The Death of Windows 10

[pseudoid]

In college, I had the granddaddies to the HP-1nx series. First the HP35 and then the HP45.

I detest RPN. Always have.

-1
I never mastered (or bothered with) infix notation.

"I came upon the idea of a parenthesis-free notation in 1924. I used that notation for the first time in my article Łukasiewicz (1), p. 610, footnote." link

I would have tipped Jan Łukasiewicz 25%, if he was bussing my table!

 

[Ron Texas]

The calculator app on a Mac has an RPN mode. I used to have the HP which did time/money calculations.

 

[Blumlein 88]

In college, I had the granddaddies to the HP-1nx series. First the HP35 and then the HP45.

-1
I never mastered (or bothered with) infix notation.

I would have tipped Jan Łukasiewicz 25%, if he was bussing my table!

Me too. The HP35 briefly and then the 45. Everyone kept telling how great RPN was, my engineering and physics profs said it was the better way to go. Tried seriously to use it more than once before finally ditching it for good.

 

[Doodski]

Me too. The HP35 briefly and then the 45. Everyone kept telling how great RPN was, my engineering and physics profs said it was the better way to go. Tried seriously to use it more than once before finally ditching it for good.

I had a crash course in days of learning to use one. I was in a full time electronics study of Principles of Electron Flow and then more months of Semiconductor Fundamentals and off into another study of Digital Fundamentals and on and on and I cut my teeth on RPN while in those studies full time. The instructors asked me to not go that route but if I really wanted to I must understand I cannot receive assistance with the calculator and it's operation because the course moves too fast for that and everybody is not using RPN for practicality.

 

[mhardy6647]

I used those very early HP's with RPN, and I know the esteem they are held in. I detest RPN. Always have. Switched to a TI and was far happier.

I got pretty conversant with both ecosystems in grad school. RPN's kind of like learning to ride a bike. The thing I like(d) about RPN compared to the fancy-ish TI calculators: no pending operations with RPN.

 

[mhardy6647]

The calculator app on a Mac has an RPN mode. I used to have the HP which did time/money calculations.

I thought that was easy and that Einstein figured that out a long time ago...

Caption: Einstein discovers that time is actually money.

 

[Doodski]

I got pretty conversant with both ecosystems in grad school. RPN's kind of like learning to ride a bike. The thing I like(d) about RPN compared to the fancy-ish TI calculators: no pending operations with RPN.

Is that unlike the registers where variables and operations can be held and used when up next?

 

[pseudoid]

Is that unlike the registers where variables and operations can be held and used when up next?

A Register Stack?

 

[Doodski]

A Register Stack?

Yes.

 

[rdenney]

Me too. The HP35 briefly and then the 45. Everyone kept telling how great RPN was, my engineering and physics profs said it was the better way to go. Tried seriously to use it more than once before finally ditching it for good.

I can never see you in the same light again.

I became an iPhone covert when I discovered this:

The visible register stack in the app is a nice touch by I don’t need it.

Speaking of register stacks, anybody ever program anything interesting in the original Adobe PDF? That is a fairly full-featured stack-oriented language.

“RPN” to old geeks: “Squirrel!”

Rick “bought a 15c at a yard sale, fixed it, and then discovered it was algebraic “ Denney

 

[Dialectic]

I used those very early HP's with RPN, and I know the esteem they are held in. I detest RPN. Always have. Switched to a TI and was far happier.

To this day, one sees 12Cs in investment banks.

 

[gwing]

I got pretty conversant with both ecosystems in grad school. RPN's kind of like learning to ride a bike. The thing I like(d) about RPN compared to the fancy-ish TI calculators: no pending operations with RPN.

I used all three ecosystems, although I couldn't afford the TI and had a Casio instead, the HP belonged to the lab.

Third ecosystem was the (un)trusty slide rule which I now really wish I had kept.

 

[JeffS7444]

Copilot+ PCs powered by ARM are an intriguing development; wonder if Microsoft envisions ARM becoming the dominant Windows CPU, or merely part of a new class of products? Realize that Windows on ARM has been around for years, but was under the impression that until now, it's mostly been limited to lower-priced Surface devices. But will 2027's PCs feel a little bit reminiscent of 1987's vision?

(But IMO, it would be infinitely cooler if they could replace the bow-tied virtual assistant with Ron Perlman's Hellboy)

It seems to me that much of this stuff might already be very possible if a person were okay with sharing contacts and other personal data with a cloud-based AI (not me!). But lately it's felt like we're on the cusp of Personal AI, and that could be a lot more interesting, and less risky.

 

[pseudoid]

I know we got way too deep into the love/hate of RPN and we should probably segue-back to Windows.

But I would like to throw a few roses over the RPN grave with the following and for the last time here at ASR

• Excalibur32 is a FREEware by DavidBernazzani and has been around for Windows circa 2000 (originally, in its 32bit version. now @V2.0).
• There are also some very nice RPN GUI that emulate most HP calculators, for all 3 main OS, along w/HP-related programs for PC at this great link.

Happy hunting.
DROPs MIC...

 

[ElJaimito]

Isn't it time to change the thread title to "Death of WIndows 11"? That's coming up soon, no? And yes, I have Win 10, 11, Sonoma and Kubuntus + ChromeOS...

 

[Blumlein 88]

Isn't it time to change the thread title to "Death of WIndows 11"? That's coming up soon, no? And yes, I have Win 10, 11, Sonoma and Kubuntus + ChromeOS...

What? No Android or IOS?

 

[Berwhale]

I have an HP-25...

I rebuilt the Ni-Cad battery pack when I got this over 30 years ago. It doesn't work anymore, so I need to find some time to build a new one. I also have the PSU and full spiral bound manual, but the manual is a little crinkly as it got damp at some point in the last 30 years.

 

[pablolie]

I used all three ecosystems, although I couldn't afford the TI and had a Casio instead, the HP belonged to the lab.

Third ecosystem was the (un)trusty slide rule which I now really wish I had kept.

Always with a calculator. I guess you keep going for the platform you know.

 

[kchap]

Always with a calculator. I guess you keep going for the platform you know.

True. I did have a HP45 and later a HP41C. Thirty or so years years ago I purchased an HP42S, it still works. My calculator of choice for Windows, Linux and Android is Free42.

On YouTube I recently came across a company that makes HP style calculators: SwissMicro. I have no need for a new calculator, but I am tempted. There is also the The C47 calculator project which is an open source HP style calculator app that can be loaded into the SwissMicro DM42. I'm not sure even I want to go that far, but there plenty of nerds out there who do!

RPN rules

 

[mhardy6647]

All righty -- that's it -- we need a vintage calculator thread!
I'll get right back to all y'all, after I take some photos.