HP Prime or HP 50g

[Neve]

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  Hello,

Early on, we though that we would need to create CAS and non CAS versions of the calculator (because CAS was banned in some locals).

That says a lot about the way HP respects more the students and than it’s long time base consumers and professionals who prefer full RPN calcs. In other words, Zilch....

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  Like a lot of you here, I am a number cruncher. When I take my calculator to do 27/6 (for example), I mean to get 4.5 because, most likely, I want to cut a 27cm board in 6 chunks. And an answer of 9/2 is useless to me.
I argued at the time that Calcualtors do have multiple useages, and during the course of a day one might need to switch from one to the other (in math class, 9/2 is expected, in pysics: 4.5 is expected). And that going to meddle with a flag was a poor solution to the problem.
Thus the home/cas divide was trully born at this time.

Useless, but fair enough.

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  I sinserly hope that Prime will still be there in 30 years! well, 20 years would even be enough for me as it would get me through retirement!

I sure don’t! LOL
Nothing will beat the venerable and yet unsurpassed 41CX or CL. LOL

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  "If this generation doesn’t know what a manual is, it’s probably because companies like HP and others don’t take the time to write them like they used to."
"Who’s to blame? HP was once the leading companie. It has lost it’s soul and fallen. A shame."

Having spend a conciderable amount of time writing "learning product" (this is the technical term for all the textual info in the user manual, quick start guide and build in help of the calculator). I do admin that I was sadden by this remark. Granted, we do not have the AUR anymore, however, the user manual is over 700 pages long, the Quick Start Guide is quite well done. Not talking about the on calc help (which contains a lot of what used to be in the AUR) which is around 1MB of text...

Where is it? Online? In PDF? As someone mentioned in the post just above I think, it’s not worth looking at. Not like a real nicely hard printed manual. I’m sorry that you spent so much time writing things that the older guys don’t really like, and the younger guys don’t even look at. At least you get paid for it. It’s a shame. HP manuals were THE best back in the days.

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  I have not looked at TI, Casio or Numworks. But I venture to say that HP is doing prety good here in comparison (actually, I just checked NUMWORKS and they have a 47 page manual!).

If you guys are happy to be just being slightly above the competition, so be it. It’s not very ambitious...

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  Anyhow, If you could try to give me some example of what you liked better in the previous manuals vs the current ones, we might be able to use that feedback to improve future changes to the user manual.

If you’re familiar with the manuals of the 1970’s, 1980’s, and I’m 100% sure you are, the way they were presented wnd written, I guess there is nothing more to say, you have you’re answer. I’m convinced that even the younger generation would care and take the time to read the manuals you painstakingly write if they had them in that format. However, since HP has been so unwilling to satisfy the demand of their user base for an newer true RPN calc, but has instead been more focused what is allowed for exams, that I doubt it cares about our feedbacks.

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  Going back to an interesting point in your comment: "If this generation doesn’t know what a manual is"...
The "If" here is a given. This is actually a test that I often conduct when I go to user facing events (conferences and the like). I ask the people in front of me: Have you read your calculator manual? Are you reading user manual of products that you are purchasing... And the overwhelming majority of times, the answer is "No", or "No, why?"

I answered that above. And BTW, I do read proper manuals. I don’t bother with PDF or in-app help.

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  I think that a lot of company have gone away from the user manual (Where is your windows, OSx, Ipad, phone user manual?) They are relying on much simpler/easier/common UI that what existed in the past (try doing a matrix addition in a 32s without a user manual? try doing it on Prime?). They are relying on users teaching each others how to use the devices...

That’s a big problem. And the companies are at fault. Not the users.

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  What is certain is that users are reading said user manuals less and less. That a 700 page user manual is concidered absolutely "bonkers" by today's standards (We often get told by internal people: "Look at this laptop's 1 page "user manual", with only pictograms! isn't it MUCH better than a user manual? And so much easier to translate!"

The blind leading the blind. Very reassuring! (Nivèlement par le bas)

(07-12-2018 06:36 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  ---------------------------------------------
"PS: “Le nivellement par le bas.” Rings a bell?? "

Unfortuntaley, yes :-(
But I venture to gess that HP is probably doing better at fighting to stick up than most of the competition.

I find that very sad and disappointing to be happy with not hitting rock bottom and be just slightly above the competition. (Not by you, by HP)

If you’re satisfied with that....

We’re discussing policies here, not the actual machines of course.