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From: madler@pooh.caltech.edu (Mark Adler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: ROM revisions; LEAVE HP ALONE
Keywords: hp 48
Message-ID: <1991Feb7.220537.29174@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 7 Feb 91 22:05:37 GMT
References: <3383@gmuvax2.gmu.edu> <3923@ryn.mro4.dec.com>
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>|>Can you say, "Surface Mount Device?" Yeah, sure, the ROMS could have been
>Can you say "daughter board?"  Wouldn't that be an improvement on the

In the spirit of this lively discussion, can you say "dispatch table in ram"?
I knew you could.  I would suggest that field fixes to ROM bugs can simply
be files on floppy disks or plug in ROM cards that go out to the distributors.
Then, your favorite ROM bug can be fixed by connecting your calculator to
their calculator (this starts to get a bit too graphic for children) and
the bug fix patches itself into the dispatch table and lives in RAM.  Those
of us on c.s.h. would have it even better, since we could get the bug fixes
over the net.

This would require, of course, having an operation dispatch table in RAM,
which I believe is in ROM on the 48SX.  I think the cost in RAM would be
small compared to the ease of not only fixing bugs, but also extending the
functionality of the calculator.  And just think of the possibilities for
hackers ...

Mark Adler
madler@pooh.caltech.edu