HP-32, HP-35, HP-38, HP-45, HP-65, HP-67, HP-70, HP-97 for iPhone/iPad

[Willy R. Kunz]

I guess this is the perfect place to point HP calculator fans to my simulators for iOS devices:

• RPN-32 CE - HP-32E simulation for iPhone. Unlike the original, it's programmable.
• RPN-38 CX - HP-38C simulation for iPhone with integrated program library.
• RPN-35 SD - HP-35 simulation for iPhone. Skins for the different generations (versions 1..4.)
• RPN-45 HD - Full simulation of the HP-45 for iPad. Run in vintage mode or turn on extended features.
• RPN-45 SD - HP-45 simulator for iPhone with extended features. Integrated printer.
• Vintage-45 - Plain HP-45 simulator for iPhone.
• RPN-65 Pro - HP-65 simulator for iPad. Run in vintage mode or turn on extended features. Includes database of program cards and HP-97-like printer output.
• RPN-65 SD - HP-65 simulator for iPhone. Same features as RPN-65 Pro.
• RPN-67 Free - HP-67 simulator for iPad without programming capability. Includes five sample program cards.
• RPN-67 Pro - HP-67 simulator for iPad. Run in vintage mode or turn on extended features. Includes database of program cards and HP-97-like printer output. Fully compatible with RPN-97 Pro.
• RPN-67 SD - HP-67 simulator for iPhone. Same features as RPN-67 Pro.
• RPN-97 Pro - HP-97 simulator for iPad. Fully compatible with RPN-67 Pro.
• RPN-70 HD - Full simulation of the HP-70 for iPad.
• RPN-70 SD - Full simulation of the HP-70 for iPhone.
  

All simulators are available on the iTunes Store (some of them for free.)
For details, check out my homepage. Enjoy!

[d b]

Well I think this is an ok place to discuss your classic hp simulators, especially the free ones. Be aware that in the far past a couple of people have taken offence to notices in the general forum about things for sale, so your mileage may vary. Things like the WP34s and 43s get a pass because they were developed and debugged openly on the forum and reported at the yearly HHCs.

Would you discuss the data handling additions on your 67PRO? To me that looks like the big improvement
over the original, and most could have been there. The operations and register screens are a nice touch too.

It's great that you have free versions of the 67 and 70 up. That may be the only 70 I'll ever be able to justify owning, if i ever get a smart phone to put it on.

[Willy R. Kunz]

Ever since I got my HP-35 in Februray 1973, I've been a fan of HP calculators, especially the LED models. Many people share my interest, some still have their vintage calculator on their desk.
I'm a retired engineer now, so one day, I decided to create simulations of the HP calculators I own and make them available to other enthusiasts.

The question is, where do you tell HP fans that these simulations exist? On the iTunes Store, where it's all about games, cookbooks, photos, and social media stuff? No chance. What better place than MoHPC?

So then, why not offer everything for free? Well, two reasons basically.

1. Call me "old school", but in view of the massive effort I put into creating these apps, I fail to see why the hard work shouldn't be worth anything. Lucky for me, I don't have to make a living off of my apps, so they're really inexpensive. We're talking petty cash here. To the point that some users have suggested the apps should be priced higher in order to better reflect their "value". The HP-70 simulator is free because it was quick and easy to do after RPN-45. Same for RPN-67 Free after RPN-67 Pro was finished.
2. Putting a price tag on the apps, however small, is a perfect filter to keep certain people away. People like the one who called RPN-70 "buggy" because he simply didn't understand how an HP-70 worked. Or the one who called it "useless" because it could only be used in portrait mode of the iPad.
   

Ironically, chances are that MoHPC is making money from RPN-67 Pro, as on my homepage I direct users who need manuals for the programs I offer for download to their online store. ;-)

Would I discuss specifics of my simulations? But yes, of course, I'd love to! The main reason to join the forum was to get feedback on my apps. Reviews in the iTunes Store are frustrating as there is no way for authors to respond.

With this, I hope I was able to alleviate your concerns about "commercialization" of the forum.
I'm an HP calculator fan, not an entrepreneur.

[Howard Owen]

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  The question is, where do you tell HP fans that these simulations exist? On the iTunes Store, where it's all about games, cookbooks, photos, and social media stuff? No chance. What better place than MoHPC?

There is a commercial forum for that.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  So then, why not offer everything for free? Well, two reasons basically.

That's not at issue here. The issue is promoting commercial products in the open forums.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  Ironically, chances are that MoHPC is making money from RPN-67 Pro, as on my homepage I direct users who need manuals for the programs I offer for download to their online store. ;-)

Do you see any ads around here? This is far off the mark, and likely to evoke a strong response.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  The main reason to join the forum was to get feedback on my apps. Reviews in the iTunes Store are frustrating as there is no way for authors to respond.

