using p functions and mexw32 on other OSs?

I would like to use a program described in the publication listed below for my work. It consists of lots of .p files and mexw32 files, which after some reading I have learned are something like a protected .c file and a compiler for 32-bit windows systems. The program appears to work on a colleague's old laptop running XP, but as it is his personal computer it won't be available for the long-term use that I need. I would like to be able to recode the program so it can on other systems, specifically 64 bit linux or mac. My experience in matlab (and coding in general) is limited to curve fitting and ODE simulations, so I am a bit lost as to where to begin.

Would it be possible to get some guidance as to how I go about making this program work on my own computer? Also, is my understanding of what the .p and mex files are doing correct?

Thanks very much in advance for any help that can be provided, cbc

Kvarnström et al. Image analysis algorithms for cell contour recognition in budding yeast. Opt Express (2008) vol. 16 (17) pp. 12943-57 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18711533 <http://www.yeastgenome.org/cgi-bin/reference/reference.pl?author=Kvarnstrom+M&search_type=Papers+in+SGD&rm=redirect&submit=Search>!

Answer 1

[Daniel Shub]

Your a little off on the mex files. P files contain encrypted MATLAB code. The only reason I know of for creating a p file is to protect code so that others cannot see the algorithm. Mex files are compiled c-code. While compiling a file hides the algorithm, mex files also allow MATLAB to capture the power of C.

Your best bet is to contact the authors and see if they have a version for linux/mac. They might be willing to share the c code (or all the code) so you can get it running.

If you must use the code they supply, then you could run MATLAB in a virtual Windows machine (assuming your MATLAB license allows for this).