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From: zimmer@calvin.stanford.edu (Andrew Zimmerman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Microsoft Pen Windows
Keywords: go microsoft stylus notebook windows
Message-ID: <1991Mar20.010015.1852@neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 20 Mar 91 01:00:15 GMT
References: <71390@microsoft.UUCP> <11309@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Sender: news@neon.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 34

In article <11309@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> sburke@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Scott Burke) writes:
>
>And someone out there is going to make a killing by designing an equation-
>recognition package that can understand handwritten mathematical symbols
>and equations.  The obvious (to me) next step is to take such an equation
>processor and interface it to existing symbolic math technology...  After
>all, I think the goal is to replace the "back of the envelope," and that
>isn't going to happen until graphics, words, and equations can all be
>transparently entered by the user.
>
>Scott.
>sburke@jarthur.claremont.edu

   At a talk given here at Stanford, one of the Go people mentioned that
they were talking to Mathematica people to do just that.  They used the
example of a calculator to demonstrate how apps should be rethought, and
done differently on a pen based system.  They said that they first
wrote the standard calc (ie like xcalc) that had a screen and keypad.  You
would use the pen to "punch" the buttons.  They said that while it worked,
it wasn't "natural" to use.  Instead, they showed a different calc, where
you just wrote in an equation.  ie like 5 + 2 = and it would give the
answer.  (I have a watch that does this, but not very well.  Oops, I
guess this is the wrong group to discuss that.  Is there a 
comp.sys.wristcomputers?)

Actually, the demo of the Go machine was very impressive.  I don't
think that they are a reasonable as a standalone computer, but rather
a nice peripherial for another system.  (A peripherial that can
be used standalone, but which ultimately transfers the data back to the
main machine.)  ie, it would be great for editing, but not for the orignal
entry of text.

Andrew
zimmer@calvin.stanford.edu