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Written by Tim Herzog
Produced by Two Bits Worth
778 Hague Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
(612) 227-2920
Internet: herzo005@gold.tc.umn.edu
Make checks payable to Two Bits Worth
Background
Computer calculators are one of those personal software programs that must be exactly right or they can be very annoying. You use them so frequently that any minor irritant bothers you over and over again. I looked over several calculators from several bulletin boards. I never did find one that I liked.
One of the advantages of being a programmer is that if you can’t find the “ideal” piece of software, you can always write your own (if you feel like investing the time). That’s what I did, and this program is the result. I wanted it to be simple, but not to the point of being useless (like Apple’s Calculator). I didn’t want three dozen or so cluttered buttons that I didn’t understand and would never use (I’m not a mathematician). At the same time, there were some key features that were absolutely essential, like the scrolling “tape” display that prints. And I wanted it to be visually pleasing; ugly software is more difficult to use and cope with than “pretty” software. Lastly, I wanted it to be efficient; keep the window size to a minimum (so I can see the window underneath).
This program reflects my idea of the perfect calculator, both visually and in its features. Since I’m a programmer, I’ve included Decimal, Hexadecimal, Octal, and Binary functions, along with bit operators and A-F buttons (ironically, programmers are especially inept at writing calculators for their own use). I also do some design, so I added Pica/Point notation. I wanted a scrolling “tape” display, like those on adding machines, that printed. And I wanted it to operate like an adding machine, so that if you type 45+++, you get 45+45+45, or 135.
Hopefully, you might also find this program to be cool and useful. Of course if you don’t, you’re free to use (or write) something else, or you can give me your suggestions. However, I’ll warn you of one thing: this program is first and foremost, MY ideal calculator. I will be very reluctant to compromise that ideal if I find no PERSONAL appeal for whatever it is you’re suggesting. I guess you could say this program has an extremely narrow intended market.
Of course, if you find a bug, let me know and I’ll fix it.
Operation
For the most part, Tim’s Calculator (TC) works like you think it will. Buttons can be pressed by typing their equivalents on your keyboard or keypad (Escape doubles as the Clear button for you PowerBook users). Pressing Clear (once) clears the number you’re entering. Pressing Clear again clears the running subtotal. Results are recorded in the scrolling “tape” display on the right. CT clears everything, including the tape. The Zoom box (in the upper right corner of the window) can be used to hide the tape and make the calculator smaller.
Dec, Hex, Oct, Bin: these buttons set the current base to 10, 16, 8 or 2. If you have entered a number, switching bases converts the number to the new base. Some buttons are blank (inactive) because they contain keys that only apply to certain bases. If you click Hex (base 16), the A-F keys appear. In Octal, only the 0-7 appear, and in Binary, only 0-1 appear. The decimal point and the trig functions are only active in Decimal (base 10).
The » button (press the Right arrow key on your keyboard) toggles the buttons in the right-hand column. The first console contains exponent and memory functions, the second contains trigonometric functions, and the third contains bit operators (for programmers). Trig functions only work in Decimal.
Here are the functions on the console:
xY Exponent: take this number to the power of the next one you enter
M+ Add the current number to memory
M- Subtract the current number from memory
MC Clear memory
MR Recall the number in memory
π Pi (3.14159 etc)
sin Sine
cos Cosine
tan Tangent
asn Arc sine
acs Arc cosine
atn Arc tangent
% Mod operator
& Bit and
| Bit or
^ Bit xor
~ 1’s complement
All operator keys work like the + key on an adding machine, so that if you keep pressing the button, it repeats the last operation. For example, 67+++ is the same as 67+67+67, or 201. 32÷2÷÷÷ is the same as 32÷2÷2÷2=4.
Except for the trig functions, all operators work in all bases; however, Hex, Octal and Binary treat all numbers as long integers (no decimal portion). For example, 0x33÷0x0E (in decimal, 51÷14) comes out to 3, not 3.5428. Also, you may encounter numeric overflow, since long integers only go up to 2,147,483,647 (in signed mode) or 4,294,967,295 (in unsigned mode).
Immediately above the first row of buttons is a status area. Any of the following indicators may be present:
M: There is a number stored in memory.
U: The calculator treats non-decimal numbers as unsigned (see below).
P: Pica notation is on (see below).
Menus
Some of these are self-explanatory.
New Calculator: opens a new calculator window; you can have more than one calculator open at the same time. If you close the last calculator, the program automatically quits.
Print: prints the tape.
Copy, Paste: You can select any text in the display or the tape, choose Copy, and then paste it into another program. You can also use Paste to paste numbers into the display, as if you’d typed them yourself.
Base: Choosing Decimal, Hex, Octal or Binary is the same as clicking the corresponding button. Signed and Unsigned set whether hex, octal and binary numbers represent signed or unsigned values (for non-programmers, unsigned values cannot be less than zero, so their maximum positive value is twice as high. If you’re not a programmer, you probably don’t care or have only a passing interest). If you select Picas, you can enter numbers in pica notation (e.g., 4p6).
Window Title: You can change the title of the window. This is useful if you have more than one calculator, or if you are planning to print the tape.
Postal Calculator: This is a little add-on from another program of mine. Given one or more denominations of stamps and an amount of postage, this feature will give you the best combination of stamps to reach that amount. This is handy if you have more than one stamp denomination and you’re sending packages overseas or 2nd class or something like that. TC tries all possible combinations and reports the one that comes as close as possible to the required amount (without going under) using the smallest number of stamps. “Max. Number of Stamps” sets the maximum number of stamps to use. With this feature, if you have a small denomination like a 3 cent stamp, TC won’t use 24 small stamps trying to get as close as possible, when wasting 2 cents saves 20 stamps.
