X-app idea: fork Kcalc

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0x2620

X-app idea: fork Kcalc

Post by 0x2620 »

Kcalc is my favorite calculator ever since Gnome went the touchscreen route, but it has one little problem: dependencies.
Size: 61MB to download, 149MB of disk space required

Impact on packages:
The following packages would be installed: libkde3support4, ntrack-module-libnl-0, libkrosscore4, libgpgme++2, oxygen-icon-theme, libktexteditor4, kdelibs5-data, libkdeui5, libkdeclarative5, libfam0, libthreadweaver4, kde-runtime, libkparts4, libqca2, libntrack0, kde-runtime-data, libphonon4, libkemoticons4, libnepomukquery4a, libkmediaplayer4, libqt4-qt3support, katepart, libkdnssd4, soprano-daemon, phonon, libsoprano4, libdbusmenu-qt2, libkatepartinterfaces4, kdelibs5-plugins, libkjsapi4, libkactivities6, libutempter0, libknewstuff3-4, libnepomukutils4, kdoctools, libkxmlrpcclient4, libkpty4, libkjsembed4, libsolid4, libkhtml5, libssh-gcrypt-4, libntrack-qt4-1, libkfile4, phonon-backend-vlc, libattica0.4, libkdesu5, libdlrestrictions1, libstreams0, libknotifyconfig4, libkdecore5, kdelibs-bin, plasma-scriptengine-javascript, libnepomuk4, libstreamanalyzer0, docbook-xsl, libkntlm4, libkdewebkit5, libiodbc2, libkcmutils4, libpolkit-qt-1-1, libkio5, kate-data, libplasma3
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xenopeek
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Re: X-app idea: fork Kcalc

Post by xenopeek »

Exactly, this isn't going to happen. Kcalc is a KDE/Qt program while the X-apps are all Gtk based programs. Pulling in a pile of KDE dependencies is not desirable. And no, forking Kcalc and making it use Gtk isn't an option — that means a complete rewrite of the program :)

If I look at them side by side, I prefer Gnome Calculator. You can see the previous calculations you've done (and click on them to bring them back to the input box) and you can see and edit the calculations as you're typing them. Like doing 7x6 would show that in the input box till you press enter to do that calculation. Kcalc just shows you the number you've typed most recently and doesn't show you operators you've typed.
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0x2620

Re: X-app idea: fork Kcalc

Post by 0x2620 »

I need a calculator with an excellent programming mode (switch between bases), and gnome-calculator is much slower. I'm on a laptop with a touchpad, so I prefer to click on something and then use the keyboard to navigate, but you can't switch between modes in gcalc - you have to mouse and click around. Once in programming mode, you have to click a combo box, mouse through it, and click an option to switch bases, which is done in kcalc with toggle switches. Even then it's sometimes not apparent what you're looking at because when I switch from one base to another it sometimes doesn't evaluate the most recently typed number, or it will evaluate it as something else entirely and display number sub base 8 = number sub base 16, when I want the base 10 translation.

gnome-calculator isn't optimized for my admittedly niche use base or for use outside of a tablet. It's ok with a mouse, but bad with a touchpad.

As for your argument, it's debatable if it's easier to write something from scratch or port it to a different GUI toolkit. There are probably a lot of things that aren't needed as kcalc is intended as part of a desktop environment, not as a general use stand-alone tool to slap into a distro so you don't have to maintain your own calculator app.

That said, the least-effort solution is probably forking an existing gtk calculator and improving it.
MintBean

Re: X-app idea: fork Kcalc

Post by MintBean »

Your requirements are really niche, plus Mint is defined as being targeted at desktops and laptops, not tablets so again your use case is niche.
richyrich

Re: X-app idea: fork Kcalc

Post by richyrich »

Have you taken a look at the awesome Qalculate ? I installed qalculate-gtk from Synaptic, and I see a KDE plasma widget on their home download page (haven't tried it).
Ref: https://qalculate.github.io/downloads.html

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0x2620

Re: X-app idea: fork Kcalc

Post by 0x2620 »

MintBean wrote:Your requirements are really niche, plus Mint is defined as being targeted at desktops and laptops, not tablets so again your use case is niche.
I said I use laptops, not tablets. This is a touchpad:

http://i.imgur.com/keIPeGS.jpg
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