Meet RINPn Online: Use the Scientific Calculator Anywhere, Instantly
The free, full-featured scientific calculator RINPn now has a brand-new online version you can use instantly, right in your browser — anytime, anywhere.
Rather than explaining it in words, it's quickest to try it here on the spot. First, open the official RINPn website:
Then press the following button:
A calculator window like the one below will launch:
If you're already a RINPn user, this screen will look familiar. On this screen, enter an expression in the "INPUT" field and press the "=" button to evaluate it.
That said, while the online version looks and feels almost identical to the existing download (desktop) version, the internals are completely different.
Because of that, a few buttons are slightly different and some features are pared down in the online version.
Concretely, in the online version:
- You cannot define custom functions or variables (possible in the download version).
- You cannot run scripts (possible in the download version).
- You cannot tweak fine-grained settings such as digit precision (possible in the download version).
- You obviously can't use it from the command line, since it runs in the web browser (the download version can).
On the flip side:
- The download version is PC-only, whereas the online version also works on smartphones and in a wider range of environments.*
- The online version needs no setup — just open the web page and use it anywhere.
* Note: Depending on the smartphone model and browser, layout issues may still occur. We don't have a large pool of physical devices for testing yet, so we'll keep refining it over time. Feedback from users is very welcome!
In short, neither version is strictly "better." They complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Here's how we imagine using them:
- For quick, occasional needs — run a longer or more complex calculation right now, even if you don't plan to use it long term → Online version
- For daily use on a dedicated PC with the full feature set → Download version
Use whichever fits your workflow best!
—
That's it for today's announcement.
By the way, just like the download version, the RINPn online version is open source. The repositories are available on GitHub — feel free to take a look!
Since it's open source, next time I'm thinking of posting a more niche write-up — an architectural overview of the online version and a comparison with the download version. Stay tuned!
Author of This Article
Fumihiro Matsui
[ Founder of RINEARN, Doctor of Science (Physics), Applied Info Tech Engineer ]
Develops VCSSL, RINEARN Graph 3D and more. Also writes guides and articles.
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