08-27-2018, 09:53 PM | #1 |
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OT: Any Linux Calculators that don't suck?
Why do all the Linux calculators suck so bad? I've searched high and low for one that can do simple stuff like the stock Windows calculator and have only found either calculators with GIANT interfaces that still do stoopid things, or smaller and more useful sized ones that still act totally stoopid and require tons of extra keystrokes to accomplish basic things.
What I am looking for is a calculator that can deal with a series of entries like, 52.95-44.5675*125 [Enter] (only a SINGLE enter key press) and come back with 1,047.8125 and not -5517.9875 which is what I get if not pressing [Enter] every step of the way. Or can deal with me pasting a long series of numbers grabbed from other things I'm working on like. 250+ 205+ 245+ 244+ 235+ 241+ 268+ 260 and end up with 1,948 rather than getting a stoopid "nan" on the calculator display. It takes seven presses of the [Enter] key for the above example, and that is a very shortened example of what I frequently need. I tried to bring the freekin' Windows calculator over to run in Wine, but it is so entangled in the OS I don't know if that's even possible. Issuing "wine calc" in a terminal window results in, 0009:fixme:actctxarse_depend_manifests Could not find dependent assembly L"Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls" (6.0.0.0) Anyway, sorry for the off topic, but since there are some savvy Linux users here, I thought I'd ask. Just today I had to boot Windows so I could paste a LONG list of numbers into it's calculator for simple addition purposes, and I'd really like to quit needing Windows completely and just stay booted up in Linux. |
08-27-2018, 10:14 PM | #2 |
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It's a good thread (the topic of general applications).
You can do basic calculations on the commandline, and if you aren't too turned off by the commandline, maybe try GNU Octave. In Octave, you would do: (52.95-44.5675)*125
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08-27-2018, 10:29 PM | #3 |
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Doing basic calculations in Octave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHGqwF2s-tM&t=2m2s
You can use Ocatve without the shown gui. Some basic things that are nice in Octave: Assign a calculation result to a variable: a = pi/2 Then you can do: a * 2 If you want numbers without the e notation: format long pi * pi Trig functions: sin(90) Or in degrees instead of radians: sind(90) Octave is very powerful, but it also serves as a nice basic calculator that you can grow with later if you want. At a commandline, you should be able to just type something like, octave, to start it. And type, exit, to quit.
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08-27-2018, 10:33 PM | #4 |
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Yeah it is a good thread.
On the calculator that comes with standard ubuntu, the first problem of the subtraction before the multiplier I had to press enter twice but the simple addition of your second problem acted just the way you wanted. And actually looked clean visually |
08-28-2018, 01:02 AM | #5 |
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I have to agree, Calculators use to suck. Octave is good, but it has an awful lot of dependencies for just a calculator, specially if you don't use Qt5 in advance or you don't plan to use its GUI.
Regarding to CLI calculators if that suits you, qalculate is as good as octave CLI can be but having way less dependencies. It gives you a prompt and you quit it the usual way; Ctrl+c (or Ctrl+d). It also has a GTK UI if you want that. Another neat solution is python itself if you have it on your system. It usually is a default in many distros. You don't need to learn python, just using its powerful calculation capabilities. A quick websearch will give many guides and tutorials. |
08-28-2018, 04:40 AM | #6 | |
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Quote:
---- I'm using the one Ubuntu Studio came with, which AFAIK is the default GNOME one - https://launchpad.net/gnome-calculator - and it works just fine for everything you describe. You can change the mode to Advanced or Scientific by clicking at the top.
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08-28-2018, 05:14 AM | #7 |
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Here is a cross-platform web calculator (it needs internet connection): https://web2.0calc.com/
It is much better than Windows' one. |
08-28-2018, 05:33 AM | #8 | |
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08-28-2018, 06:44 AM | #9 |
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Thanks for the info. That one is interesting, and appears to be quite capable, but I'm really looking for something that is as close to the basic Windows calculator as possible. Small GUI based calc that I can paste long columns of numbers that were copied from other stuff I'm working on is the one that finally made me boot Windows to use it's calculator though.
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08-28-2018, 06:54 AM | #10 | |
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It's larger than I would like, but I will keep this one installed now since it can do the thing that made me boot Windows. I didn't want to hand enter a list of 50 or so numbers, and have to remember if I hit [Plus] [Value] [Enter] for every one of them, coz that's more than 150 keystrokes for something I am used to pasting and hitting enter once. |
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08-28-2018, 07:13 AM | #11 | |
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I could just write my own calculator, using the Windows programming language I'm running in Wine, that wrote my stock ticker with, but I really don't desire spending my time on something like that. Has anybody ever gotten the Windows calculator to run in Wine? |
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08-28-2018, 07:21 AM | #12 | |
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Last edited by Glennbo; 10-22-2018 at 04:14 PM. |
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08-28-2018, 07:23 AM | #13 | |
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08-28-2018, 07:37 AM | #14 | |
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Do you need visible buttons? If not, Speedcrunch can get really tiny. With keypads enabled, both it and Qalculate are a little smaller than the Gnome calculator.
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08-28-2018, 08:34 AM | #15 | ||
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08-28-2018, 08:53 AM | #16 | |
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Quote:
Alternatively, you could learn Reverse Polish Notation and have a lot more options.
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08-28-2018, 09:07 AM | #17 | |
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Quote:
I frequently will check a current stock price, subtract from it the price I bought some shares at, and then multiply by the number of shares I bought, which is where stuff like 55.25-44.5675*125 comes into play. That's probably the most simplistic kind of use I do, but after 20 or so years of entering it without the extra [Enter] being needed, it is a constant annoyance for me. |
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09-23-2018, 07:54 PM | #18 |
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Would love to see the arithmetic that dc can't handle, or bc if you aren't into the whole RPN thing.
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