This error can manifest from two main causes:
- If you are trying to run the install script by running the command "install", you will receive this error. The reason being most Unix based operating systems contain an "install" application in the user's default path, which will be called if you run "install". As you are not passing any other arguments, you will receive the missing operand error message. The solution in this case is to specify the MATLAB install script by giving the absolute or relative path to the file, such as /home/$USERNAME/Downloads/matlab_R2016b_glnxa64/install or ./install.
- If you are correctly specifying the MATLAB installation script in the command line, this error indicates that your operating system is not configured properly, and cannot run the installer application. Usually, this is accompanied by errors when installing or using other applications on the system as well. If you are not seeing other errors or problems with the system, downloading the MATLAB installer again may resolve the issue, as the files you are using are possibly corrupted or incomplete due to previous download attempts. If the error persistently appears when trying to install MATLAB, it is strongly recommended that you backup your data and reinstall your operating system if possible. Reinstalling your host system will likely resolve such persistent errors with running applications such as the MATLAB installer.
If you have questions, please contact MathWorks Licensing and Installation support.
