Beware not to buy HP Prime, if you are engineer!

[dmmaster]

(05-08-2018 09:37 PM)aurelio Wrote:  

(05-05-2018 01:38 PM)pier4r Wrote:  Yes but no one stops you to create an equation library for the prime (and share it).

It seems to me that your point is "I want something ready made, for this the 50g with built in or community programs covers more needs than the prime, without me defining this or that equation".

But that's a lazy argument in my view. If I need something, I check if it is already done, otherwise I do it. Maybe long algorithms can be an obstacle, but equations are easy.

Pick this for example: https://www.easycalculation.com/formulas/index.php
There may be hundreds of equations there. But it is unlikely that one needs all of them at once. One may need, say, 10 of them. Then it is not that difficult to type them and organize them as you need it.

It is good to (a) have your setup, (b) ensure that it is what you need and (c) be more familiar with the system.
The more areas you are going to cover, the more complete the list become.

If instead I complain that no one is going to type all those equations for me in the device, meh.

I can understand an argument against the, say, 9860 series of the casio. There there is no way to name variables or to make variable scope only local, so to avoid overwrite variables used by other programs. One is limited with the programs, the labels have only 6 (or 8?) characters, and so on. So it is clumsy to build an extensive list of equations, although it is possible.

With the prime is really trivial. The HP PPL, although limited (ex: chars in variable names or function names are like "max 30" IIRC), is powerful and expressive.

And then, once again, if the prime is not for engineers because it is not filled with every possible formula, what about the older models from hp? Aside from 50g, 49g+, 49 series. Did the 71B or the 41 or the 67 model have all the formulas builtin without need of buying expansions? (or typing the formulas)

So even that is garbage?

I mean, I love the 50g. I have four (no other calculator is so present in my home). But to claim that all the others are garbage based on some weak argument is a bit of bad taste.

For example - I did not know this until some weeks ago - the 35. The first calculator. It is not better than any scientific calculator that you can get for 30 euro today in terms of functions. Nonetheless there is at least one book ( HP-35 Math Pac ) that collects a lot of equations for the 35 (of course one can adapt them to every calculator). For me a 35 plus that book is quite complete, one doesn't need much more if the need is to solve single equations.

So if the 35 can do it, the prime can do it too.

Hi Pier, how are you?
I agree with you more than with dmmaster, no doubt, but he didn't say, I guess, and even thought that the prime is garbage.
Then I sold my prime two years ago ...and just for a low level reason (which for me is enough): I "hate" its keyboard.... still difficult for me to read, unpleasant to use.
maybe it was really designed mostly for educationals targets and so suited for people younger than me.
Hope in changes, anyway, who knows...all can be improved and I think that the next calculator will show us an amazing interface.
Sure most people expects to get a calculator which contains everything available and ready for use like goods on the shelves in stores, but the experience teachs how specialists, don't care if engineers technicians or workers, are inclined in building or adapting their best tools...... tailored for the excellence.

edit: typos

Do you make you bread, milk, butter,... yourself? no?
(let's catch attention).

I think that there is a clear, normal, decrease of the level in maths. This can be easily measured. Take old books, and compare. I see for each ~10 years, a level of 1 year decrease (12 months). In the past, education in maths was really something.

This is normal, technology replaces basics use.

The HP Prime is NOT at all garbage. It is an excellent graphical calc, which is in excellent competition with Casio and TI. The intention of HP was to get into this direction (school, secondary,...).

There is no harm at all, it is normal. Money rules the world.