PDA Software Library/pdasoftwarelib.iso/PILOT/APPS/CALCOOL/CLCOOL95.TXT

Text File | 1996-11-12 | 7.4 KB | 159 lines

                     CalCOOLator! for Pilot 0.95

     NEW! Now it saves memories from one execution to the next!!!

Introduction
------------

CalCOOLator! is a replacement of the calc application bundled with
the Pilot. It's a very basic application, only slightly more featured
than the original one. It's also considerably uglier (but, just for one
thing, it overcomes its infamous 1.1 - 0.1 = 0.1 bug.

The main difference is that it finally overcomes the problem of single
field calculators. It may have had a sense to build them in the
seventies, when LCDs were expensive and graphical user interfaces were
three generations ahead. Mimicking those calculators in the nineties is
ridiculous. So calCOOLator! has two fields: enter an expression in one
field, and see the result (while you are typing it) in the other. The
expression can be entered both by tapping on the buttons and by writing
the characters on the Graffiti pad. You can then re-edit the expression,
change the numeric values, the operators, etc. without needing to rewrite
the whole thing.

To my knowledge, this is the first calculator ever not to require any =
or Enter key: the result of the computation is automatically displayed in
the result field.

CalCOOLator! only accepts numbers, operators and parenthesis. Any other
character is refused. On the other hand, the Graffiti strokes for some
letters are similar to the ones used for numbers. Therefore, you can
enter the numbers and operators on both sides of the Graffiti pad, and
they will be equally well understood. These are the correspondences:
  zero  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   +   -   *   /   Clear
    o   i   z   b   l   s   g   t   y   q   k   SP  x   \   =

CalCOOLator! also has 5 memories that can hold any entered expression.
MS, MR and MC are three popups that can be used to store, retrieve and
clear expression in, from and off the memories. Memories are held from
one execution to the next, and you can store frequently used formulas in
them. Some useful formulas are provided by default. You can substitute
them with your own. Simply clear your formula to get back to the default
one.

You can reuse the result of an expression for a new one. You can swap the
content of the fields by dragging either field to the other one (or you
can use the menu command for this).

Beware: CalCOOLator! is still in beta testing. It may harm your data,
applications and health. Use only as directed. Void where prohibited.

Version History
---------------

0.95 (11/9/96) Some big and small bug fixes:
     - Fixed a sporadic bug resetting the Pilot upon inserting the second
       digit in a formula
     - Activated storage of main formula and of memories from one execution
       to the next one
     - Added support for a comment character (#) in formulas. Characters added
       after that are ignored.
     - Provided 3 useful formulas (Celsius -> Fahrenheit, Km to miles and cm
       to inches) available from the memories pop-ups.
     - Provided two more text items in memories displaying useful information.
       A few mores are available, if you can find out how to get alphabetic
       characters in (hint: use the keyboard or paste the text).
     - Added control to the amount of text that can be inserted in the field.
       When approaching the right border of the field, no more characters are
       accepted.
     - Minor cosmetic fixes to the input and output fields.
0.91 (10/5/96) Provided a fix to the workaround to the 1.1-0.1 bug, to
     handle also the reciprocal problem of 0.9+0.1.
0.9  (10/4/96) Provided a workaround to the infamous 1.1-0.1=0.1 USR bug,
     and removed the zeros at the end of numbers between -1.0 and +1.0.
0.8  (9/27/96) Initial release.

Known bugs and problems:
-------------------------

* 1.1 - 0.1 = 0.1 : After some nice and some not so nice remarks about
  putting out an application that is subject to this bug, version 0.9
  provides a workaround to it. The problem lies in the Floating Point
  library that comes with the Pilot SDK. I suspect there are two different
  floating point representations of 1, one which is correctly translated
  as 1 (actually, 1.00000000e0), and the other is incorrectly translated
  into 0.1 (actually, 1.00000000e-1). Both provide correct results when
  used in expressions (thus, 1.1 - 0.1 + 3.5 correctly returns 4.5).
  Version 0.9 of CalCOOLator! intercepts the incorrectly translated
  representation of 1 and substitutes it with the correctly translated
  one. This is a dirty trick, that gives no guarantee to identify and
  correct a different representation problem caused by the same bug in the
  library. Nonetheless, all the expressions that should return 1 and
  return 0.1 on the Pilot calculator return now correctly 1 on CalCOOLator!
  version 0.9. The author would appreciate receiving examples of further
  incorrect representations (or calculations, in case there are some).
  Version 0.91 also checks for the reciprocal problem of (among others)
  0.9 + 0.1. I would like to thank Stephen Schwartz for pointing it out.

* Memories are substituted to the actual content of the field, instead of
  inserted in place of the current selection.

* Pilot calculator reacts to its competitor by always starting with an
  error condition and the memory set. I am not aware of any negative
  effect of this strange behaviour. I suspect jealousy and calling
  twice FplInit().

Shareware
---------

CalCOOLator! is shareware. If you think it's worth something, please pay
the shareware fee of $10 to:
    Julie, Rebecca and Kurt Bieber
    125 Florence Avenue
    Westfield NJ 07090
    USA

Julie (1), Rebecca (6) and Kurt (8) are the three kids of my friend
Michael Bieber, and they have helped me a lot during my period in the
states, in Roselle Park NJ, January-July 1996. I know they (well, Kurt
and Rebecca only, at the moment) like Lego a lot. ("Dear Santa, I could
always use a few more Legos"). Please specify "shareware fee for
CalCOOLator by Fabio Vitali" on the check and/or letter.

Fabio Vitali, the author, retains all rights over the application. The
source code, sparsely commented, can be obtained from the author for $100.
He can be reached at the following address:

    Fabio Vitali
    P.O. Box 154
    I-40033 Casalecchio di Reno (BO)
    Italy

    fax:    [phone]
    e-mail: [e-mail]

By registering you get nothing. If you care, drop me a note after you sent
your shareware fee to the Bieber's and I might remember of you for
unlikely program updates and maybe even for Christmas cards.

Future Pilot Projects
---------------------

ConVERter: a multiple, bidirectional, customizable linear converter.
Converts any value expressed in any unit to any other comparable one:
km to miles, $ to DM, Celsius to Fahrenheit, etc.

Expense tracker: sort of Money, but simpler. I spend my holidays
traveling thru Europe with some friends. All shared expenses are paid
by whoever happens to be present at the moment. A log used to be kept
to find out at the end who owned how much to whom. Guess who has always
been in charge of keeping this log? Exactly. Now I'm tired, and I want
an application to do this thing for me. Yes I know it's trivial with
Excel, but I don't want to bring my Mac with me.

The FV suite: improved versions of the four applications bundled with
the Pilot: minimal changes to Address and Memo Pad, major changes to the
Date Book, complete rethinking of the To Do.

Expect any one of them any time between now and 2025.