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Is my vision that bad? No, it's just a bug in Apple's Calculator

(martin.wojtczyk.de)
631 points wojtczyk | 1 comments | 31 Aug 24 04:29 UTC | HN request time: 0.205s | source
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tlhunter ◴[31 Aug 24 18:14 UTC] No.41410675[source]▶
Here's something that really irks me. On macOS I'll use Spotlight (Cmd+Space) to do some quick math. For example, press Cmd+Space, type "1.2+3.4", and it sort of displays 4.6. Now to copy the results you either have to click the copy option in the dropdown, using your mouse (no thanks), or press enter to get the results in Calculator.

Assuming you last left the calculator in "Programmer" mode the calculator displays the value "4".

Ideally, pressing enter in Spotlight would simply replace the text in the input bar with the result. The equivalent Alt+Space tool in KDE (Plasma Search) performs math this way and it's amazing. I haven't used Quicksilver or Alfred in a decade but I'm sure they do the right thing, too.

Otherwise both Spotlight and Plasma Search are both pretty great. Type something like "14oz to lb" and they both display the result (though Plasma Search displays the exact "0.875 pounds" while Spotlight displays the rounded "0.88 pounds").

Overall I'm mostly disappointed with first-party Apple software. Being one of the richest companies in the world I have higher expectations.

replies(2): >>41410701 #>>41410843 #
1. NaOH ◴[31 Aug 24 18:38 UTC] No.41410843[source]▶
I run an older version of macOS, but it's historically been the case that Command-C copies the result of a calculation entered in Spotlight. They key is that the Copy command must be performed when the calculation is not selected for the result to be copied to the Clipboard. Put another way, type the math to be performed in Spotlight, then press Command-C and the result has been copied.