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So… what IS Abacus?

It’s a calculator. Obviously. But what makes it better than what already exists? There’s a few things. Abacus is:

• Programmable, and not in TI Basic.
• Precise. With the “precise” option, Abacus can keep up to 50 significant figures.
• Capable. Ever wonder what 2⁷⁰⁰ is? How about 8!!? Abacus can tell you!
• Offline. While Wolfram Alpha can do powerful math, it needs internet connection!
• Built for the desktop. Why use buttons on the screen when there’s buttons on the keyboard?
• Open source. Don’t like something? Help is always welcome!

Why was Abacus made?

The initial project was proposed for the Northwest Advanced Programming Workshop. You can read the project proposal on the main GitHub page, although the idea has changed quite a bit, mostly in shifting from “fast” to “precise”.

What is Abacus made with?

Java and Kotlin. Java provides a good layer of abstraction and a great standard library, while Kotlin allows for the reduction of boilerplate code and null safety. Using JVM-based languages also allows Abacus to expose its entire API to plugins, and load them at runtime.