Here is an attempt at a simple explanation of the directory layout for
Octave's source files.

  doc           -- Texinfo documentation for Octave

  emacs         -- Emacs lisp stuff

  examples      -- some example files

  glob          -- filename globbing functions

  info          -- a modified version of the GNU Info reader

  kpathsea      -- Karl Berry's path searching library

  libcruft      -- various numerical libraries (mostly Fortran)
    blas           * basic linear algebra subroutines
    dassl          * differential-algebraic system solver
    fftpack        * subroutines for fast fourier transforms
    lapack         * linear algebra package
    linpack        * linear algebra package
    minpack        * nonlinear equation solver
    misc           * miscellaneous utilities
    odepack        * odinary differential equation solver
    ordered-qz     * code for ordering eigenvalues for QZ factorization
    quadpack       * subroutines for numerical integration
    ranlib         * random number generators
    slatec-fn      * various special function subroutines
    villad         * subroutines for orthogonal collocation weights

  liboctave     -- the C++ interfaces to the numerical libraries and
                   various OS facilities.

  make          -- configuration and makefile stuff for kpathsea

  readline      -- GNU readline library (from bash), slightly modified

  scripts       -- functions written in the Octave language
    audio          * play and record sound files (system dependent)
    control        * control theory
    elfun          * elementary mathematical functions
    general        * utility functions
    image          * image processing
    io             * input/output functions
    linear-algebra * linear algebra stuff
    miscellaneous  * stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else
    plot           * plotting
    polynomial     * polynomial manipulation
    set            * set manipulation
    signal         * signal processing
    specfun        * special mathematical functions
    special-matrix * functions for generating special types of matrices
    startup        * initialization functions
    statistics     * statistical stuff
    strings        * character string manipulation
    time           * time and date functions

  src           -- the interpreter itself

  test          -- tests for the interpreter
    config         * configuration files for DejaGnu
    octave.test    * subdirectories contianing actual tests are here


John W. Eaton
jwe@bevo.che.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Chemical Engineering