Top three calculators ?

[badaze]

About HP 67.

(09-12-2019 08:32 PM)HP67 Wrote:  It's a brick, it's wonderful, it's the pinnacle of calculator art.

I totally agree with you.

[toml_12953]

(06-19-2019 12:21 PM)Marco Polo Wrote:  I am attracted by DM42, but still cannot be used to HP42/Free42 paradigma :-(

I don't see why. It's a keystroke programmable. the programs are pretty much the same as the keystrokes you'd hit to solve the problem manually. Add some LBLs and GOTOs for looping and add a R/S for any place you'd like to enter a variable at run time. That's about it for a basic (not BASIC) program. Of course there are many other features but those are used if you want to make the program fancy. You already know how to calculate manually using RPN so writing a program in it should be a piece of cake (easy as pie)

[Marco Polo]

(09-14-2019 03:51 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  

(06-19-2019 12:21 PM)Marco Polo Wrote:  I am attracted by DM42, but still cannot be used to HP42/Free42 paradigma :-(

I don't see why. It's a keystroke programmable. the programs are pretty much the same as the keystrokes you'd hit to solve the problem manually. Add some LBLs and GOTOs for looping and add a R/S for any place you'd like to enter a variable at run time. That's about it for a basic (not BASIC) program. Of course there are many other features but those are used if you want to make the program fancy. You already know how to calculate manually using RPN so writing a program in it should be a piece of cake (easy as pie)

It is not a matter of how to write a program or RPN vs RPL (i also use a 35s, sometimes).
It's more a matter of being used to the unmatched flexibility of RPL object oriented approach.
I use my 48gx and 50g for everyday calculation and to write programs and utilities related to my job.
Disclaimer: All the below is totally IMHO
The solver(s) are parsec beyond HP42s/DM42
The object oriented model allows user to handle nearly any object in a coherent way
The availability of data type like list let to me write very complex programs quite easily.
Not to mention the outstanding uom handling and the capability to organize memory using directories
... And more....

That's why i feel the DM42 and even the future WP43 (whatever will be its final name) too limited to replace the 48/50 on my desk and too expensive to replace my 35s, which I use lesser and lesser.

[HP67]

I agree with a lot of what you wrote. I love RPL because it is aligned with the way I write software generally. I like to build foundation pieces and build something on top of those. In practice, RPL is difficult and mistakes are very costly. I don't love it until something is perfect, but I still like it a lot more than keystroke programmables and it is certainly much more powerful for code I want to keep around forever.

That said, keystroke programmables really shine for one-off jobs. There is no stack-dancing, no hair-pulling and no groaning when you make a mistake. It's really easy to fix errors. I find I might write a keystroke program for a quick job where I wouldn't take the time to write it in RPL.

I don't have a DM42 or an HP 42S and I'm not really interested in either. If I had an HP 42S I probably would buy a DM42 and I still might some day just to have one. But I wish Swissmicros would just put out their 41L in the correct portrait format. That would be pretty much icing on the cake.

[Marco Polo]

(09-14-2019 08:46 PM)HP67 Wrote:  That said, keystroke programmables really shine for one-off jobs. There is no stack-dancing, no hair-pulling and no groaning when you make a mistake. It's really easy to fix errors. I find I might write a keystroke program for a quick job where I wouldn't take the time to write it in RPL.

As a matter of fact it is possible to program a RPL calculator in a way similar to keystroke.
Just type << and start pressing the keys you need :-)

[toml_12953]

(09-15-2019 08:35 AM)Marco Polo Wrote:  

(09-14-2019 08:46 PM)HP67 Wrote:  That said, keystroke programmables really shine for one-off jobs. There is no stack-dancing, no hair-pulling and no groaning when you make a mistake. It's really easy to fix errors. I find I might write a keystroke program for a quick job where I wouldn't take the time to write it in RPL.

As a matter of fact it is possible to program a RPL calculator in a way similar to keystroke.
Just type << and start pressing the keys you need :-)

RPL here I come!

