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DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

48calc.org

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Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#101

Post by dingnuts »

jwr wrote: post #26

The 48G was a really good calculator, but only after loading additional software. The HP50g that came much later is better in every respect, except possibly for the smaller "ENTER" key (and people used to 48G will have to change some habits and possibly redefine some keys…). Incidentally, many young people (yes, I know how that sounds) do not know how useful a good engineering calculator can be and do not want to lea…

>Incidentally, many young people (yes, I know how that sounds) do not know how useful a good engineering calculator can be and do not want to learn how to use one. They are missing out. Yes, there is a steep learning curve, but the rewards are significant if you do any amount of calculation in your hobby or work. No, this is not replaced by typing "python" (or "bc", or anything else, really) at your command prompt.

I feel like this is highly role-dependent. I learned on an HP and I have my TI-89 from high school sitting on my desk, because I thought it might be useful. I never touch it. I never do math that's more difficult than arithmetic, and if I needed to do calculus or algebra for some reason I'd reach for Mathematica -- it's not like I remember calculus class anyway.

Hell I tried to help someone younger with algebra and forgot FOIL. I'm a successful distributed systems engineer. Why do I need an engineering calculator?

Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#102

Post by rustcleaner »

dylan604 wrote: post #99
exe34 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

every now and again, I download the user manual for a graphing calculator and every time I've been underwhelmed by what they have to offer. What impresses me in this discussion is how coy everybody has been about the actual benefits of these devices.

What impresses me is how you dismiss the usefulness to other people because you can't imagine it possibly being useful to someone because it's not useful to you

I declare thee argument winner! Well done chap!

Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#106

Post by dylan604 »

exe34 wrote: post #100
dylan604 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What impresses me is how you dismiss the usefulness to other people because you can't imagine it possibly being useful to someone because it's not useful to you

I don't believe I've done that? I've said it doesn't appear that it would be useful to me - and I keep asking, probably for the 5th time now, in what way is it useful? The most cogent reply I've had so far is "0.85f’c". I don't know what that means. Please, could you explain? At this point I feel that even Apple fanboys put more effort in justifying their choices.

Do you like pen or pencil? Do you like college rule or wide rule paper? Do you like spiral or perf notebooks?

I don't need to justify my reasoning to you in a way that convinces you your way is wrong and mine is right. People like different things. I learned to use a scientific calculator as an extracurricular competition that allowed me to become very proficient at 10-key. Because of that, doing calculations on a computer goes against muscle memory. Laptops don't even have a 10-key. If I have a bunch of notes/papers with numbers that need to be added, I can pull out a calculator and just do the data entry and get a result. I don't have to go to my computer, or lug the laptop around in the shop. I just need numbers quickly crunched so I can then turn around and make a cut, drill a hole, or whatever. I don't need a large clunky compute device for that. Dropping a calculator on the shop floor is much less expensive than doing the same with a laptop. Lots of time, I just don't feel like needing to write a damn script just to get the tangent/cosine of a value to determine the lengths of the whatever.

Again, just because you have a hammer doesn't mean that you should use it drive that screw. Sometimes that tool that specifically made for purpose is better for the task at hand.

Now, pick any of the aforementioned options as to why I might prefer a calculator over a programming env just to crunch some numbers.

Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#107

Post by topspin »

topspin wrote: post #51
gompertz wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks this is a great recommendation - runs perfect in Wine. There definitely seems to be a habit with developers making calculators that still fall into a 70s form factor. This is a great departure.

I really do want to clone that thing, except cross platform, and enhanced with 64 bit native math. I want the same exact REPL calculator and function library running natively and starting instantly from a no-install binary on every platform I might ever touch.

Oh, and make it open source, so that people that know more than I about all things math can contribute. If you hadn't noticed, SpeQ Math is not open source.

Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#108

Post by exe34 »

dylan604 wrote: post #106
exe34 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe I've done that? I've said it doesn't appear that it would be useful to me - and I keep asking, probably for the 5th time now, in what way is it useful? The most cogent reply I've had so far is "0.85f’c". I don't know what that means. Please, could you explain? At this point I feel that even Apple fanboys put more effort in justifying their choices.

Do you like pen or pencil? Do you like college rule or wide rule paper? Do you like spiral or perf notebooks? I don't need to justify my reasoning to you in a way that convinces you your way is wrong and mine is right. People like different things. I learned to use a scientific calculator as an extracurricular competition that allowed me to become very proficient at 10-key. Because of that, doing calculations on a co…

Thank you for explaining! So it's down to personal preference and invested training time, I wish you would just have said that to begin with. It's your hammer and you see everything as a nail. Got it.

Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#109

Post by dylan604 »

exe34 wrote: post #108
dylan604 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you like pen or pencil? Do you like college rule or wide rule paper? Do you like spiral or perf notebooks? I don't need to justify my reasoning to you in a way that convinces you your way is wrong and mine is right. People like different things. I learned to use a scientific calculator as an extracurricular competition that allowed me to become very proficient at 10-key. Because of that, doing calculations on a co…

Thank you for explaining! So it's down to personal preference and invested training time, I wish you would just have said that to begin with. It's your hammer and you see everything as a nail. Got it.

hopefully you can now apply this in future endeavors of open mindedness that other people might do things differently than you do, and that's okay. even if you can't possibly imagine why.

today's episode has been brought to you by the letter A for acceptance and the number 9

Re: DB48X: High Performance Scientific Calculator, Reinvented

#110

Post by exe34 »

dylan604 wrote: post #109
exe34 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for explaining! So it's down to personal preference and invested training time, I wish you would just have said that to begin with. It's your hammer and you see everything as a nail. Got it.

hopefully you can now apply this in future endeavors of open mindedness that other people might do things differently than you do, and that's okay. even if you can't possibly imagine why. today's episode has been brought to you by the letter A for acceptance and the number 9

your mind is like a steel trap - nothing gets past you!
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