Preperation

aptitude install menu-xdg xdg-utils
mkdir -p /usr/share/icons /opt/mathematica/7
cd /
find bin boot etc home lib opt root sbin srv tmp usr var > filelist.orig

Install Mathematica in build environment

/opt/mathematica/7
y
/usr/local/bin/mathematica/7/
y
2
vlicense.aei.mpg.de

Create Debian package

cd /
find bin boot etc home lib opt root sbin srv tmp usr var > filelist.new
sort filelist.orig filelist.new | uniq -u > installed
mkdir /mathematica
cd /mathematica
rsync -a --files-from=/installed / .
mkdir DEBIAN
cat <<EOF > DEBIAN/control
Package: mathematica
Architecture: amd64
Section: math
Version: 7-1
Maintainer: Carsten Aulbert <carsten.aulbert@aei.mpg.de>
Priority: Extra
Depends: menu-xdg xdg-utils
Description: Mathematica for the masses
 Mathematica 7 for easy installs
EOF

find etc opt usr -type f -exec md5sum {} \; > DEBIAN/md5sums
cd ..
tar cz -C mathematica/DEBIAN -f control.tar.gz .
tar cz --exclude=DEBIAN -C mathematica  -f data.tar.gz .
echo 2.0 > debian-binary
ar rcu mathematica_7-1_amd64.deb  debian-binary control.tar.gz data.tar.gz