This is legitimate in my opinion. You could probably do better by posting an ad, complete with app store links, to the commercial forum. If all you want to do is to promote your apps, then leave it at that. Otherwise, participate in general discussions with your fellow enthusiasts. Mention your apps when they are on-topic, but be aware there is sensitivity around here about commercial promotion. Monitor the forums for questions regarding your apps, and answer them appropriately. This is how to care for your customers in the digital age. If you are enthusiastic about what your customers are enthusiastic about, then that's perfect.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  I'm an HP calculator fan, not an entrepreneur.

Sounds to me like you're both. Welcome!

[d b]

Willy; You really got a complaint that an hp67 simulator doesn't operate in landscape mode? Someone was unclear on the concept, and it wasn't you.
I don't want any smart phone but i am curious what you considered worth doing in data storage and handling improvements on your 67PRO. So come on man. Brag a little bit. HP had no real data storage on the 67, screwed it up in the IL, completely emasculated it on the 42, and used a goofy breakable cable plug on the 48. What did you do with almost 40 years of hindsight and an iphone? Does it mass store data files? Where? Email them? What size?

---

Howard; The forum profile says that Willy is from Switzerland, where French is one of the official languages.
George Bush said that the trouble with the French is that they have no word for "entrepreneur". Ergo, Willy can't be one. And yes; I can see at least three examples of shaky logic in those two sentences.

[walter b]

(12-18-2013 09:01 PM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote:  George Bush said that the trouble with the French is that they have no word for "entrepreneur". Ergo, Willy can't be one. And yes; I can see at least three examples of shaky logic in those two sentences.

The one with the tomatoe?

d;-)

[Egan Ford]

(12-17-2013 06:44 PM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote:  Well I think this is an ok place to discuss your classic hp simulators, especially the free ones. Be aware that in the far past a couple of people have taken offense to notices in the general forum about things for sale, so your mileage may vary. Things like the WP34s and 43s get a pass because they were developed and debugged openly on the forum and reported at the yearly HHCs.

How far past? Is it relevant?

Emulators (free or otherwise), new HP calculators ($), Vintage HP accessories ($) and clones ($) have all been freely discussed and "get a pass". I have not seen any grief over Clonix, SwissMicro, HrastProgrammer products, etc... over the past 6 or 7 years. Many are interested in these developments even if not developed in the open or presented at HHC because they are available to all, unlike eBay and classified that are limited to one-on-one.

[Dave Hicks]

My assumption was that discussions about how to use, program, select (etc.) emulators would go here. However, I thought the classified ads was the place for simply advertising/reminding people of their existence etc.

[Howard Owen]

(12-18-2013 09:01 PM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote:  So come on man. Brag a little.

I second that. The card system in RPN-67 is unique and very cool. The integrated code and documentation is nice, but the work you've put in porting all those programs is tremendous!

Can I please now have all of your programs on Android?

[Willy R. Kunz]

(12-18-2013 08:03 PM)Howard Owen Wrote:  

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  The question is, where do you tell HP fans that these simulations exist? On the iTunes Store, where it's all about games, cookbooks, photos, and social media stuff? No chance. What better place than MoHPC?

Quote:There is a commercial forum for that.

There is? I only see "Classified Ads" (in the section "Collecting & Using"), which I wouldn't call a forum. I was looking for a place to discuss my simulations, get suggestions, ideas for improvement and so on.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  Ironically, chances are that MoHPC is making money from RPN-67 Pro, as on my homepage I direct users who need manuals for the programs I offer for download to their online store. ;-)

Quote:Do you see any ads around here? This is far off the mark, and likely to evoke a strong response.

There's a smiley after my remark on purpose... Actually, the ads for MoHPC are on my website. And they're free.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  The main reason to join the forum was to get feedback on my apps. Reviews in the iTunes Store are frustrating as there is no way for authors to respond.

Quote:This is legitimate in my opinion. You could probably do better by posting an ad, complete with app store links, to the commercial forum. If all you want to do is to promote your apps, then leave it at that. Otherwise, participate in general discussions with your fellow enthusiasts. Mention your apps when they are on-topic, but be aware there is sensitivity around here about commercial promotion. Monitor the forums for questions regarding your apps, and answer them appropriately. This is how to care for your customers in the digital age. If you are enthusiastic about what your customers are enthusiastic about, then that's perfect.

If you're referring to Classified Ads, linking is a no-no: "This forum is not meant as additional advertising for sales on other websites. Do not link to or refer to auction sites such as ebay from this forum."
Up to now, any discussions about my apps got completely drowned in HP Prime discussions. So I still think this forum is the perfect place.

(12-18-2013 01:19 PM)Willy R. Kunz Wrote:  I'm an HP calculator fan, not an entrepreneur.

Quote:Sounds to me like you're both. Welcome!

I'm not. Call me a fan and a hobbyist. In view of the few bucks I make, I'd be a lousy entrepreneur.

[Willy R. Kunz]

(12-18-2013 11:42 PM)Dave Hicks Wrote:  My assumption was that discussions about how to use, program, select (etc.) emulators would go here. However, I thought the classified ads was the place for simply advertising/reminding people of their existence etc.

So what's clearly missing here is a forum for "discussions about how to use, program, select (etc.) emulators" available on commercial websites, regardless whether they're free or not.

