Calculator as a tool

[TravisE]

(11-24-2016 08:29 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  The programming language is indeed a great improvement over RPL (I imagine that this statement will attract the ire of a few!). Having programmed a LOT in RPL, I however feels correct in this statement.

Well, I do think that can be argued somewhat. I agree that very large RPL programs can be difficult to maintain unless very well documented and broken up into a well-organized series of small subprograms (which is good programming practice, anyway). But, being able to make small, “keystroke-programmable” programs by pressing exactly the same keys as used to solve the problem interactively using RPN, as opposed to having to transform the program into a formal math formula, is a nice characteristic.

Like many others, I haven't completely adjusted to the Prime yet. I'm very attached to the 48g/49g/50g's paradigm (not just in general but to almost every subtle nook and cranny of it), which I consider to be one of (or even the) most well thought-out, intelligently designed calculator interfaces ever made (especially after having read Wickes' Insights books). The Prime is still very new, still has some bugs (which I seem to have a personal knack for discovering frequently, which is quite frustrating), and it feels there are things missing—the program editor feels incomplete and limited, navigating the system and entering text feels slow and inefficient for some reason, etc. The lack of a directory structure is also something I'm unused to. In fact, I'm having trouble translating a complex program I had made on the 50g because it used directories extensively to sort of simulate a “poor man's object-oriented programming”. Without such a feature on the Prime, it's difficult to figure out how to make the program as flexible and modular as the original.

But what I can't argue is that the device has a lot of potential. I really hope that HP doesn't give up on the product before it has a chance to further mature and really shine!