Updated September 2008
Accessing MATLAB: MATLAB runs from ANY networked computer (e.g. your dorm room, the Math Lab in KH 318, etc). To access it, go to http://www.loyola.edu/tsc/moresoftware/ and login using your Groupwise username and password - if your Groupwise password will not work then try you student ID number as a password. Once you login you will see a folder with applications, MATLAB being one of them. Double-click on the MATLAB icon and off you go ... Note: It is possible that the first time you do this, you may have to install some client software on the PC. Simply follow the instructions on the webpage (after you login) and you should be fine.
Obtaining MATLAB for your computer: You may purchase the student edition of MATLAB (it is relatively inexpensive) from our bookstore or from The MathWorks Inc. If you're planning on either going to graduate school or taking more numerically intensive courses, then I would suggest buying it. Note that there are some features on the campus versions that may be unavailable in the student edition.
MATLAB Documentation: A simple introduction called the Beginner's Guide to MATLAB written by Dr. Xenophontos can be found online (as a PDF file). This guide contains all you need to know to get started with MATLAB, so READ IT!
MATLAB also has extensive online help. You can either use the command-line help or the help window from the menu bar. For command-line help, you can type "help" followed by the command name; for example, "help plot" will give you help on the command plot. Once MATLAB is running, you can type "helpwin" to get a help window, "helpdesk" to access the web-based (HTML) documentation, or "demo" to see some neat demonstrations of what MATLAB can do (and how to do it).