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From: jpser@cup.portal.com (John Paul Serafin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Hp-28c vs. Hp-28s
Message-ID: <37168@cup.portal.com>
Date: 22 Dec 90 22:50:26 GMT
References: <11815@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 24

It is true that the HP28c has only 2k of RAM.   Several hundred bytes are
used by the operating system, so the maximum user memory is even less.  A
28c can be modified to add another 32k or 64k of RAM, but that is expensive
to do and does not provide the subdirectory or improved plotting of the 28s.
While having only 2k of RAM does not render the 28c completely useless, it
is completely out of balance with the rest of the calculator and severely
limits the 28s to much less than it would otherwise do with ease.  I prefer
to look at the 28c as a super-duper 15c, that is, a superb machine for hand
calculations with several quantum leaps beyond the HP15.
1. 4 line stack
2. generalized object stack
3. readable programs (much much more readable than key codes)
4. named storage locations (what is in reg 6 and does it conflict with
..                          register usage in another program)
5. incredible ease of working with complex numbers, vectors, matrices
6. open ended stack depth (item 1 should have been: 4 line DISPLAY)
The most disappointing aspect of the 28c was the implication that it was
to replace the 41 which had ports for software and i/o and that there
would be no successor to the 71.
Ironically, the 48 has expandability and i/o and is better than the 28
for hand calculations since it has more funtions that don't require
menus to access.   The 28 retains a price advantage.
John Serafin
jpser@cup.portal.com