[Homer Pasquale]

Willy Kunz has done a fantastic job of recreating some HP classics, with special emphasis on the flagship HP-67. (I still remember the first time I "met" a 67, in college in Texas. Even vaguely remember the kid that owned it!) Anyone who 1) loves HP classics, and 2) has an iOS device (iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone) that can run any of these really would, I think, enjoy trying them out. The legacy of the golden age of HP LED calculators will be helped to live on through these apps, and also bring them to people who cannot afford a "mint" condition one (are calculators from this era ever really "mint"?) from that auction site place.

Regarding the philosophical differences I see here, this forum seems like the perfect place for developers to announce what they're working on, and Willy's announcement certainly doesn't in my eyes constitute advertising. I have, at last count, 27 calculator apps on my iPod, 23 of which are HP simulators. I would love to see any new ones introduced here, discussed by forum members... pointing out the strengths, the cool features, the good ones, the bad ones. And I see no moral difficulty with the writer of the apps introducing them. Let the discussions follow!

And, I respectfully disagree the site's founder and Super Moderator... Dave, thanks for maintaining this site, but it would not occur to me to look for app releases in the "classifieds". I would love to see any good, quality app developer announce them right here, in the section that's subtitled "This is the place for emulators, simulators..." plus, an "ad" in the classifieds would hardly be the place to stimulate discussions on the app being announced.

So, I say: let the app developers introduce products here, and let the forum members dissect them, criticize them, praise them, give opinions on which are good and which ones are best left alone...

And, if public opinion bars such announcements, the forums, in the long run, will only be a weaker, less informed place, "waiting" for someone to discover some new quality app and hopefully bring it to light. Most apps that a developer would think to introduce to this elite forum would, most likely, be quality RPN/RPL type apps. Personally I don't plan to peruse iTunes endlessly hoping to find that latest gem.

[Willy R. Kunz]

(12-19-2013 03:34 AM)Howard Owen Wrote:  

(12-18-2013 09:01 PM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote:  So come on man. Brag a little.

I second that. The card system in RPN-67 is unique and very cool. The integrated code and documentation is nice, but the work you've put in porting all those programs is tremendous!

Can I please now have all of your programs on Android?

Anybody care to port my apps to Android? I simply don't have the resources for that. Besides, my picture of the Android market is quite blurry. What version to support? Froyo (still 10%), Honeycomb (19%), Jelly Bean (51.5%), or just KitKat (3.6%)? What about tablet and phone sizes?

Well, on to some bragging, as requested.

RPN-67 Pro can work like the original HP-67, which was surprisingly difficult to implement considering the high-accuracy of today's computers. Many programs, notably games, rely on the reduced accuracy of the HP-67. Some users develop programs on the simulator before committing them their real HP-67. Inadvertently using advanced features of RPN-67 Pro would break the programs, of course, so these users like being able to run RPN-67 Pro in vintage mode.

In advanced mode, you get, among many other features:

• 999 program steps (up from 224)
• 100 extra registers, numbered R.00 through R.99
• 6 additional flags, F4 through F9
  

Of course, all program cards can store all 999 steps, data cards store all 125 registers. Depending on the program, many steps may be saved by optionally storing constants in a single step, like the HP-41 and other later calculators do.
Program and data cards may be saved in the built-in database, or they may be exported to the Mac or PC. Both can also be emailed to other users of RPN-67 Pro. Both card types are simple, self-explanatory XML text files. It would be trivial to import data created in, say Excel, into RPN-67 Pro's registers. And vice versa.

One feature of the HP-45 I missed in the HP-67 was RCL op n register arithmetic. In the course of adding that feature, I also expanded the range of allowed registers. So, for example, to add the content of register 44 to x, you can use RCL+.44 (or RCL.+44). You can even store 44 in the I-register and execute RCL+.(i). The command set is now quite universal. STO-A would subtract x from register A, RCL*E would multiply x by register E. However, secondary registers must still be made primary before they can be addressed. There is no STO+15 command, or the like.
DSZ(i) and ISZ(i) automatically refer to extended register i if i exceeds 25.

The exchange registers command of the HP-67, used only for exchanging x with i, has been expanded too. RPN-67 can exchange x with any addressable register. So, x<>A would exchange x with register A, x<>.(i) would exchange x with R.44 (if i = 44).

Another exclusive feature of RPN-67 Pro is PUSH. These command pushes the entire stack (X,Y,Z,T) on an internal stack. POP will populate the standard stack with the most recently PUSHed stack values. The stack-of-stacks is four levels deep. If it is empty, a POP will simply clear the calculator's stack. One use of the command is preserving the stack while calling a subroutine.

Alright, that's all for now. If there is any interest, I can talk about the special commands dealing with the extra register 0 through 99 in an upcoming installment.

[d b]

Willy; If the original 67 could have had a scosh more memory, either merged or dedicated to data. and your data handling system; it would have eliminated the +/- one year's window of bragging rights that the TI58/59 users had on us RPN types.

BTW: I assume you've seen this
With the exception of the halt/catch/fire functions alphanumerics and a couple of others, it's yours.