NuCalc

NuCalc (Graphing Calculator)

Graphing Calculator 3.2 under Mac OS 7.6.1
Developer(s)	Pacific Tech
Stable release	4.0
Operating system	Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X
Type	Plotting
License	Proprietary
Website	Pacific Tech

NuCalc, also known as Graphing Calculator, is a computer software tool made by the company Pacific Tech. The tool can perform many graphing calculator functions. It can graph inequalities and vector fields, as well as functions in two, three, or four dimensions. It supports several different coordinate systems, and can solve equations. It is available for Mac OS (under the name Graphing Calculator) and Microsoft Windows.

History

The Graphing Calculator 1.0 software has been bundled for free on all Power Macintosh computers since its introduction in 1994. This means that it was shipped on more than 20 million machines, and is the most familiar version of the program. This version of Graphing Calculator was secretly developed at Apple by Ron Avitzur, an abandoned contractor who felt obligated to complete the project, and his friend and colleague Greg Robbins.^[1] They also made a version for older 680x0 Macintosh computers called NuCalc 1.0. In 2005 This American Life featured Avitzur's story in episode 284, Should I Stay or Should I go?^[2]

Later models of Power Macintosh computers included newer versions of the Graphing Calculator program. At one time, versions were available for free download for Mac OS 9, Mac OS X 10.3 and Mac OS X 10.4. However, these versions may lack some of the features of the original version 1.0 program and may include promotion for the more advanced, commercial version of the software. A Windows version (offered for sale) was at one time renamed NuCalc.

By 2009^[update], the latest commercial version was Graphing Calculator 3.^[3]

Product

Editions of Graphing Calculator Version 3 are available for Mac OS 9, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.^[3] Pacific Tech also offers free-of-charge downloads of a viewer for saved graphs, for the same three platforms.^[3]

See also

• Grapher - Apple's replacement, included with Mac OS X 10.4

References

1. ^ "The Graphing Calculator story". http://www.pacifict.com/Story/. Retrieved January 12, 2007. 
2. ^ "Should I Stay or Should I Go?". http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/284/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go. Retrieved September 21, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.pacifict.com/FreeStuff.html

External links

• NuCalc/Graphing Calculator homepage
• Information and Download for the original Graphing Calculator 1.0 for PowerPC and 680x0 Macs can still be found here
• Wired News - Worming Into Apple
• Google Tech Talk of the story behind NuCalc