From the help for system():
system Execute system command and return result.
[status,result] = system('command') calls upon the operating system to
execute the given command. The resulting status and standard output
are returned.
The following trailing character has special meaning:
'&' - For console programs this causes the console to
open. Omitting this character causes console
programs to run iconically. For GUI programs,
appending this character causes the application to
run in the background. MATLAB continues processing.
