Who knew the Windows 7 built-in Calculator did so much more? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 07:37:52 am
content: I only just now worked out that the Windows calculator did more than just basic and scientific calculations. It also includes a calculator for programmers, a date calculator, unit conversion and then some!Click the 'View' menu to see.

author: hamster_nz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 07:51:45 am
content: ALT 1, ALT 2, and so on switches mdes quickly. The programmer mode is pretty painful though!On my Android phone the stock calculator has more features when held landscape. It took me a while to discover that!

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 07:55:23 am
content: Quote from: hamster_nz on October 24, 2016, 07:51:45 amSame with iPhones.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 07:56:06 am
content: Yep I actually find it surprisingly useful. The Mac OS X version has similar features as well.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 08:17:29 am
content: Yep, been using it for years, I do wish the programmer mode had the history option like the other modes,

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 09:04:52 am
content: Its crap. No self-respecting embedded programmer or engineer would use it unless they misplaced their decent calculator or the batteries went flat. Using a mouse just impedes a good standard of usability. It's a "limp home mode" calculator.For an Android telephone, nothing much beats Real Calc for a well designed calculator. It was written by an electronic engineer who had the brains to understand what good design is, a trait which is far beyond that of the clown who runs Microsoft today. It is worth spending a couple of dollars to get the full version of Real Calc; if not for the few extra features, but to recognise great design and reward the developer accordingly.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 09:19:53 am
content: i just want to shoot the person who wrote that calculator. For one specific reason.Apparently, the person who wrote it felt that programmer don't need to do floating point math.When you switch to programmer mode the decimal point greys out.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 09:20:35 am
content: They even wrote the Gamma function into it, for some perverse reason. (Try 0.5, !, Q, * 4. Look suspiciously like anything?)Tim

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 09:00:58 pm
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on October 24, 2016, 09:04:52 amYou don't have to use the mouse for ANYTHING in Windows Calculator, every function has a keyboard equivalent. I don't even need a mouse to launch it - my laptop and the keyboards on both my desktops have a calc key which launches it.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 09:08:59 pm
content: 1. Speedcrunch.2. Calc.exe from winxp.

author: SimonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 09:58:47 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on October 24, 2016, 09:19:53 amIts worse than that, its fundamentaly broken.Do some complicated floating point calculation in scientific mode then change to programmer mode in order to convert it to hex and the result is gone. Even the XP calculator was better than this.This calculator was clearly written by someone who doesn't use their own product.I use DreamCalchttp://www.dreamcalc.com/its not perfect by any means but its the closest thing that I've found to a real casio calculator so far. You can even set it to old style or new style operation.I chose to pay for my copy but there is a free version.

author: HwAoRrDk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 10:08:21 pm
content: I find the unit conversion facility very useful, with oneveryannoying exception. I really, really wish it would remember which type of unit and from/to you used last. Sure, it remembers the fact you had the unit conversion panel open at all, but not the last used settings! Very stupid.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 10:21:41 pm
content: I find the Windows 10 Calculator the best I've ever used in my entire life. And then my butt fell off.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 10:32:57 pm
content: The Windows 10 calculator lacks one function though which made the calculator in the previous Windows versions so usefull: calculating n! for 49879846283642. It would make the CPU go 100% and is useful for testing software on an heavily loaded system.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2016, 10:41:05 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on October 24, 2016, 10:32:57 pmIt's a horrendous misuse of screen real estate. That was the point I was trying to make, sorry I should've been more clear.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 25, 2016, 01:27:03 am
content: Quote from: Howardlong on October 24, 2016, 10:41:05 pmWindows 10 - or it's calculator?

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2016, 02:46:47 pm
content: Quote from: HwAoRrDk on October 24, 2016, 10:08:21 pmWindows 10 calculator does. I just tried it. Default since I hadn't used it on this computer was Kg and Pounds. I switched it to Stones and Pounds. Closed the calculator app. Opened it up again, it was still on conversions, with Stones and Pounds.

author: elgonzo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 25, 2016, 03:20:06 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on October 24, 2016, 09:08:59 pmans+1But the unit conversation feature of the Windows calculator (i am using Win7) is really handy and the only reason why i execute it from time to timeIn the past i used Speq, which is very similar to Speedcrunch and also has unit conversion. Alas, it could not handle 64-bit hex numbers, so it had to go