MATLAB: Is the time to launch MATLAB (and parpool) proportional to the number of toolboxes

launchparallel computingParallel Computing Toolboxparpoolstartup

Until recently, I've only worked on MATLAB installations with a small number of additional toolboxes (2 or 3) beyond the basic MATLAB distribution. Now, I've transitioned to a facility where I have both a more recent version of MATLAB (R2015a) and the full gamut of toolboxes. Since I've made this transition, I've noticed that it takes a lot longer to launch a MATLAB session. Accordingly also, it takes a lot longer than previously to open a parpool in the Parallel Computing Toolbox, since parpool uses the same startup mechanism,
    >> tic;parpool;toc
    Starting parallel pool (parpool) using the 'local' profile ... connected to 8 workers.
    Elapsed time is 30.952553 seconds.
I'm wondering if the increased time I'm seeing is attributable to the increased number of toolboxes, or if it is just a side effect of upgrading to R2015. If the number of toolboxes is the main reason, it would seemingly make sense to uninstall toolboxes that I don't use.

Best Answer

Well, it appears that the number of toolboxes is not the issue. I have installed two versions of R2015a, one with only 3 additional toolboxes and the second with all toolboxes. I don't see an appreciable difference in either MATLAB startup time nor in the time to launch a parpool.
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