Designed by Alan Eliasen, the Frink programming language was released in 2001. He named the language for Professor Frink, a recurring character in The Simpsons.
Frink was created to make physical calculations simple, to help ensure that answers come out right, and to be a tool that is useful in the real world. The programming language can be used to track units of measure through all calculations, allowing for the mixing of units of measure transparently, and helping to easily verify that the answers make sense.
In Frink, any number can be tagged with a unit, and Frink will prevent the addition of incompatible units, as in F#.
Frink is a full-fledged programming language with arrays, dictionaries, sets, functions, loops, object-oriented programming, and self-evaluation. Frink also supports advanced mathematical functions, such as trigonometric functions, factoring and primality testing, and base conversions. It includes a built-in data file of physical quantities, freeing users from having to look them up, and freeing them from having to make endless calculations without getting bogged down in the mechanics.
Written in Java, it runs on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android operating systems. Of course, it will also run on Java Virtual Machine version 1.1 and later.
Frink is also capable of translating between several human languages, including English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
The interpreter for Frink is freeware, but proprietary in that the source code is not available. It should install with one or two clicks on any machine that includes a recent version of Java, or it can be used through a web-based interface.
Topics related to the Frink operating system and any programs designed to facilitate programming with Frink are appropriate for this portion of our guide, including tutorials, guides, compilers, interpreters, or utility programs.
Recommended Resources
Alan Eliasen -- Things I Made From Yarn
This is the webpage of Alan Eliasen, the chief designer and creator of the Frink programming language and calculating tool. Frink is a general-purpose language that is designed to perform arithmetic with units, which it does comprehensively. The website includes a link to the official Frink programming language, a page that includes a web-based interface with Frink, and pages for several other programs, tools, generators, simulators, and tutorials, along with a blog and shopping site.
https://futureboy.us/
Released in 2010, Frink is a calculating tool and programming language intended to be of use in the real world, tracking units of measurement throughout all calculations, ensuring that answers are correct. It converts between systems of measurement and has a large library of physical data. Named for Professor Frink from The Simpson, Frink was influenced by Java and is implemented in a Java virtual machine. Its features, documentation, presentations, and mailing lists are noted.
https://frinklang.org/
Created by Alan Eliasen, the chief designer of the Frink programming language, this site allows users to enter any arbitrarily complex Frink expression in the "From" box, and then click on "Calculate" to receive a correct calculation. If a value is entered in the "To" box, it will be treated as the right-hand side of a conversion expression, and if the "To" box is empty, it does exactly the same thing. This calculation is powered by Frink Server Pages.
https://futureboy.us/fsp/frink.fsp
This is a webpage created by Håkan Kjellerstrand, a Swedish programmer and developer, and much of its content is in Swedish. However, its page on the Frink programming language is in English. He describes the language and some of its features, with links to additional online resources. He presents a list of Frink programs that he created, many of which simply explore the programming features of Frink. For each, the source code is provided, and a brief description of the function is included.
http://hakank.org/frink/
HandWiki: Frink (programming language)
HandWiki is a wiki-style encyclopedia dedicated to science, technology, computing, and general knowledge. Anyone with a login account and external citations can create or edit articles. Frink is a computer programming language designed to make physical calculations simple and to verify that the answers make sense. Its section on Frink offers statistical data, an introduction to the language, its features, and a description of how the language got its name.
https://handwiki.org/wiki/Frink_(programming_language)
The Frink is Good, the Unit is Evil
Written by Hillel Wayne, who specializes in formal methods (the discipline of proving software and systems correct) for business, and has an interest in esoteric programming languages, this article discusses the features and functions of the Frink programming language, created by Alan Eliasen. As the title suggests, he dwells on the way in which the language treats units, and offers code examples, as well as examples of how the language can be used in cooking.
https://www.hillelwayne.com/post/frink/
