newRPL - Updated to build 1510 [official build remains at 1487]

[Claudio L.]

(07-15-2020 07:50 AM)ijabbott Wrote:  That's great, but wouldn't the keyboard need to be relabelled for newRPL?

The keyboard is really a head-scratcher, since the actual keys are very different from the 50g. Up to this point, all other hardware targets were "substantially identical" to the 50g, so we had a unique layout for all of them.
I've been trying to come up with a decent layout that keeps most of the keys where the painted labels are.

I'm copying below some of the thoughts we have internally, perhaps some community collaboration would help, so let's open up the discussion.

My main points:
* I want on-screen menus to be accessible by both touch-screen AND hard keys. Call me old school if you want, but I think most people using RPL are old school anyway :-)
* I don't like the overlap of alpha and numbers. Same thing with the basic operators, I want to type '2*X+Z/2' without using shifts or changing the alpha mode.

1st Alternative:
Use the 10 black keys as 2 menus. Menu on-screen would be split, there would be 2 menus, 5 items each. This will mess with some menus, as they are designed for a 6-item menu for the 50g. On the screen, you'd see the status area at the center, with one menu on the left and one menu on the right, immediately above the keys so it's intuitive which key does what. The menu items would be laid out as the keys (same principle of newRPL on the 50g, where both menus followed the layout of the corresponding keys).

The blue shift to be mapped to RSHIFT. Alpha to be mapped to LSHIFT. The TOOLBOX key to become ALPHA (this is debatable? perhaps alpha should be alpha and toolbox become another shift. The location of Toolbox is not very convenient for a shift either, so I'm not fully convinced.

2nd Alternative (a compromise to free more keys):
Have one of the menus use the 6 keys next to the cursors. The CAS key could switch the 6 keys to be used for Menu1 or Menu2 (though it would be confusing without a visual hint, but that can be arranged). The on-screen layout would be similar as alternative 1, with the status area at the center, both menus would have 6 slots instead of 5 (hence, same menu organization from the 50g would work here). This alternative frees up the Apps, Home, Esc and CAS keys (well, CAS would switch the menu keys, so scratch that one).

Having Esc available is good, all the functionality of On would be moved to Esc (except for actually turning the calculator On), so Esc becomes the "Cancel" key, and it makes sense.

On becomes LSHIFT
Blue Shift becomes RSHIFT
Alpha becomes ALPHA

And now we have 3 proper shifts "almost" in their natural positions.

I'm leaning towards alternative 2, but I'm open to all ideas. Having the keys to operate only one of the 2 menus is not ideal, but using the other menu with the touchscreen might provide some relief.

As far as the letters overlapping with numbers:

Proposal, in alpha mode:
Help = R and Q (do Q as a shifted case?)
View = S
Menu = T
CAS = U
Apps = V
Home = W
Symb = X
Plot = Y
Num = Z

These above are the letters that overlap numbers and operators. Other symbols will need to move too, the # needs to be shifted not alpha, just like on the 50g. The double quotes "" will also be shifted, not alpha so we can type the 0 in Alpha mode.

Other less dramatic proposals:
* The tick and the O key historically belong together, so that comma will become the single tick
* Parenthesis should be shifted, and that key becomes 1/X
* Vars becomes STO (same location as the 50g)
* Toolbox becomes EVAL (same location as the 50g)
* Home can become the main menu (P on the 50g), but only if alternative 2 is chosen.
* I'm not sure what to make of the keys C,D,E, and Apps (I'm all ears)