| |
In lugnet.off-topic.fun, Bram Lambrecht writes:
> On Mon, 27 Mar 2000 03:36:45 GMT "Frank Filz" <ffilz@mindspring.com>
> writes:
> > Bram Lambrecht wrote in message
> > > I use one of those (48G). Once you've used Reverse Polish Notation,
> > > you can't ever go back...
> >
> > So true, though these days I mostly use a non-RPN calculator. I keep
> > watching for a modestly priced RPN calculator, but it just doesn't
> > seem like it will ever happen (HP's cheapest calculators aren't RPN).
> > Of course these days I don't use a calculator for much other than
> > Hex/Decimal comversion.
>
> I wonder why RPN calculators are so rare...
Because HP had a patent on them, and by the time the patent ran out, there
just wasn't enough market (I suspect most people real attached to RPN would
also be fairly HP loyal).
> When I was in elementary
> school, the only calculator in our house was a RPN HP with a 3-level
> stack (but it only displayed the top of the stack) It was bigger than
> most modern graphing calculators and had an AC adapter :)
> Depending on your definition of modest, you might be able to get an HP
> 48G--mine was $75, which is cheaper than a lot of graphing calculators.
> It is a bit slow at graphing, though...
What I want is a <$25 fairly simple calculator. I don't really need
programability. Unfortuanately my $5 used HP15C (which cost an additional $6
to feed with batteries) got stolen, and my HP29C (I lied earlier) is on it's
last legs, and my HP41CX is also a little flakey (the electrical contacts are
worn, and the cost to have it repaired is probably too high).
Frank
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Purimish fun
|
| (...) HP was not the only manufacturer of RPN calculators; I remember using a National Semiconductor RPN calc in the mid-70's. See (URL) for more non-HP RPN calcs. I tried to find the patent for RPN calcs on both (URL) and (URL), but neither one (...) (24 years ago, 27-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
|
Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Purimish fun
|
| (...) I wonder why RPN calculators are so rare...When I was in elementary school, the only calculator in our house was a RPN HP with a 3-level stack (but it only displayed the top of the stack) It was bigger than most modern graphing calculators and (...) (24 years ago, 27-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
|
4 Messages in This Thread:
 
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
