Remember when you were a student, and your friend showed you a website with your name and the name of your crush on it? The website would also have a red heart and percentage meter and some advice from Dr. Love. If you remember, it was the ultimate tool for curious students before. Students would have fun pairing their names, crushes, classmates, and friends to see if the calculator would “approve” of their pairings.
Developed in November 1996, the Love Calculator is a beloved online tool that calculates the compatibility between two people based on their names using algorithm and math formulas. The tool will then generate a percentage score that indicates how well they match up, along with some advice from “Dr. Love,” providing an insight into their relationships.
Its creators, Thijs Kinkhorst and Matthijs Sypkens Smit, were quick to see its potential for success and their efforts have paid off with over 3 million visitors to the site.
Media outlets such as CNN’s Computer Connection and MSNBC’s The Site have highlighted the popularity of The Love Calculator, and the program has won various awards for its entertaining and user-friendly design. Although it was created for entertainment purposes only and its results are based on simple algorithms and mathematical formulas, it is important to note that they are not scientifically valid and should not be taken seriously.
The program was initially written in JavaScript, but to accommodate browsers without JavaScript support, it was later converted to a Perl version. The Love Calculator also became available as an offline version that could be installed on a personal computer and run without an internet connection.
Today, the website remains active and is maintained by its original owner. It has been updated with a modern look, yet its classic charm and entertaining results remain unchanged. The name “Love Calculator” was also a registered trademark with the original owner.