HP 35s missing keystrokes

[MarkHaysHarris777]

(01-24-2015 10:19 AM)Thomas Radtke Wrote:  I ordered one as soon as possible. Then came one bug report after another. No complete set of composing/decomposing functionality for complex numbers, making e.g. R<>P conversions difficult, lockups, and all the other bugs were discovered. Of course the owners were greatly disappointed.

Nice to meet you Thomas. The R<->P conversion thing is one of my pet peeves (even a hobby horse, so I'll spare you as much as I can). I collect R<->P conversion routines. It's fun. My interest is electrical engineering (amateur radio reactance circuit | tank circuit design). The HP35s easily converts and handles decomposition of coordinate systems (for use in the complex number plane) with just a few steps of programming which is (except for the overall concept) trivial in nature. So, its a little like purchasing a classic 1957 two-tone Chevy coupe only to find out that the guy who restored that gem forgot to wire the cigarette lighter. So you have to wire it yourself; even though, you yourself don't smoke. It just bugs you that it doesn't meet your expectations. hey, just wire the lighter and enjoy the ride!

Let me illustrate the programming I'm talking about. Sometime a little later (I'll key it in after I post this, to the general software library) I'll upload my favorite R<>P routine. It makes no claims... its just one example... takes up almost no space, is almost trivial, WORKS, and is easy. i use it from time to time.

But consider this (and I'm sure this has been discussed here at some point before my time):

3, 4, 5 right triangle in the complex plane...

[3] [i] [4] [ABS] There is your vector length (R)

[4] [i] [3] [ABS] ... there it is again

[4] [i] [3] [ARG] ... there is theta, assuming x=4 , y=3

[3] [i] [4] [ARG] ... there is the other theta assuming x=3 , y=4

And that's without any programming... but if you add those to an R<>P routine then whalla.

My point here is mainly this: We have a commercial tool that works, is easy to program, is fun to program, and can thereby be customized and tailored to suit individual preferences as well as needs, and can be relied upon to work for years to come: what's the problem?

Not everyone are capable programmers. Some of the concepts (trivial to some of us) are a royal pain in the arse to some others. I have met some wonderful aerospace engineers who can't program pouring water out of a boot even though the op codes are engraved on the heel... and I'm not picking on them either! Its just that the HP35s is designed with the idea that the programer knows what they are doing. If the programmer is clueless, can't RTFM, or simply doesn't know a tight loop from a post hole, well.... its not HPs fault, and its not a bug. That's all I'm trying to say.

Cheers,