[groskwik]

At Work:

1) HP 50G (HPGCC and USER RPL programming, unit conversion)
2) HP 15C LE (quick calc + unit conversion too)
3) HP 48GX

At home but still related to work:

1) HP 75D (quick programming)
2) HP 71B (quick programming and calc with HP41 PAC)
3) HP 49G+ with last generation keyboard (quick calc HPGCC and USER RPL programming, unit conversion)

In my bag, at home, at work, when I am travelling:
HP 200LX (lotus 123, gnuplot, derive, vim, matlab, awk, basic and Fortran with open watcom compiler)

[NoEqualsButton]

(04-02-2018 08:53 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  ...
2-HP 33C
...
Cheers

It's good to see someone else giving the 33C some love. It's a great little calculator. It feels so robust in your hand.

Steve

[NoEqualsButton]

My top 3 calculators:

1. DM 42 - not a HP sure, but this just does EVERYTHING - I've invested lots of time into programming this
2. HP 41CV - my goto calculator before I got the DM42
3. HP 33C - It's like a HP25 shagged a tank! This thing just inspires confidence it feels so rigid in the hand. And I've always loved the slightly larger LED display.

[tom234]

After using sharp and Casio and Ti30 from 1970s.
I had a shape Programable but it did not have a solve for both sides you had to write the equation multiple times for the variable you wanted to solve for. Got fed up.
TG for HP Solve.

I got a 1. HP27s, 2.HP Prime, and 3. Android Samsung with every caclator imaginable including HP42 my favourite.

However, I will soon purchase a DM42 and DM15L and HP12 Plantnum.
Just for the fun of it.

HP Prime in the Physical is the best.
You guys and gals are great thanks for your help and kindness.

[Luigi Vampa]

(09-08-2019 08:19 PM)edryer Wrote:  OK four...

HP-50G
Much maligned but great build in my opinion and as a platform for College Maths it is unparalleled. Every single function I need is available and many I haven't even heard of that I expect have extremely limited use but are still are there. It is an absolute powerhouse.

HP-28S
Best Keyboard ever. Absolutely beautiful machine. Pity about the weak battery door, but there seem many still available with good doors (expect they have been especially well treated ones though where the owner was well aware of the issue and did everything to be super delicate).

HP-48SX
Most beautiful design, layout and colours. Physical logo (unlike other 48's) - BUT... that screen... one day I will work on a transplant from a Black screen model and have the perfect machine.

Voyagers
Surely in everyone's top four.

I would like to say HP-42S but never owned one!

+1
I agree with you completely, you read my mind :O)
Besides, Thomas' Free42 is my vademecum calc!!

[Mike T.]

Tricky

Code:


1. HP33C    - First programmable I actually owned this one still lives on the shelf above my desk.
2. HP34C    - An amazing machine also lives on the shelf above my desk!
3. HP97/67  - First programmable anything I ever user used, and a revelation to me at the time.
4. HP29C    - Because I've always wanted one!  
5. HP32S    - Gets an honourable mention since it lives ON my desk simply because the batteries last forever! 
I'm not a fan of the menu system much prefer using the HP33C or HP34C if I need to write a short program.

[grsbanks]

It's hard to decide which my top 3 would be. It strikes me that there have been several really great machines that have been let down by something that mars them. I would list more than 3 here but have difficulty choosing just three from them. In no particular order:

HP-41CX: The HP-41C was groundbreaking for 1979. Slightly limited in memory capacity but nothing that a (Quad) memory module couldn't fix. The CV fixed that problem out of the box. When the 41CX was released, it was kind of what the 41C should have been. More memory than you could shake a stick at (for the day) with the Extended Func/Mem module built in, the Time Module built in, and carried over from the 41C/CV, a plethora of software packages, the ability to integrate into a lab or other workflow with HP-IL, convenience I/O such as the wand and peripherals coming out the wazoo. This must be the calculator that has aged the best. It and its peripherals are still sought after 4 decades later.

HP-71B: This for many of the same reasons as the HP-41CV. Adding a full QWERTY keyboard to the mix and the form factor, although it was less "pocketable" than the '41, made it sit well on a desk.

