Short:    Replacement for Eval
Author:   jive@algonet.se (Jesper Wilhelmsson)
Uploader: jive@algonet.se (Jesper Wilhelmsson)
Version:  1.0
Type:     util/cli
Replaces: Eval, distributed with Amiga OS.
Requires: A brain


I have for some time been very unsatisfied with the functions of the tool eval,
included in Amiga OS. I was hoping for an update in Amiga OS 3.5 but nothing
has been done to this tool.
Therefor I have written my own tool for mathematical evaluations.

The worst things about the old eval:

* It can't count! 1+2*3 should equal 7 not 9!! (no priorities?)
* No suport for binary numbers
* No support for decimal numbers
* Too few functions
* Not flexible enough to be userfriendly
* No bugfixes or upgrades are made from the developer

Ev is improved in theese areas and some other:

* The prioritys are correct! 1+2*3 = 7
* Ev supports all the old Eval input for compability reasons
  (except for a few changes)
* Support for binary numbers added in input and output
* The constants pi and e added
* Support for decimal numbers added, both 0.1 and .1 are accepted
* Correct rounding of decimals

* New flexibility added with support for:
  * the words and (&), or (|), not (~)
  * both <<, >> and lsh, rsh (and l, r)
  * d## and %d for decimal input and output
  * *t for tab in output
  * Number of digits in octal and hexadecimal output is optional
  * multiplication without '*'-token in obvious places

* Several new functions:
  * absolute value (abs)
  * square root (sqrt)
  * faculty (!)
  * powered numbers (^)
  * trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan)
  * random number (rnd)

+ I will keep upgrading it if there is a need for that.

Downside of the new version:

* Bigger executable. I've used the tools bison and flex to create the parser
  and theese tools do not create small files. The executable is now ~30k.
* eqv not implemented yet. I haven't got the full insight in what this function
  really does, is there a c equivalence?
* e does not mean eqv any more since the number e=2.718281828...

* Since I don't have the standard c include files for Amiga OS, I had to
  do all argument handling manually. This seems to have a negative effect
  on the behaviour of Ev in scripts. For example the test script in the
  manual for OS 3.5 with Eval used as a counter will not work with Ev.
  However I did not create Ev to be used as a simple counter.

I hope thats it.


============================= Archive contents =============================

Original  Packed Ratio    Date     Time    Name
-------- ------- ----- --------- --------  -------------
    2802    1850 33.9% 13-Jan-00 00:32:40  Ev.info
   31360   13846 55.8% 13-Jan-00 02:52:40 +Ev
   13965    5715 59.0% 13-Jan-00 02:50:36 +Ev.Guide
-------- ------- ----- --------- --------
   48127   21411 55.5% 13-Jan-100 20:31:02   3 files