Ubuntu
gcalctool package

gcalctool does implicit multiplication for e (Exp), even if it stands for 2.718

Bug #495551 reported by Oliver Joos
12
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
gcalctool (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Low
Robert Ancell
Karmic
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
Lucid
Fix Released
Low
Robert Ancell

Bug Description

Binary package hint: gcalctool

I stumbled upon https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/483730 and like to add that implicit multiplication looks confusing if e stands for 2.718:
1e+1 == 10 is correct,
1*e+1 == 3.718 is correct and clear, but
1e*1 == 2.718 should better be an invalid expression

Not convinced? The current gcalctool says:
1e+1e == 27.182818285 != 2e this is definitely not obvious

To keep it simple and straightforward, I propose:
if e is immediately after a digit, it stands for *10^, otherwise for 2.718, never for *2.718.
(This is about what the python interpreter does)

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Dec 11 17:43:40 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/gcalctool
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release i386 (20091028.5)
Package: gcalctool 5.28.1-0ubuntu1
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=de_CH.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-16.53-generic
SourcePackage: gcalctool
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-16-generic i686
XsessionErrors:
 (gnome-settings-daemon:12143): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_propagate_error: assertion `src != NULL' failed
 (polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:12185): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_once_init_leave: assertion `initialization_value != 0' failed
 (nautilus:12178): Eel-CRITICAL **: eel_preferences_get_boolean: assertion `preferences_is_initialized ()' failed
 (gnome-panel:12174): Gdk-WARNING **: /build/buildd/gtk+2.0-2.18.3/gdk/x11/gdkdrawable-x11.c:952 drawable is not a pixmap or window
 (gnome-panel:12174): Gdk-CRITICAL **: gdk_x11_colormap_foreign_new: assertion `GDK_IS_VISUAL (visual)' failed

Revision history for this message
Oliver Joos (oliver-joos) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Robert Ancell (robert-ancell) wrote :

Agreed. I've already removed the 'e' notation from 5.29 as is too confusing (especially when including hexadecimal numbers)
http://git.gnome.org/cgit/gcalctool/commit/?h=gnome-2-28&id=9b7efd798f226ce4f1a86162112f09d7c42783e2

Changed in gcalctool (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → Low
status: New → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Oliver Joos (oliver-joos) wrote :

Thank you for the quick fix!
I rebuilt the latest source from git and confirm that this bug is fixed.

Revision history for this message
Martin Pitt (pitti) wrote : Please test proposed package

Accepted gcalctool into karmic-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

Changed in gcalctool (Ubuntu Karmic):
status: New → Fix Committed
tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Mitch Towner (kermiac) wrote :

apt-cache policy gcalctool
gcalctool:
  Installed: 5.28.1-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 5.28.1-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 5.28.1-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://mirror.optus.net karmic/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Bug confirmed.
Performed test case as follows:
1e+1 == 10
1*e+1 == 3.718
1e*1 == 2.718

Updated from karmic-proposed
apt-cache policy gcalctool
gcalctool:
  Installed: 5.28.2-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 5.28.2-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 5.28.2-0ubuntu1 0
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     5.28.1-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://mirror.optus.net karmic/main Packages

SRU verified as fixed.
Performed test case as follows:
1e+1 == 10
1*e+1 == 3.718
1e*1 == "Malformed expression"

tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package gcalctool - 5.28.2-0ubuntu1

---------------
gcalctool (5.28.2-0ubuntu1) karmic-proposed; urgency=low

  * New upstream release:
    - Fix negative exponential detection e.g. "2e−3" = 0.002 (LP: #483730)
    - Only disable trailing zeroes option in basic mode (LP: #484306)
    - Disable ambiguous multiplication with Eulers number, e.g. "2e" as this
      makes exponential numbers confusing (LP: #495551)
 -- Robert Ancell <email address hidden> Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:58:51 +1100

Changed in gcalctool (Ubuntu Karmic):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Martin Pitt (pitti)
Changed in gcalctool (Ubuntu Lucid):
assignee: nobody → Robert Ancell (robert-ancell)
Revision history for this message
Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote :

the issue is fixed in lucid

Changed in gcalctool (Ubuntu Lucid):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
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