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From: zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: calculators vs computers
Summary: It's all in the software
Message-ID: <1578@madnix.UUCP>
Date: 29 Sep 90 12:12:39 GMT
References: <1049@helens.Stanford.EDU> <1990Sep24.082943@ultnix.enet.dec.com>
Organization: MADNIX, operated by: ARP Software  Madison WI
Lines: 28


In Article <1990Sep24.082943@ultnix.enet.dec.com>, taber@ultnix.enet.dec.com
(Patrick St. Joseph Teahan Taber) writes:
 
>.....................The HP48 is first and foremost a calculator.  It is not an
>entertainment device.  It's not an electronic address book. It's not a PC.  It
>*can* take on aspects of all these things, but it's design was not centered on
>those applications.  So it shouldn't be a surprise that it's not as good at
>those things as something that was designed for that application.  Neither does
>a Nintendo do a good job of calculating with complex numbers.  Different jobs,
>different tools.
 
   The differences between those applications is not all that great--
it's mostly in the software. With some small hardware changes (larger
display and changing the keyboard from vertical to horizontal so you
could remap it as QWERTY), the HP's could do all of those things
equally well, without detracting from their original purpose. HP could
do the software for the calculator and let others do the software for
the other applications.
 
   I think the main reason that most computers make lousy calculators
is that they don't have keycaps with labels like "SQRT" or "Pol->Rec",
and they don't have software from Hewlett-Packard (and most of them
don't fit in your pocket, but that's changing).
 
==================
zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean)
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