bcal

bcal is a command‑line REPL utility that evaluates arithmetic expressions containing storage units, supporting both SI and IEC binary prefixes. It can perform standard arithmetic, bitwise operations, and a range of mathematical functions, while also handling byte address calculations, LBA/CHS conversions, and base conversions to binary, decimal, and hexadecimal. The tool stores the last valid result for reuse and can process piped input or file redirection.

The program targets developers, system administrators, and anyone who frequently works with bits, bytes, and storage addressing. Its minimal dependencies—only standard libc and optionally GNU Readline or BSD Editline—make it suitable for 64‑bit Unix‑like systems, and it can be built with or without readline support. Installation is available via package managers or from source with configurable make options.

bcal’s feature set includes conversion between IEC/SI units, display of addresses in bytes or LBA:OFFSET format, CHS↔LBA translation, custom sector size configuration, and bit‑position inspection. It operates in both interactive REPL mode and single‑execution mode, providing a lightweight, script‑friendly tool for storage‑related calculations.