adding Calc to menu

adding Calc to menu

[Colin Walters]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 336 bytes --]

Would anyone have any objections to the following patch?  I don't think
it's a very invasive change, but it's probably best to always ask about
changes to the menu.

2002-05-13  Colin Walters  <walters@debian.org>

	* menu-bar.el (menu-bar-tools-menu) <calculator>: Renamed to
	"Simple Calculator".
	(menu-bar-tools-menu) <calc>: New.


[-- Attachment #2: menu-bar.patch --]
[-- Type: text/plain, Size: 773 bytes --]

--- menu-bar.el.~1.217.~	Sat May 11 18:03:01 2002
+++ menu-bar.el	Sat May 11 20:52:07 2002
@@ -904,9 +904,12 @@
   '(menu-item "5x5" 5x5
 	      :help "Fill in all the squares on a 5x5 board"))
 
-(define-key menu-bar-tools-menu [calculator]
-  '(menu-item "Calculator" calculator
-	      :help "Invoke the Emacs built-in scientific calculator"))
+(define-key menu-bar-tools-menu [simple-calculator]
+  '(menu-item "Simple Calculator" calculator
+	      :help "Invoke the Emacs built-in quick calculator"))
+(define-key menu-bar-tools-menu [calc]
+  '(menu-item "Programmable Calculator" calc
+	      :help "Invoke the Emacs built-in full scientific calculator"))
 (define-key menu-bar-tools-menu [calendar]
   '(menu-item "Display Calendar" calendar))
 

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Robert J. Chassell]

Shouldn't the "Simple Calculator" be merged with Calc?  Emacs Calc
provides a simple calculator as well scientific calculators, infix or
prefix entry, simplification, and more.

Or if the two are not merged, shouldn't both calculators be listed on
the menu bar, each with a short discription?

How about this, where `<calculator>' leads to a menu?

    <menu-bar> <tools> <calculator> <Simple Algebraic Calculator>
                                    <Advanced Mathematical mode>

Here are the two calculators:

    M-x calc                ;; usually bound to M-# M-#

    M-x calculator          ;; currently on <menu-bar> <tools> <calculator>

Documentation for the two calculators:

    C-h i RET m calc RET
or
    M-x info RET m calc RET


    C-h f RET calculator-mode RET
or
    M-x describe-function RET calculator-mode RET

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                  bob@rattlesnake.com
    Rattlesnake Enterprises             http://www.rattlesnake.com

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Miles Bader]

I must say, I'm uncomfortable with having two completely different
calculators that are called `calculator' and `calc' -- it's confusing.

I guess there's not that can be done now, since people are used to
those names, but ... it would be much nicer if there was only one
calculator program that let you choose RPN or infix entry via a
preference.

[A similar confusing situation is that there are two terminal emulators,
`term' and `terminal-emulator', with no obvious clue why there are two,
or which is better.  ... and `vi-mode', `vip-mode', and `viper-mode'...
Maybe we need to look into obsoleting some of these packages...]

-Miles
-- 
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
  --Albert Einstein

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Colin Walters]

On Tue, 2002-05-14 at 07:32, Robert J. Chassell wrote:
> Shouldn't the "Simple Calculator" be merged with Calc?  Emacs Calc
> provides a simple calculator as well scientific calculators, infix or
> prefix entry, simplification, and more.

I agree.  I'll talk to the author of calculator.el about this.

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Robert J. Chassell]

   ... it would be much nicer if there was only one
   calculator program that let you choose RPN or infix entry via a
   preference.

Calc uses RPN by default.  You can change how you you handle algebraic
expressions from RPN to infix format.  

I don't think you can change the standard entry for something like
adding 2 and 2 into infix mode in the normal Calc interface.  (I
could be wrong about this.)

However, Emacs Calc offers `Quick Mode', M-# q, which takes entries in
infix mode by default.  I just added 2+2.

    `Quick Mode' prompts you to type any formula in standard algebraic
    notation (like `4 - 2/3') and then displays the result at the
    bottom of the Emacs screen....

    You are then back in the same editing buffer you were in before,
    ready to continue editing or to type `M-# q' again to do another
    quick calculation.  The result of the calculation will also be in
    the Emacs "kill ring" so that a `C-y' command at this point will
    yank the result into your editing buffer.

Also, on X windowing systems, Emacs Calc offers "Keypad Mode", which
is a mouse-based interface to the Calculator.  This might be
considered the `simplest' calculator of them all, except that the
default is RPN.

    M-# k
or
    M-x calc-keypad

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                  bob@rattlesnake.com
    Rattlesnake Enterprises             http://www.rattlesnake.com

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Richard Stallman]

This change makes sense.

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Richard Stallman]

    [A similar confusing situation is that there are two terminal emulators,
    `term' and `terminal-emulator', with no obvious clue why there are two,
    or which is better.  ... and `vi-mode', `vip-mode', and `viper-mode'...
    Maybe we need to look into obsoleting some of these packages...]

We might be able to obsolete vi-mode and vip, but it is necessary
to poll the users first.  Would someone like to do this?

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Richard Stallman]

    > Shouldn't the "Simple Calculator" be merged with Calc?  Emacs Calc
    > provides a simple calculator as well scientific calculators, infix or
    > prefix entry, simplification, and more.

    I agree.  I'll talk to the author of calculator.el about this.

Merging them might or might not be a good idea.
It depends on how similar they are.
It could be that each one has fans, and that the best
thing we can do is leave them alone.

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Colin Walters]

On Thu, 2002-05-16 at 03:21, Richard Stallman wrote:
>     > Shouldn't the "Simple Calculator" be merged with Calc?  Emacs Calc
>     > provides a simple calculator as well scientific calculators, infix or
>     > prefix entry, simplification, and more.
> 
>     I agree.  I'll talk to the author of calculator.el about this.
> 
> Merging them might or might not be a good idea.
> It depends on how similar they are.
> It could be that each one has fans, and that the best
> thing we can do is leave them alone.

That is true.  However; as I see things, the only real advantages
calculator.el has over calc are:

1) smaller size
2) menus

(does anyone know of any others?)

I will eventually get around to remedying #2 for calc.  And I'm not sure
#1 is extremely important.  Therefore, it might make sense to just
*eventually* remove calculator.el, and have a function `calculator'
which invokes `calc' in a style very similar to calculator.el.  But
that's a ways in the future; for now, I agree we should keep the status
quo and just add calc to the menu.

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Miles Bader]

Colin Walters <walters@debian.org> writes:
> 1) smaller size
> 2) menus

3) infix input (calc's `algebraic' mode isn't interactive)

is probably the biggie.

-Miles
-- 
"1971 pickup truck; will trade for guns"

Re: adding Calc to menu

[Richard Stallman]

    That is true.  However; as I see things, the only real advantages
    calculator.el has over calc are:

Whether it has real advantages is one issue--but there's another
issue: incompatibility.  Current users of the Simple Calculator will
be unhappy to switch to Calc since that means incompatible changes.
That is enough reason to retain the Simple Calculator, or else add an
emulation mode whereby Calc imitates the Simple Calculator.