bc [ -hlwsqv ] [long-options] [ file ... ]
bc is a language that supports arbitrary precision numbers
with interactive execution of statements. There are some similarities
in the syntax to the C programming language.
A standard math library is available by command line option.
If requested, the math library is defined before processing any files.
bc starts by processing code from all the files listed
on the command line in the order listed. After all files have been
processed, bc reads from the standard input. All code is
executed as it is read. (If a file contains a command to halt the
processor, bc will never read from the standard input.)
This version of bc contains several extensions beyond
traditional bc implementations and the POSIX draft standard.
Command line options can cause these extensions to print a warning or to
be rejected. This document describes the language accepted by this
processor. Extensions will be identified as such.
The author would like to thank Steve Sommars (Steve.Sommars@att.com) for his extensive help in testing the implementation. Many great suggestions were given. This is a much better product due to his involvement.
Email bug reports to bug-bc@gnu.org. Be sure to include the word "bc" somewhere in the "Subject:" field.
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