Are we getting an update this year ?

[hamorabi]

There are usually 2 updates a year, one in January and one later in the year. We had the first update this year on January 20 but it was more of a maintenance build than something that affects the end user directly. With 2 of the top 3 calculator brands (TI and Casio) giving Python to their users, I wonder if HP will follow suit given how powerful the Prime is (528MHz CPU, 512MB Flash, and 256MB RAM). Also, XCas has added a micropython interpreter, so I wonder how that would affect porting Python to the Prime.

[hamorabi]

I guess most people here are quite content with triangle solver app and see no reason to have a complete programming language.

[CMarangon]

Hello!

Many people say that 2020 is a dead year!
Everybody is waiting a vaccine, however it is hard to happen.

I think that a hardware upgrade and a new calc, maybe an HP50G Plus
or even an HP Prime plus will not come out.

(11-03-2020 08:33 AM)hamorabi Wrote:  I guess most people here are quite content with triangle solver app and see no reason to have a complete programming language.

[StephenG1CMZ]

It would be nice if there was - especially since the Android needs one.
Python would be really nice (most stockists sell an Obsolete Casio cg50 without Python).

It will soon be time to ask Santa for either a new Android (No HP Prime app*), a Casio Cg50 (no micropython out of the box), or a raspi (full Python, but no screen and less portable).

*if you have an existing HP Prime App on Android it still works

[Giancarlo]

Hello,
I know that my post will sound a little bit provocative...

I am thinking about the strategy of updating the firmware of eletronical devices.
I remember my 48’s with the different Rom versions.

Is it normal to pretend for ethernity the firmware update? Can we pretend (here the verb is strong by purpose) that the hp team works for years in order to update a device like the prime that I bought 6 years ago? I am really thinking that no company could sustain this system for such a long time and such a small price for the device itself.
The price of the hw today is so small that doesn’t include such lifetime maintenance service...
At this point the only way to sustain this logic is to continuously grow the market attracting new clients. New clients would be attracted by a bunch of new features (python and other) and this would make this system economically sustainable.

It is my opinion that the little market of calculators today is not able to sustain this loop anymore:
- hp team develop new features
- new people purchase the calculator
- old user benefit of this and update their old calculator
- goto top of this list (this is what I call recursivity :+)

If I think about the hp41 era, new features were introduced in the market through new MODULES or new devices to connect to the machine. The logic was:
- hp team develop new modules
- new people purchase the calculator because of features
- old user had to by the new modules in order to benefit of new feature.
- got to top of this second list (recursivity again)

The difference between the two scenarios that made possible to sustain this economy was:
- the market of calculator was growing (so market size was increasing)
- old user contributed to sustain this system.

So the conclusion is that I think that in a niche market with small figures the only way to sustain the market is that old customers financially sustain this system and the way to do it is for hp to make a new hardware incompatible with the previous one forcing us to buy a new machine, increase our collection and start thousand of post in the forums.

All this words to say that in my opinion the hp team is developing a new hardware and because of this they are not investing time in the old platform.

This is the reason why I am saving some Euros in order to be ready for this event :+)

Giancarlo

[Tyann]

Bonjour

je suis assez d'accord avec ça, sauf que HP a déjà sorti une nouvelle machine 'la G2'
et qu'il est assez probable que les prochaines mises à jour ne concerneront plus que ce
modèle.
De toute façon la 'G2' a besoin de mises à jour car elle comporte encore des bugs et si HP
abandonnait les mise à jour pour se concentrer sur un nouveau modèle,
j'en serai personnellement à mon deuxième modèle acheté et bogué (avec la 39 GII) et dans ce
cas ce serai trop pour moi et j'abondonnerai définitivement ce constructeur.


Hello

I agree with that, except that HP has already released a new machine 'the G2'.
and that it is quite likely that the next updates will be limited to this
model.
Anyway the 'G2' needs updates because it still has bugs and if HP
was abandoning updates to focus on a new model,
I will personally be at my second purchased and bugged model (with the 39 GII) and in this
In that case it would be too much for me and I will definitely give up this manufacturer.

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[grsbanks]

(11-06-2020 09:13 PM)StephenG1CMZ Wrote:  Python would be really nice (most stockists sell an Obsolete Casio cg50 without Python).

Do they not stock the fx-9860GIII (or the fx-9750GIII in the US) nowadays, which *does* have python?

Although I still don't understand why anyone would want a language that's hard to input on a calculator keypad and hard to read on a small screen, even if it is becoming the de facto programming language in some education systems. But that's another debate...

[toml_12953]

(11-06-2020 09:13 PM)StephenG1CMZ Wrote:  Python would be really nice (most stockists sell an Obsolete Casio cg50 without Python).

The first thing you should do is to go to the Casio website and update the OS. The cg50 without Python is not obsolete, it just needs an OS update to the latest version which does have Python. The hardware is the same as always.

[John Keith]

(11-07-2020 08:38 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  Although I still don't understand why anyone would want a language that's hard to input on a calculator keypad and hard to read on a small screen, even if it is becoming the de facto programming language in some education systems. But that's another debate...

IMHO Python is still better in that regard than HPPPL, and Python being the de facto standard in education is a good thing considering that education is the main market for calculators.

[StephenG1CMZ]

(11-07-2020 08:38 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  

(11-06-2020 09:13 PM)StephenG1CMZ Wrote:  Python would be really nice (most stockists sell an Obsolete Casio cg50 without Python).

Do they not stock the fx-9860GIII (or the fx-9750GIII in the US) nowadays, which *does* have python?

Although I still don't understand why anyone would want a language that's hard to input on a calculator keypad and hard to read on a small screen, even if it is becoming the de facto programming language in some education systems. But that's another debate...

The local shop (WH Smith) only stocks the Casio cgii not the cgiii and the on-line stockists don't have Python.
Python is particularly useful on the Casio because it's built-in language is VERY limited compared to PPL.
Having Python built-in means I can demonstrate a "hello world" program on Christmas day, instead of saying "Thanks... But where's the tool to fix it???" (The Casio needs a PC).