Axiom does not start

I just installed ubuntu 8.10 and then downloaded the relative binary
axiom-ubuntu-nov2008-bin.tgz

I then followed the usual procedure: I unzipped it, moved the dir axiom to 
$HOME/axiom
and I added as needed
export AXIOM=$HOME/axiom/mnt/ubuntu
export PATH=$HOME/axiom/mnt/ubuntu/bin:$PATH

Now, when I launch axiom, nothing happens: the prompt waits for a couple 
of seconds, then I get a couple of empy lines and then the shell prompt.
Other times, I get "reading: integer: Connection reset by peer", then the 
standard greeting
######################################################################
[em243 10:59:20 ~]$ axiom
reading: integer: Connection reset by peer
                         AXIOM Computer Algebra System
                        Version: Axiom (November 2008)
               Timestamp: Friday November 21, 2008 at 03:39:29
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Issue )copyright to view copyright notices.
    Issue )summary for a summary of useful system commands.
    Issue )quit to leave AXIOM and return to shell.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Re-reading compress.daase   Re-reading interp.daase
    Re-reading operation.daase
    Re-reading category.daase
######################################################################

and then back again to the shell.

I also tried axiom -nox, as suggested on a mail on the list archive, and 
the result is similar, with the difference that the times when I get the 
greeting there is not the error message.

Please note that if I boot from the other partition where I still have 
ubuntu 8.04, then, after having properly setted the env variables with 
respect to the downloaded axiom on 8.10, axiom starts properly.

Am I missing something? The installation is a fresh one with (nearly) 
nothing yet added: is there some package missing?

Thanks a lot

Fabio