Create a symbolic link in  /usr/local/bin , i.e. as su  ln -s /usr/local/MATLAB/R2013a/bin/matlab /usr/local/bin/matlab     1.download your own icon-  sudo wget http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Matlab_Logo.png -O /usr/share/icons/matlab.png   2.give your access permission  sudo touch /usr/share/applications/matlab.desktop   3.edit your .desktop file  sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/matlab.desktop   4.and paste the following into the document.  #!/usr/bin/env xdg-open [Desktop Entry] Type=Application Icon=/usr/share/icons/matlab.png Name=MATLAB R2014a Comment=Start MATLAB - The Language of Technical Computing Exec=matlab -desktop Categories=Development;    
The power of bash is enormous. I love bash, and I'm proud to be a bashlor.