14 DAY TRIAL // Regardless of your profession, you definitely have to make some calculations at one point or another in your life. Whether it's the spare money, converting into a different currency so that you won't get cheated in your trip through Europe, learninig the exact price of a discount so you won't fall into the marketing trap or complicated mathematical operations, you most than sure need a calculating tool.
Windows brings the mathematical instrument in Vista as well and it is the exact same tool as in XP. The applet is great for working out simple calculations, but if you need it for deeper equations, it will simply not do. It lacks certain functions some of us forgot they even existed.
A very good freeware replacement is given by ESB Consultancy, under the form of ESBCalc. There is also a paid version of the software, but I think this one includes all the necessary options and features for making your calculations less time-consuming.
The interface is equipped only with the essential and there is no room for bells and whistles. All the functions are concentrated in the middle-lower part of the window while in the upper side there is the optional paper trail. Its purpose is to store all the calculations you make and display them just as if you wrote them down on a piece of paper. You can give up the pervasive view by simply pressing the "Paper" button in the middle of the title bar.
However, the paper trail tool is particularly important if you want to copy all the calculation in a different window as it features a Copy To Clipboard button. The operation can be achieved by using the classic keyboard shortcuts as well. The Eraser will proceed to deleting all there is noted in paper trail window.
If you minimize the paper trail only the mathematical functions are displayed and the application turns into a regular scientific calculator. The functions available go from the basic multiply, divide, addition and subtraction operations to more complicated ones like sine, cosine, tangent (on the trigonometry side) or calculate the percent of a value.
These are just a few of the functions available as ESBCalc is also equipped with brackets, Hyperbolic and Logarithmic functions, the latter being able to calculate in base 10, base 2 and normal base. Starting with version 5 the application includes support for Prefix functions (you can simply enter "log 10" instead of "10 log" in order to evaluate "log (10)").
Radians/Degrees, Inverse operation or square roots are also available for use in ESBCalc. The application includes constant values like Gamma, Gravity and Speed of Light. Other then these the programs comes with the regular options for memorizing values, memory subtraction and addition, and memory recall.
However, the developer has thought of more than the mathematical aspect of the software and provided options for configuring it. The configuration panel comes with four tabs ready to assist you with options for customizing ESBCalc. Display options allow you to disable the display for thousands separators, the tray icon, binary percent or prefix operations for functions.
The looks are not left aside either and the colors of the paper trail, values displayed and for the tooltips can also be modified to suit your needs. All the buttons, values and fonts can be customized to make reading them easier. The default settings are a bit plain, but you can turn into a mad scientist with the color palette and tune them to your liking.
The font of the calculator can be adjusted to your visual needs and the application allows changing its type and size as well. Simply expand the drop down menu and pick the one that fits you. A small preview is available so that you won't change it blindfolded.
The paper trail's colors are configurable (background included), as well as the font and its color and size. After extensive use of the application, some of you may find the tooltips annoying so the developer equipped the software with the option of disabling them. Also, if they are displayed for a too short period of time, you can adjust the "pause", "hide pause" and "short pause" settings to the desired values.
ESBCalc is an easy and free way to overcome the shortages of the calculator in Windows. It is now Vista compatible and as you may see for yourselves, highly configurable in terms of interface. It does not contain all the functions a "high-end" scientific calculator does, but it is of great help for those that deal with the logarithms or square roots calculations on a frequent basis.
The Good
It is equipped with the most used trigonometrical functions (sine, cosine and tangent) as well as hyperbolic and logarithmic functions.
ESBCalc features great options like paper trail and the complementary copy/paste to and from clipboard options.
Highly configurable when it comes to customizing the interface.
The Bad
The developer does not assume any responsibility for the eventual errors of the application (but considering that there is also a paid version, I think it is safe to use).
The interface window is not resizeable and options like Help menu are reserved for the commercial version of the software.
The Truth
If you are not going to need more complicated options, such as expression editing or logarithmic functions other than base 10, 2 and normal, I suggest you stick to the free version.
ESBCalc is highly reliable and also provides support for the numerical part of your keyboard. It's as easy to use as the Windows equivalent, but it performs better and comes with a lot more options.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
