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From: edp@jareth.enet.dec.com (Eric Postpischil (Always mount a scratch monkey.))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: questions about hp48
Message-ID: <23398@shlump.lkg.dec.com>
Date: 12 Jun 91 12:49:47 GMT
References: <1991Jun12.054120.18599@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.lkg.dec.com
Reply-To: edp@jareth.enet.dec.com (Eric Postpischil (Always mount a scratch monkey.))
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 30

In article <1991Jun12.054120.18599@watserv1.waterloo.edu>,
mann@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (Shannon Mann) writes:

>Apparently, a 48S would take care of these gripes (dedicated cursor pad,
>dedicated number-crunching row of keys, conventional format).

The cursor pad is not dedicated; it is used for characters in Alpha
mode.  This has caused some typos for me.  Still, once you've got a 48,
you won't go back.

>I am concerned about losing
>the easy accessibility of alpha characters, and notice the object delimiter
>characters (<< >>, [], etc) are paired. Does this imply some awkward 
>context-sensitive editing?

When a delimiter key is pressed, both delimiters are entered.  The
cursor is positioned between them, so all you have to do is type
whatever you want inside them and the press the right-arrow to move past
the closing delimiter.  Typing only one delimiter is achieved by
entering both and using either backward or forward delete to remove the
undesired one.

> Is the RS232 cable from HP just a dumb cable ie. can it be built?

Yes, and yes, but I don't have details.


				-- edp (Eric Postpischil)
				"Always mount a scratch monkey."
				edp@jareth.enet.dec.com