What has the DM41 extra over the HP42s?

[Thomas Okken]

(10-26-2020 06:49 AM)Peet Wrote:  One of the most important points: The 41 was a groundbreaking classic, the 42 is only tech.

That matters when you're curating a museum, not when you're trying to pick the best tool for the job.

(10-26-2020 06:49 AM)Peet Wrote:  The charm of a classic, the incomparable font, the buttons for + - * / on the left side in addition to the higher compatibility are reasons for a DM41X instead of a DM41L or DM42.

In other words, taste? I bought my first HP-41C the week it came out and I enjoyed using it very much, but the fact that anyone can get hung up on which side the arithmetic keys are on will never cease to amaze me. I switch back and forth between the two all the time and the number of typos this causes is approximately zero.

I'll grant that the HP-42S display contrast is poor but then again I find the HP-41C display font ugly. With modern hardware you can get a nice bit-mapped display and good contrast at the same time.