HP 48GX: Almost what the 48SX could have been. Aesthetically, the colour scheme was not the best and there was little improvement in the LCD over the 48SX. What it should have been is the innards of the 48GX but with the same colour scheme as the SX. The improved on-board memory, faster CPU and other features in the ROM lifted it above the SX.

HP-15C: One of the best all-round scientific programmables ever. Programmability, matrix calculus, complex numbers, built-in numerical integration and equation solver... All of this in a package the size of other machines that only had a fraction of the features. Great keyboard, batteries that last decades, very readable LCD. The only thing that let the 15C and other Voyagers down is the speed, or rather lack thereof. Even for the day, they weren't particularly fast.

HP 48gII/49g+/50g: Huh? The 48gII? I know, the keyboard was atrocious on the 2003 version but hear me out... The actual machines (the three mentioned here are essentially the same) were a good concept. Production of the Saturn CPU powering the 48GX and 49G was no longer possible so HP had to find an alternative. The decision was made to build an emulator so that the existing software base would not be made obsolete overnight and Kinpo came up with these machines running on an ARM chip. These things run UserRPL written for the 48 series with little to no change. They do so a lot faster than the 48 series, they have more features and they display their results on a far better screen. The things that let these machines down are the terrible keyboard of the 2003 HP 48gII (fixed with the 2007 version) and the bugs in the emulation layer (clock counting backwards sometimes, alarms not going off unless the calculator is powered on when they become due etc.)

[CMarangon]

Hello friends!

1. HP10S+ (eaasy to use for simple calculations)

2. Javascript Calculator (http://www.area48.com/calculator.html)
I use it when I am in any lan house and need make some calculus

3. HP50G (not for professional use, just for hobby).
As Safety Engineer, I made few calculus.
It is more useful to know laws and norms,
available for cell phones, in PDF format.

[WesPerdue]

1. An HP 11c that my girlfriend gave me for my birthday after I told her the story of losing my 11c in 1988 in high school.

2. An HP 50g that brings back my memories of my 48sx I used in college and lost.

Yes, I've lost two HPs (my two favorites no less) due to carelessness.

and 3. PCalc on my iPhone. I'm surprised I've not seen it mentioned in this thread.

I've got a 48GX somewhere, but I can't find it; it must be packed away. But the 50g helps me miss it less.

My collection also includes:
a 12c Platinum I bought in a rush to take my ham radio certification test many moons ago.
a 15c LE that was my favorite before I received my 11c.
a Prime that I'm getting familiar with.
a 42s that's on its way to me.
and finally, a 28s with a broken battery door. It was my college calc before the 48sx.

[vaklaff]

WesPerdue Wrote:1. An HP 11c that my girlfriend gave me for my birthday after I told her the story of losing my 11c in 1988 in high school.

This is the most beautiful thing I've read today...

[WesPerdue]

(11-03-2020 01:16 PM)vaklaff Wrote:  

WesPerdue Wrote:1. An HP 11c that my girlfriend gave me for my birthday after I told her the story of losing my 11c in 1988 in high school.

This is the most beautiful thing I've read today...

Thanks, friend. She amazes me every day.

[Davidy]

1. Free42 on Android phone, Android tablet and HP Envy laptop
2. HP32Sii, after I wore out an HP32S and my first HP32Sii

[ttw]

Right now, using Emu48 on a Samsung S9+ with an hp50g skin.

[EdS2]

(04-02-2018 04:07 PM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  So what are your top three calculators, based on daily usage?
[Michael includes an emulator on a phone, so that must count...]

I barely use a calculator daily, but based on annual usage I think I could say it's these:
- HP 15C Limited Edition
- HP 30b (with original firmware)
- HP 35s

For everyday calculations I'm most likely to use Google, awk, an in-browser emulator, an in-cloud spreadsheet, or the built-in calculator app on a phone. I have lots of emulators but only very rarely turn to them.

Here's a meta-question: if you ask people here for their top three calculators, how many calculators will they list?