HP 48GX Collector’s Edition (merged) - please don't start two threads

[Eric Rechlin]

(11-27-2023 11:20 PM)johnb Wrote:  Eric, I can actually agree with virtually everything you expressed in your post.

However, isn't this really the Option 3 approach? (If done your way, I'd favor that.)

Perhaps, but I specifically don't think any HP ROMs should be required, and my point on Saturn emulation was more of an aside that is at the very bottom of the priority list and probably would never happen, so I still think my preference is basically Option 2 but with a strong focus on backward compatibility. All User RPL would be able to run with recompilation, perhaps common SYSEVALs (and by extension some System RPL) could be supported, to handle certain pre-existing User RPL programs that might use some system features, and maybe support could be broadened if there is interest (both on the parts of users and developers).

We have two separate projects (DB48X and NewRPL) that are headed in this direction now, but neither seem to yet be striving for a full 48-compatibility, and developer burn-out (or just plain lack of time) may mean both are abandoned before getting anywhere near there. If efforts could be combined, and options (compile-time or run-time settings?) made available to let the software operate in, say, DB48X mode, NewRPL mode, 48 mode, or 50 mode, that would minimize a lot of duplicative effort, but would also require a lot of compromise too. I just can't see it being worth having multiple developers trying to re-implement the exact same potentially-highly-complex functionality; I'm specifically thinking of things like the Solver, Equation Writer, and stuff like that.