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Blockpad.net VS Frink

Compare Blockpad.net VS Frink and see what are their differences

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Blockpad.net logo Blockpad.net

Blockpad is spreadsheet software re-imagined for engineering. It gives engineers a better way to create, manage, and share critical calculations.

Frink logo Frink

A practical calculating tool, unit conversion utility, and programming language designed to make physical calculations simple.
Not present

Blockpad is spreadsheet software re-imagined for engineering calculations. It enables engineers to create professional calculation deliverables in an intuitive and familiar way.

The primary interface feels like a traditional word processor, but pressing the equals sign opens up a formula like in a spreadsheet. This formula is then calculated and presented in clear math notation so that the math is readable and not hidden behind a cell. Also like a spreadsheet, these formulas update whenever numbers change.

The formulas also employ many engineering friendly features: - units intelligence - variable names - matrix math - custom functions

The documents themselves are more than just word processors, and include tools that make engineering calculations easier: - spreadsheet-style tables - actual spreadsheets - point snap drawings - solver sections

Also, the various parts of a document can all connect together using spreadsheet-style formulas and references, so that a whole document can update when the numbers change.

Because Blockpad feels like the office and calculation tools you already know, the learning curve can be pretty short. The math is just like spreadsheet math, and the functions are the same too. So it's easy to get started and creating calculation documents you're proud to share.

  • Frink Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-14

Blockpad.net features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Blockpad.net offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users at all skill levels.
  • Efficient Collaboration
    The platform allows seamless collaboration among team members, enhancing productivity and ensuring transparency in project management.
  • Data Security
    Blockpad.net provides robust security features to protect user data and ensure privacy, giving users peace of mind while using the platform.
  • Customizable Templates
    Users have access to a variety of customizable templates, allowing for tailored solutions to meet specific project needs and requirements.

Possible disadvantages of Blockpad.net

  • Limited Integrations
    Blockpad.net offers fewer integrations with third-party applications compared to some of its competitors, which may limit its usability for certain users.
  • Subscription Costs
    While there is a free version available, access to premium features requires a subscription, which might not be suitable for small businesses or individuals on a tight budget.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Although the basic features are user-friendly, mastering some of the more advanced functionalities can be challenging for new users.
  • Mobile App Limitations
    The mobile version of the platform doesn't offer the full functionality available on the desktop, potentially hindering on-the-go project management.

Frink features and specs

  • Unit Conversion
    Frink excels at handling units of measurement. It can automatically convert between a wide range of units, which is very useful in scientific and engineering calculations.
  • Precision
    Frink maintains high precision in calculations, making it suitable for applications where accuracy is crucial.
  • Extensive Library Support
    Includes a comprehensive library for dealing with dates, times, and other data, enabling diverse computational tasks.
  • Currency Conversion
    Provides real-time currency conversion using current exchange rates, helpful for financial calculations.
  • Cross-platform
    Being a Java-based language, Frink can run on any platform that supports the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), enhancing its portability.

Possible disadvantages of Frink

  • Niche Use
    Frink is designed for specific tasks involving calculations and unit conversions, which may limit its usefulness in more general programming tasks.
  • Learning Curve
    The language may have a steeper learning curve for those not accustomed to its syntax or its focus on units and precision.
  • Performance
    As it runs on the JVM, Frink might experience slower performance compared to languages that are compiled directly to machine code.
  • Limited Community
    Frink has a smaller user community compared to more popular programming languages, which may result in fewer resources and limited third-party support.
  • GUI Applications
    Frink is not primarily designed for building graphical user interfaces, so it lacks the tools and libraries found in languages that focus more on GUI development.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Blockpad.net and Frink)

Blockpad.net

Frink

Engineering Calculator
59 59%
Engineering Calculator
41% 41
Calculators
0 0%
Calculators
100% 100
Spreadsheets
100 100%
Spreadsheets
0% 0
Advanced Calculator
0 0%
Advanced Calculator
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Blockpad.net and Frink. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Frink should be more popular than Blockpad.net. It has been mentiond 32 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Blockpad.net mentions (10)

  • Ask HN: Help me find spreadsheet software I found on HN
    I remember seeing an app that has a canvas, and on it you put individual 'sheets' or tables. You can reference between them as normal, drag and drop them around. The screenshots _may_ have shown math being entered too, I can't recall. Because my calculations are made up of many mini-calculations this seems a much better idea than the normal Excel style of multiple tables on one sheet, as adding a row doesn't... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Ask HN: Software to Write Engineering Calculations?
    I don't personally use it, but you might find Blockpad interesting https://blockpad.net/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Mathics: A free, open-source alternative to Mathematica
    In that space, https://blockpad.net/ is interesting also. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Hand Calculations - What works best for you?
    I work at Blockpad, and we have a lot of structural engineering customers that love it. It's sort of like Mathcad+Excel, inside of Word. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to Excel in Tech Without Learning to Code
    For engineers Blockpad (http://blockpad.net) is making a good case for itself as an Excel replacement. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
View more

Frink mentions (32)

  • Frink
    This subsection looks like the key to understanding Frink: https://frinklang.org/#HowFrinkIsDifferent. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Frink
    Frink is a CLI tool. The website/GUI is just there for convenience and/or for people to get a taste. https://frinklang.org/#CommandLineOptions. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Frink
    Looking at the sample calculations, isn’t the first example missing the temperature of the water? https://frinklang.org/#SampleCalculations. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Thinking About Recipe Formats More Than Anyone Should
    - Some recipes don't scale linearly with just the ingredients, but perhaps also the cookware (baking a cake for example). Cooklang docs talk about this as well. Scaling of recipes could be done with a measurement-aware type. Something similar to frinklang[0] for example. [0]: https://frinklang.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Toolbox Languages
    Pretty interesting, another person using Frink ( https://frinklang.org/ ) as a solving tool. It is a little quirky but when trying to do materials calculation for construction it's been pretty helpful. There is a version that runs on my Android phone, so I get more use out of than at the desk. Desk, I still use AWK as my Swiss Army Knife. Ability to read flat files as text or CSV means I can pull things in and... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Blockpad.net and Frink, you can also consider the following products

SMath Studio - Tiny, powerful, free mathematical program with WYSIWYG editor and complete units of measurements support.

Qalculate! - Qalculate! is a multiplatform multi-purpose desktop calculator.

PTC Mathcad - PTC Mathcad PTC Mathcad is Engineering Math Software That Allows You to Perform, Analyze, and Share Your Most Vital Calculations.

SpeedCrunch - SpeedCrunch. SpeedCrunch is a high-precision scientific calculator featuring a fast, keyboard-driven user interface. It is free and open-source software, licensed under the GPL. Download Documentation Donate .

Mathcad - Mathcad is engineering calculation software that drives innovation and offers significant process...

Numi App - Numi is a beautiful text calculator for Mac.

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