gcalc.pl: Standalone Google Calculator
gcalc.pl is a Perl script that provides a command-line interface to Google's calculator feature. For each expression given, the script will query Google and return the result. It can be run in both one-shot and interactive modes and also has readline support to provide a history of typed expressions.
Examples
% gcalc -h gcalc.pl, version 1.0 usage: gcalc [options] [expression] options: -h, --help display this help -i, --interactive interactive mode (default if no expression is given) examples: $ gcalc '2+2' 2 + 2 = 4 $ gcalc one meter in light years one meter = 1.05702341 x 10^-16 light years more: http://www.google.com/help/features.html#calculator
% gcalc gcalc.pl 1.0: Google Calculator type 'help' for help >> one furlong in meters one furlong = 201.16800 meters >> 68 f in c 68 degrees Fahrenheit = 20 degrees Celsius >> q %
Download
Download from labs.*: gcalc.pl
Installation
Unix-based Operating Systems
Perl must be installed. For the readline support to work, a Term::ReadLine::* Perl module is needed. If you are using GNU/Linux, install the Term::ReadLine::Gnu package with the CPAN installer.
A good way to install gcalc.pl is to make a bin directory in your home directory, copy the script there, and add ~/bin to your $PATH. You may optionally wish to remove the .pl extension or add a symlink like so:
ln -s ~/bin/gcalc.pl ~/bin/gcalc
Remember to give the file execution permissions with:
chmod +x gcalc.pl
Windows-based Operating Systems
Windows-based operating systems require ActivePerl. On a default install of ActivePerl, gcalc.pl appears to work, albeit with some warnings. It is easiest to place the script into a directory that is in your %PATH%. Type:
echo %PATH%
at a command prompt to see which directories are included.