48/50 vs Prime, what am I missing?

[DavidM]

(05-10-2018 05:41 PM)cortopar Wrote:  Either old accounts didn’t transfer to the new forum, I’ve completely forgotten how I was registered before, my account has expired from dormancy, or some other situation requires that I create a new account for my first post on the “new” forum.

The current forum software uses an entirely different back-end DB, and no conversion of the prior data was done when the new one was set up. So access to the current forum requires the creation of a new account.

(05-10-2018 05:41 PM)cortopar Wrote:  I spent a lot of time on a 48SX in the early-mid 90s, but since then have mostly been interested in the pre-RPL keystroke programmable units. I own a 50g, but have done little more than play with it for a few hours in total.

There's actually a fair amount of functionality that was added to the platform between the 48sx and the 50g, and the performance bump between the two is substantial. The operating model is pretty much the same, of course, there's just a lot more built into the 50g's firmware. In other words, the 50g is much more than just a faster 48sx with a bigger display.

As for the rest of your comments, I think it's fair to say that the Prime is indeed a significant step up in functionality from the previous systems in many different ways. The operating model is very different, though, and I think that is behind a lot of the negative comments you see. If you're willing to learn a new approach to operating and programming a calculator, then the performance and features of the Prime will prove to be a very powerful system for you. Some will probably point out their favorite pet peeves about the Prime (units handling comes to mind), but I believe you'll find much more to like than to dislike about it.

I'm of the opinion that many of us (myself included) are significantly biased in our views of the various models we've used, mostly as a result of when we first started using a given system along with how much time we invested in learning how to optimize its use. Those biases sometimes cloud our judgement, though, and it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our opinions of how a given model works are somehow fundamental truths that transcend all calculators. It's ultimately a matter of what works best for you. Does the Prime have good features for what you want to do with it? Great! That's all that really matters.