Packages
Scilab is available as a binary package. However, we are working closely with GNU/Linux & *BSD distributions to create better packages. If you are a packager and you have some questions, need to commit patches upstream or remarks, please contact the Scilab Dev Mailing List or Sylvestre Ledru <sylvestre.ledru@scilab.org>.
Debian
Debian is an non profit organisation. There are plenty of developers who manages the distribution (packages, bug fixes, architecture...).
Torsten Werner <mail.twerner@googlemail.com> is the maintainer. The version 4.1.2 is in Debian Etch (Testing) & Sid (Unstable). Sylvestre Ledru (from the Scilab Team) and Aurélien GÉRÔME are co-maintainers of the package.
Debian overview of the packages : http://packages.qa.debian.org/s/scilab.html
Debian bug report for Scilab : http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?src=scilab
SVN Debian packages sources http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/collab-maint/deb-maint/scilab/trunk/debian/
Compilation report on various arch http://experimental.debian.net/build.php?pkg=scilab
Package archives of scilab + diff http://mirror.onoffkorea.com/debian/pool/non-free/s/scilab/
Ubuntu
Usually, Ubuntu packages are those from Debian plus sometime a few modifications. Ubuntu Scilab packages are created from Debian's and sync regularly.
Home of the package https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/scilab/
Bug tracker ubuntu https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/scilab/+bugs
Slackware
There is a package done by the Italian Slackware Community http://www.slacky.eu/repository/slackware-12.0/development/scilab/4.1.2/
Arch Linux
There is a package done by Simon Lipp: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=19897
Mandriva
Scilab exists in Mandriva. Mandriva has joined the Scilab Consortium. As Scilab is not Free (as speech), specs files (for the creation of the package) are not available but the package has been created from the work of PLF (http://plf.zarb.org/). Now, the work is done by Lenny Cartier with the double check of the Scilab team.
Scilab : http://svn.mandriva.com/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/packages/cooker/scilab/current/SPECS/
Patch : http://svn.mandriva.com/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/packages/cooker/scilab/current/SOURCES/
OUTDATED :
Scilab Toolbox ANN : http://cvs.mandriva.com/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/contrib-SPECS/scilab-toolbox-ANN/
Mandriva bug tracker : http://qa.mandriva.com/
Gentoo
Gentoo is also a non profit organization. The main principal of the distribution is "compile everything with optimization for your CPU". The dependency tool (emerge) is very efficient.
Markus Dittrich <markusle@gentoo.org> is the gentoo maintainer for a few scientific packages including Scilab. He is doing a good working on the gentoo packaging of scilab (few patches). Scilab 4.1 & 4.0 are available.
Gentoo overview of the packages : http://www.gentoo-portage.com/sci-mathematics/scilab
CVS gentoo packages sources http://sources.gentoo.org/viewcvs.py/gentoo-x86/sci-mathematics/scilab/
Fedora
Need more informations ! Rene van Paassen <M.M.vanPaassen@TUDelft.nl> is building some fedora packages of scilab. I don't know if he is the official maintainer !
FreeBSD
FreeBSD is a free (as speech and beer) Unix. A package is call a "port". They packaged the latest version of Scilab (4.1).
Jean-Sebastien Roy <js@jeannot.org> (website : http://jeannot.org/~js/ French and English) is working on the FreeBSD version of Scilab.
FreeBSD patches for Scilab : http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/ports/math/scilab/ http://www.freshports.org/math/scilab/
Suse / OpenSuse
Scilab is available for both Suse & OpenSuse