Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!uwvax!uwslh!lishka
From: lishka@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu (a.k.a. Chri)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: HP Upgrade (was Re: HP Promo)
Message-ID: <1990Aug18.141645.5958@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu>
Date: 18 Aug 90 14:16:45 GMT
References: <9008131714.AA20780@hercules.csl.sri.com> <24674@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <32759@cup.portal.com> <10869@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Organization: Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
Lines: 33

kaufman@delta.eecs.nwu.edu (Michael L. Kaufman) writes:
>2) The deal with older ROMS is, you call HP and get on the list.  Then around
>the end of the year they send you a letter telling you where to send your
>48sx.  Then you send it in and get back a version E rom.  The catch is that 
>they are only doing this for revision A, B and C.  The good part is that it
>is free.

And now for the obvious question: where in HP does one call?  Tech
support or something?  I have a revision A ROM that has worked fine
for me, but I would truly like to have the clock in the status area (I
keep it off now because I am doing too many transfers for software
development).  Does anyone at HP want to comment on this (Mr. Wickes)?
Or at least acknowledge that something like this will happen, so we
aren't left in the dark?

If this upgrade is free, I will be impressed.  Complete hardware
upgrades can be expensive.

One final thought: in the future, HP may want to design their
calculators so that it is fairly easy for a calculator *owner* to
upgrade their machine.  HP calculators have passed the point where
they have simple software built in.  Future calculators should also be
expected to have bugs in the early software revisions.  Therefore, an
upgrade path should be designed into the machine.  HP should at least
make the ROM chip easy to replace, and then figure on sending a
"bug-free" ROM to all owners of early machines.  The best way to learn
is from past mistakes. 

-- 
Christopher Lishka 608-262-4485  "Dad, don't give in to mob mentality!"
Wisconsin State Lab. of Hygiene                                -- Bart Simpson
   lishka@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu     "I'm not, Son.  I'm jumping on the bandwagon."
   uunet!uwvax!uwslh!lishka                                    -- Homer Simpson