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Frink - A calculating tool

8 replies · 2,825 views · Started 29 April 2003

Guest 29 Apr 2003, 07:56

I've been building a programming language/calculating tool called "Frink" that I've made available for the P800. (It also works on your desktop computer if you'd rather be stuck behind a desk all day.) 😊

Frink tracks units of measure throughout all calculations so it's easier to get the answers right. Frink also performs date/time calculations, currency conversions, historical currency valuations, and more. It has a large library of physical data and units of measure. Amaze your friends and out-calculate your enemies.

It's written in Java and the installer requires UIQ 2.0 system (not specifically a P800,) but I haven't tested it on anything other than a P800. It may work on other UIQ devices. I dunno. Please let me know if it does, or doesn't.

Full documentation and directions for Frink:

http://futureboy.homeip.net/frinkdocs/

Jump directly to the installer for Symbian:
http://futureboy.homeip.net/frinkdocs/#SmallDevices

Perhaps you'll get the best idea what Frink can do by looking at the sample calculations:
http://futureboy.homeip.net/frinkdocs/#SampleCalculations

All comments are appreciated. Please e-mail them to me directly.

Alan Eliasen
[email protected]

Guest 29 Apr 2003, 10:00

Well, my thanks to the crew of the Enterprise. 😃 I hope Frink is useful to you.

Whenever I watch Star Trek, and somebody dashes off a horribly complex calculation in a couple of seconds, I like to tell myself, "they have to be using Frink." Maybe now it'll be a bit closer to true. 😊[/i]

tybollt 29 Apr 2003, 14:45

[quote="eliasen"]I've been building a programming language/calculating tool called "Frink" that[/quote]

Check out my avatar... you do watch Simpsons, don't you? 😉

Guest 30 Apr 2003, 22:58

Your question insinuates that there are people that don't watch The Simpsons. What an odd idea. :-?

By the way, if anyone has tried to install Frink on UIQ devices other than the P800, I'd like to know how it went.

Delta737 01 May 2003, 06:42

[quote="eliasen"]By the way, if anyone has tried to install Frink on UIQ devices other than the P800, I'd like to know how it went.[/quote]

Some-one correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know there are no other UIQ device released yet.

I know Motorola has planned one, but it's not released yet

tdz 01 May 2003, 17:59

Dude this is soo cool, all those unexplained questions, now answerable, with mathematical proofs, my lecturer is gonna love this. Thanks

That was supposed 2 b 4 this post, you'll find it somewhere else, also thanks for the humour link.

Guest 03 May 2003, 05:05

As of the time of this posting, I've just released a new version of Frink. (It'll say version 1.3 when you install it.) The user interface has been changed in a few ways to make it easier to use on the P800:

[list]
o Added a little "Go" button in case you didn't realize that you should hit the joystick button to execute a calculation.

o Added a new "convert" mode which gives a "From:" and "To:" field for conversions. This is now the default. You can use the "convert" mode just the same as the single-line entry mode--just enter any arbitrary expression in the "From" field and leave the "To:" field empty. The "convert" mode essentially just frees you from having to write the -> conversion operator when you need it.

o Added a menubar and menu item to explicitly exit Frink. When you switch to other applications, the P800 leaves Frink running, which is okay if you're working on calculations, and want to return to them, but it eats up memory.

o Minor but helpful usability tweaks with regard to cursor positioning, history manipulation, screen usage, and focus traversal.
[/list:u]

The new file can be downloaded at the usual location. There is also a new screenshot from the emulator showing the GUI changes at that location:

http://futureboy.homeip.net/frinkdocs/index.html#SmallDevices

As always, please email comments, suggestions, and questions directly to me. As always, Frink runs on your desktop computer, too.

By the way, Frink changes often, so be sure to check my site for updates. My "what's new" page indicates any changed features:

http://futureboy.homeip.net/frinkdocs/whatsnew.html

Alan Eliasen
[email protected]