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From: laird@think.com (Laird Popkin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Re: HP-32S II Curiosity
Keywords: fractions,bug,HP-32
Message-ID: <1991Apr26.230049.200@Think.COM>
Date: 26 Apr 91 23:00:49 GMT
References: <51123@apple.Apple.COM> <2813f262:2620.4comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbb <281794a9:2620.5comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP>
Sender: news@Think.COM
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Lines: 46

In article <281794a9:2620.5comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP> akcs.joehorn@hpcvbbs.UUCP (Joseph K. Horn) writes:
>Edwin Garcia writes:
>
>> In my opinion HP should have added this feature a long time ago, and
>> frankly I am puzzled as to why it is being added only now.
>
>--- "If something's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."  [R.J. Nelson]
>
>You know HP; they don't duplicate other companies' work.  They build
>novel solutions.  The fraction package in the HP 32SII is something
>NEW.  It is only being added now because Rome was not built in a day.

You're kidding, right?  Manipulating fractions is fairly trivial -- I can't
imagine that it could possibly have taken a programmer more than a day to
implement fractions.  Sure, it's nice, but hardly earth shattering.

And as far as "they don't duplicate other company's work" you must be
kidding.  HP makes some pretty good IBM _clones_ (unless you consider an
almost unused IR "touchscreen" on some models fundamental innovation).  
And the 95LX ispretty obviously HP's attempt to catch up in a market
created by Poquet and Atari.

>
>> Come now, old chap, we must give proper credit to the efforts of our
>> worthy rivals, even though they still use that bloody algebraic
>> operating system!  :-)
>
>--- "The calculator that has no equal."  [Hewlett Packard]
>
>Edwin, I cannot consider TI etc "worthy rivals" of HP calculators.
>Are Timex watches "worthy rivals" of HP's Cesium Beam atomic clocks? 
>Are Radio Shack's voltmeters worthy rivals of HP's signal analyzers? 
>Are tape measures worthy rivals of HP's Laser Position Transducers?
>Is litmus paper a worthy rival of HP's Chromatographs?  Is a doctor's
>rubber hammer a worthy rival of HP's Ultrasound Imaging systems?  :-)
>
>Certainly Timex, Radio Shack et al deserve and enjoy some market share,
>as do TI, Sharp and Casio.  Just because they are not in HP's league
>doesn't mean that they suck.  But "worthy rivals" of HP???  Naaaa!

Look, if Casio implemented functions years before HP did, that must mean
something.  Not to put down HP's engineering (which is fantastic, IMHO), but
there are other companies that have innovated, and other companies that
have made quality products.

- Laird Popkin