EBTCalc

The RPN, short for Reverse Polish Notation, is a mathematical notation in which operators follow their operands. In the early days, this concept proved to be very difficult to be implemented in arithmetic and even more so in calculator hardware. Somewhere around 1950, the computer scientist Charles L. Hamblin proposed a scheme in which the operators follow operands (postfix operators), which resulted in the Reverse Polish Notation.

EBTCalc is a straightforward and very useful application that allows users to perform operations using the RPN method. In short, it’s an RPN calculator that calculates operations in the order they are entered without the need for  parentheses.

A basic example is as follows: in order to calculate 17*(3+4), users must input 17, hit Enter, input 3, Enter, then 4, and then the “+” and “*” symbols. It may seem a bit complex at first, but the calculator is actually pretty straightforward.

The main window is comprised out of the value entry area on the upper left part, followed by the stacks indicator, the built-in buttons underneath, a category selector on the upper middle part, and a series of custom buttons.

EBTCalc includes a series of typical buttons one might expect to find on a calculator and a series of pre-programmed buttons, but one of the main advantages of the app is that it also allows users to add custom buttons. For this, users require basic JavaScript programming knowledge. The app also has a Setting section that allows users to bind various symbols to the decimal point, the thousands operator, and the width of the tab.

To conclude, EBTCalc is a practical Electron-based application that allows Windows 10, macOS, or Linux users to calculate complex operations using the RPN method.