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From: peraino@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Bob Peraino)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: ROM revisions; LEAVE HP ALONE
Keywords: hp 48
Message-ID: <3383@gmuvax2.gmu.edu>
Date: 6 Feb 91 18:58:47 GMT
Organization: George Mason Univ., Fairfax, Va.
Lines: 57


 
WARNING: this letter is caustic. If you don't want to see someone
         get flamed, delete now. You were warned.

Xeno writes:
 
> HP, in their infinite wisdom, could have
> worked out a scheme where the ROMs were replacable.

     Is "infinite wisdom" supposed to be sarcastic? HP happens to have
some of the best quality control in the world. What the hell do you know
about hp? Buying one stinking product doesn't give you free license to
dump about a company (or even the product, for that matter) that you really
don't know much about. What do you know about the design team, development
process, and testing that brought this product to market?
     Do you know anything about computer/electrical engineering?
Can you say, "Surface Mount Device?" Yeah, sure, the ROMS could have been
replacable, if you wanted a calculator the size of a lunch box. Do you
try to trade in your last-year model car when the new model comes in?
Then why do you expect this product to be any different?
What-in-hell do you think funds R&D, anyway? Yes, hp could have held up the
product for another year, to work out even more bugs, and the calculator
division could also be shut down for producing lousy revenues.
     I'm tired of people dumping on HP. Usenet may be wonderful for users,
but it seems to be a great disservice to Hp in general. Most uninformed
people just bitch about how they deserve better, create rumors about bugs
that aren't bugs, and generally make ludicrous demands of HP. I'm surprised
people like Wickes read this newsgroup at all, anymore. I'd have to say
that it's a good thing the bulk of the market share doesn't read this tripe.


>  Software is covered
> by the same warranties that hardware is - it is to be free from manufacture
> defects... Revision Ds are flawed, and so are A, B, and Cs...

     I don't know what you do for a living, if anything, but whatever it is
has nothing to do with software development. What makes matters worse is,
if you've been reading the net, then you knew what bugs your unit had
before you bought it. AND, if HP didn't come out with later releases,
you would have been perfectly happy. But you are most likely ticked that
HP DOES have later releases, and you missed the boat.

>  If I bought
> a car and the 2nd gear position on my automatic transmission control didn't
> work, I'd sure have it fixed even if I didn't use it!

     This statement really shows that you know nothing about software
development. I would venture to say that testing of code the likes of the
hp48 is far more complex than testing a car. Besides, you're comparing
a physical system with a logical one. As the 48 would say,
"Inconsistent Units"...

peraino@gmuvax.gmu.edu

p.s. I really don't want a reply, Mr., uh, Xeno is it?