a bin (there is no extension .bin it is just the executable called oxl

list using:

ls /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/

6) to be able to run oxl as a command you have to either add /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/ to the PATH variable or add a link from /usr/bin to the oxl bin, the latter is better so do this by going to /usr/bin (remember to be sudo!)

cd /usr/bin

once inside use the ln command to make the link

ln -s /usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/oxl oxl

this means: symbolically link (ln -s) this path "/usr/share/OxMetrics7/ox/bin/oxl" to a file called oxl

Having done this you should be able to run commands in any terminal in your machine

like

$ oxl file.ox

I hope this works