NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/sys/hp48/6603

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-01 | 3.8 KB

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From: [e-mail] (Steve VanDevender)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: The "high price" of the HP48!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 1 Jan 93 04:46:22 GMT
Article-I.D.: miser.STEVEV.92Dec31204622
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In-reply-to: [e-mail]'s message of Thu, 31 Dec 1992 20:14:39 GMT

So, Paul, where are you going with all this?  You don't think the
HP 48 is a good investment, or that there is no reason to get an
HP 48 when you can get a much cheaper (and much less powerful)
calculator, or buy a computer with mathematical software.  I feel
very happy that I bought an HP 48, and not some cheap calculator.
I don't think we're going to change each other's minds.

In many ways the HP 48 was designed to appeal to people who have
owned other HP calculators -- the peculiar nature of RPL as a
programming language is a particular consequence of this, since
previous HP calculators used stack-based programming languages
vaguely like FORTH.  It was also much easier for HP to come up
with a calculator that is most likely overkill for nearly anyone
who would buy it, since it's easier to develop one calculator
model with a unified software system than half-a-dozen
specialized models.  It's also a lot nicer for those of us who
would rather own one calculator that does arithmetic, symbolic
mathematics, graphing, statistics, and unit management than those
half-a-dozen specialized calculators.

And while you scoff at the variety of "frivolous" applications
for the HP 48, like games, remote-control programs, or even the
amusing tricorder simulation posted today, those applications
provide the gee-whiz factor that entices many people to buy the
HP 48.  A cheap $10 calculator has no choice but to be serious.
You can use the HP 48 seriously, but you can also have a lot of
fun with it.

I would agree that there is faster, more powerful software for
personal computers that outperforms the mathematics and graphics
software included in the HP 48.  For me, the HP 48's portability
makes up for the speed difference.  I can take the HP 48 with me
nearly all the time, and use it wherever I am, even for long
periods of time -- a laptop isn't as portable and has a much
shorter battery life (where can you get a laptop that runs for
one or two months on 3 AAA batteries?).

Admittedly, I didn't buy my HP 48 while I was a student.  I
bought it because I'm a computer programmer and I could use both
a good technical calculator and a programming toy.  The HP 48
serves both purposes well for me.  While I use it a lot for
simple four-banger arithmetic, it has capabilities that I need
and want for doing more sophisticated things, capabilities that
few other calculators have at any price.  I also happen to be in
a field where I can take advantage of nearly all of its features.

While you have spawned an interesting discussion, you are also
beginning to repeat yourself.  You can't justify buying an HP 48
for yourself, but other people have justified buying them, and
most of those people seem pretty happy with their decisions.
That doesn't mean that anyone is wrong, or that we have to
justify our decisions to each other.
--
Steve VanDevender     [e-mail]
"Bipedalism--an unrecognized disease affecting over 99% of the population.
Symptoms include lack of traffic sense, slow rate of travel, and the
classic, easily recognized behavior known as walking."