MacMerc had information on how to get Matlab 6.5 running on Jaguar (Mac OS X 10.2), although without the Aqua-based desktop interface. Here are the steps:

• The license file /Applications/MATLAB6p5/etc/license.dat has to be modified to use the rendezvous hostname (look at the line in the file with the word SERVER).
  
• From the terminal run the command

  setenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES /usr/lib/libncurses.dylib
  
  

  
  
• Finally, when starting matlab, start from the terminal also with the command

  matlab -nojvm
  
  

  
  You'll get Matlab without the fancy "desktop" interface. Everything else works fine though.
  

The writer also adds:

Matlab isn't an X Window System (X11) application. The matlab kernel is just a Unix program; the desktop interface is a Java program; and the graphics display uses X11.