Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU!SPGJAF
From: SPGJAF@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU (Joseph A. Faracchio {415} 642-7638 {w})
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: HP95LX  -  some thoughts
Message-ID: <9105162236.AA08605@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 16 May 91 22:36:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 48

I have not gotten to a showroom yet to put my hands around one of these
and give it a test drive but here goes.  Some of my questions can be answered
but some again are rhetorical and/or not permitted (future enhancements?).

I'd like to compliment Lotus and HP on this product.  Although not perfect
its a big jump in this area.   I would characterize it as a thousand-fold
jump over the Wizard, et al.  And a healthy competitor for the Poquet.

But ... I'm confused.  It takes only 1 Ram/Rom card and you can only get 512K
max on it.  And you can't do 640K Dos and 384K for data/prog.  The card is used
'like a floppy' meaning data is saved?  (Like the Wizard where you can walk
around with any number of 32/64/128K cards 'like floppy disks'.)
If keept at 512K/512K makeup can the card be pulled out without losing data?
If it can work with a 2 meg card why isn't one offered?

I'm not thrilled with having 123 at my fingertips but then I've just never
gotten around to learning it and taking advantage of it.  I might now.

Is there no password capability?  I'd like to lock out people from some/all
the data for security reasons.  (if I leave it unattended etc)
This one point would keep me from buying it or recommending it.  Any thing
I could leave / misplace and have compromised must be password capable or else.
I really like the Wizard for this capability.

The screen management.  Ideally I envision a situation where there is an 80x25
display buffer always present and if my application doesn't know any better it
can write to this 80x25 buffer and I can use special meta-keys (unknown to the
application) to page left-right/up-down to see the whole screen.  Is that
the way it works? The descriptions talks about 'rewriting' an application to
understand the HP95LX screen setup - Yuk!   I doubt I'll be able to get my
favorite (mom and pop) software from going out of their way just for me.   This
is definitely a hardware need and a device driver in config.sys won't do it
(and a real drawback.)

Can any non-graphical software work right out of the box?  I'm asking in fact:
is it true XT-compatible or more like the PortFolio : an MS-Dos lookable.
I want to run my own comm prog and Mansfield Software's Personal Rexx  (300K).
If I overcome the space limitations (512/512) will they work??

So basically what I'm saying is:  I like my Wizard.  I work within its limit-
ations.  If you give me a replacement for it that is "XT-compatible" then it
better be.   NOW, I want to run my limited XT applications 'on the go' with the
95LX.  If I can't, then why bother?  Why go to the trouble of making it
XT/MS-Dos/8088 compatible if I can't transfer the (non-graphical) utilities
on my XT desktop to the 95LX?    Its like putting a really sporty car frame
over a VW-bug chasis.   Its interesting and looks racy but if I can't 'race it'
then I'm not interested.
      .. joe.f.