Really really fast BASIC handheld

[berndpr]

Hallo!

I have many calculators form Casio, HP, Sharp and TI , much more to use all them in one year. There are pocket BASIC calculators (like Casio FX-702P, TI-74 BASICALC, SHARP PC-E500S, without matrix operation, complex numbers etc. and CAS, Grafic calculator like HP-48GX, TI-89, FX-CG20 and normal calculator like the Casio FX-991DE, TI-30Pro or the HP 35S without matrix calculation.

It's my hobby. Like many other people in this forum.

And I don't see a big different for programming the old pocket BASIC calculator and the DS. The most grafical problems of me doesn't needs any advanced big libaries. The most annoying thing is waiting of many minutes for the results. It's fun, if I press a button changing values and the results is seen like a film.

And I prefer a device which is easy to transport and easy to use at any place.
A PC is bulky, only at one place useable and complicate to start and to stop.

Therefore I have a notebook and small devices which I can use at boring situation like waiting by the doctor (in Germany more than 2 hours are possible).

I use SmileBasic for fast grafic programs (like mandelbrot, Ulam spiral etc.).
For calculating small problems I can use a scientific calculator app on the DS called Calculator from Cinemax (from the Nintendo store too). The touch button on the screen are big enough for using fingers.

My criteria for a good device is:
All inside (editor, compiler, interpreter etc.)
Fast start and stop (less than second after closing/switch off and open /switch on).
Fast execute
Easy programming (Sorry, editing C and compiling at a PC and send to a device is not easy)
Easy to transport (No, Notebooks doesn't fit in a shirt pocket. )
Additional features (like grafic, gaming, Internet, CAS etc.)

I have expand the 8-Queen program to show all 92 solutions and how the algorythm works with the A list. If anybody interested I can post the program here.

Bernd