Retro Review: TI-68

[Dave Britten]

(10-26-2022 05:42 AM)carey Wrote:  

(10-24-2022 07:25 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Very different! The 85 and 86 are my two favorite TIs. I've got like 3 or 4 of each.

I like the 86 a lot too but haven't used the 85. As you've used both, I'm curious if there are any advantages of the 85 over the 86, i.e., were any features lost in the more memory and better display 86 model? Thanks!

Yes, actually. The 85 is about twice as fast as the 86. The elaborate bank switching scheme they had to add to support the huge memory of the 86 caused a major performance hit. Also, the stat/list editor on the 85 is a bit nicer to work with, as it uses a full-size font, and you can quickly jump to the bottom of a list (e.g. to add a new item) by scrolling up while you have the first item selected. And I like the feel of the rectangular 85 keys a little bit more than the rounded keys of the 86.

Of course, the 86 has a better screen, lots more memory, and quite a bit more functions. You can add programs/variables to the Custom menu (not just built-in commands), the OS officially supports running assembly programs, and TI released finance and inferential statistics add-ins that provide functions akin to the 83 Plus, so there isn't a clear argument for either one being strictly better than the other.