the worst?

[John Garza (3665)]

... Dare I say it...
the 41C

With all it's advances, it was a pitiful machine for everyday use.
All those "hidden" functions not on the keyboard.
First you had to remember it had that function.
Then you had to remember how to spell it with all that XEQ ALPHA business.
Then, of course, you had to type in the dang thing.
And if you forgot while away from your manuals, there was always CATALOG...
...one line at a time, wasting even more of your time.
This was acceptable at the time due to "user enthrallment" over the cool advances.
Like seeing an early windows PC waste time with cutesy graphics of papers flying around when you copy a file. Back then it was "oh cool, look!". But after a while it became "Cut the BS and get on with it."

And all that cheap plastic - a thin sheet pretending to be an actual battery compartment like in the classics. The structural posts that eventually fail, and the zebra contact only connectors. Not to mention the contact only failures of the Spice series. Didn't the latest batch of HP engineers read about WHY soldering is a good thing?

And then the HP-41C was the first HP I came across that would "lock up". VERY disconcerting when this first happened, and a PITA when it still does to this day. And the solution is to remove the batts overnight to let the whole system gradually discharge. And in the morning you are met with the friendly greeting: MEMORY LOST. The die hard early adopter sallies forth. Everyone else says "Where did I put my 67..."

In all fairness, I wouldn't rate the 41C as one of the worst. But I think it deserves special mention as prior to the 41C, HP had a reputation for exceeding expectations. This was the first top of the line machine that didn't do that. In fact, it failed to meet some expectations. So the contrast was startling and a bit worrying. And I understand the business need to keep the price not too far beyond TI, and within the reach of students - and even more so with the E-Series (Spice). In the days of the 65, students were not part of the equation. Professional machines for professionals. Not even a Games Pac.

-J

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