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Guy Macon · 03-27-2020, 06:35 AM

Numworks graphing calculator is made for students raised on tech: The open-source device, aimed at high-schoolers, favors function over form.

toml_12953 · 03-27-2020, 09:53 AM

(03-27-2020 06:35 AM)Guy Macon Wrote: Numworks graphing calculator is made for students raised on tech: The open-source device, aimed at high-schoolers, favors function over form.

I'd believe that if it had a touch screen! I think HP Prime is closer to what students are used to these days. It operates much more like a smartphone. In fact switching back and forth between the emulator on Android or iOS and the physical calculator is very smooth because you can control both the same way.

Eddie W. Shore · 03-27-2020, 02:44 PM

Worth buying?

toml_12953 · 03-27-2020, 07:25 PM

(03-27-2020 02:44 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: Worth buying?

I have one and like it a lot. My favorite calculator is still the Prime, though. The Numworks seems to be aimed at high school students and is a great calculator for that market. I like the fact that the source is available on GitHub and is updated frequently (are you listening Prime software people?) The Python language is a very good implementation of MicroPython and includes a stripped-down time library and a graphics library which Casio's version doesn't have (yet?)

All-in-all, for $99.00 US, it's a solid value and every high schooler and collector should take a serious look at it.

cdmackay · 03-28-2020, 12:40 AM

(03-27-2020 07:25 PM)toml_12953 Wrote: available on GitHub and is updated frequently (are you listening Prime software people?)

the Prime software folk are active on this forum, and the very last post I read before yours was Parisse confirming a fix had just been done for a user-reported bug the same day.

So we're not doing too badly Smile

Don Shepherd · 03-28-2020, 01:16 AM

I notice that the Numworks calculator has a prime factorization command. Any limitations? How fast is the factorization, compared to HP Prime for example?

toml_12953 · 03-28-2020, 01:58 AM

(03-28-2020 12:40 AM)cdmackay Wrote:
(03-27-2020 07:25 PM)toml_12953 Wrote: available on GitHub and is updated frequently (are you listening Prime software people?)

the Prime software folk are active on this forum, and the very last post I read before yours was Parisse confirming a fix had just been done for a user-reported bug the same day.

So we're not doing too badly

Nope, not bad at all! With Numworks, though, the fix would be available the day after it was fixed (if not the same day) rather than having to wait for the next general roll-out.

**rprosperi** · 03-28-2020, 03:08 AM

(03-28-2020 01:58 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:
(03-28-2020 12:40 AM)cdmackay Wrote: the Prime software folk are active on this forum, and the very last post I read before yours was Parisse confirming a fix had just been done for a user-reported bug the same day.

So we're not doing too badly

Nope, not bad at all! With Numworks, though, the fix would be available the day after it was fixed (if not the same day) rather than having to wait for the next general roll-out.

And do you really want to use the new Numworks calculator f/w the day after it has been 'fixed' ? Who tests the fix after the code is changed but before it's released on Github? How much regression testing is done, and by whom?

Speedy access is nice for some things, but quality calculator releases that are fewer are further apart make more sense to me.

Jean-Baptiste Boric · 03-28-2020, 07:06 PM

(03-28-2020 03:08 AM)rprosperi Wrote: And do you really want to use the new Numworks calculator f/w the day after it has been 'fixed' ? Who tests the fix after the code is changed but before it's released on Github? How much regression testing is done, and by whom?

Speedy access is nice for some things, but quality calculator releases that are fewer are further apart make more sense to me.

You can stick to the official releases, which come out about once every 3 months for major versions. Or you can enroll in the beta programs. Or you can build the master branch to get the latest developments published to date. Or you can use the third-party firmware Omega which includes just about everything the community has created in one package. Or you can roll out your own firmware with all the bells and whistles you want.

It's not just about a faster release schedule than the competition. You are in control of your hardware and you don't have to rely on the original manufacturer for support.

Massimo Gnerucci · 03-28-2020, 07:32 PM

(03-28-2020 07:06 PM)Jean-Baptiste Boric Wrote:
(03-28-2020 03:08 AM)rprosperi Wrote: And do you really want to use the new Numworks calculator f/w the day after it has been 'fixed' ? Who tests the fix after the code is changed but before it's released on Github? How much regression testing is done, and by whom?

Speedy access is nice for some things, but quality calculator releases that are fewer are further apart make more sense to me.

You can stick to the official releases, which come out about once every 3 months for major versions. Or you can enroll in the beta programs. Or you can build the master branch to get the latest developments published to date. Or you can use the third-party firmware Omega which includes just about everything the community has created in one package. Or you can roll out your own firmware with all the bells and whistles you want.

It's not just about a faster release schedule than the competition. You are in control of your hardware and you don't have to rely on the original manufacturer for support.

All good points for being banned by examiners.

**rprosperi** · 03-28-2020, 11:04 PM

(03-28-2020 07:06 PM)Jean-Baptiste Boric Wrote:
(03-28-2020 03:08 AM)rprosperi Wrote: And do you really want to use the new Numworks calculator f/w the day after it has been 'fixed' ? Who tests the fix after the code is changed but before it's released on Github? How much regression testing is done, and by whom?

Speedy access is nice for some things, but quality calculator releases that are fewer are further apart make more sense to me.

You can stick to the official releases, which come out about once every 3 months for major versions. Or you can enroll in the beta programs. Or you can build the master branch to get the latest developments published to date. Or you can use the third-party firmware Omega which includes just about everything the community has created in one package. Or you can roll out your own firmware with all the bells and whistles you want.

It's not just about a faster release schedule than the competition. You are in control of your hardware and you don't have to rely on the original manufacturer for support.

Seems like a field day for folks that want to develop and tweak calculator f/w, which I am not one. I prefer to use them, once they've been well-tested. Doesn't make me right, it's just different strokes for different folks and all that.

Does the Numworks original manufacturer (whoever that is) do thorough release and regression testing, and how is the quality of the official releases (it doesn't matter for the others)?

toml_12953 · 03-29-2020, 05:46 AM

(03-28-2020 11:04 PM)rprosperi Wrote: Does the Numworks original manufacturer (whoever that is) do thorough release and regression testing, and how is the quality of the official releases (it doesn't matter for the others)?

It seems like the releases are very solid. At least I've never had a problem with them. The releases mainly add features and fix whatever minor bugs there are. The code is much less complex than that in the Prime so it's much easier to debug. As far as regression testing, IDK.

cdmackay · 03-30-2020, 06:15 PM

(03-29-2020 05:46 AM)toml_12953 Wrote: …The releases mainly add features and fix whatever minor bugs there are…

of course, there is a tension between those two points…

Smile

Eddie W. Shore · 04-08-2020, 02:25 PM

I just received my Numworks calculator yesterday. I'm amazing on how small it is, more like the size of a advanced scientific calculator than a graphing calculator. The screen is nice and crisp, the keys are responsive, and update the system was easy. I have yet to try it's Python language; from what I read, it is an impressive set of commands.

So far, so great.

Eddie

Don Shepherd · 04-08-2020, 04:03 PM

(04-08-2020 02:25 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: I just received my Numworks calculator yesterday. I'm amazing on how small it is, more like the size of a advanced scientific calculator than a graphing calculator. The screen is nice and crisp, the keys are responsive, and update the system was easy. I have yet to try it's Python language; from what I read, it is an impressive set of commands.

So far, so great.

Eddie

Eddie, I'm also a new Numworks user. It also has some nice little surprizes, like you can enter any integer in Calculation mode, then select it and do the right arrow and it will show the hex, binary, and prime factors of the number.

Wow.

I did my first python program today, in another post.