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From: frank@zen.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP-28C (HP82240A)
Message-ID: <591@zen.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Mar-87 16:33:36 EST
Article-I.D.: zen.591
Posted: Thu Mar 26 16:33:36 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Mar-87 15:28:43 EST
References: <44700002@uicsrd> <590@zen.UUCP> <2613@phri.UUCP>
Reply-To: frank@zen.UUCP (Frank Wales)
Distribution: world
Organization: Zengrange Limited, Leeds, England
Lines: 27
Keywords: C 28C excesscollagen
Summary: hairy languages

In article <2613@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
>In article <590@zen.UUCP> graeme@zen.UUCP (Graeme Cawsey) writes:
>> Never before have I come across a language that uses prefix, infix AND
>> postfix notation in one statement.
>
>	What about C?  You can do "x = ++i + j++;", can't you?

But please remember the context of the language -- this is a *calculator*,
intended for use as a problem-solving tool; for many of its Users, it will
be their first exposure to computer programming.  Anybody who tries to learn
programming as a skill by learning C would be asking for trouble -- its
inconsistencies would obscure its benefits for computer neophytes -- and
anybody who believes otherwise has no business designing systems for 
non-computerate end-Users (I don't think Roy is in this category).

So it is vital that the language on such a machine have as unhirsute a syntax
as possible, and I don't believe enough thought has gone into the
programming language [or, for that matter, the general User-interface]
on the 28C for this to be true.  

>Roy Smith, {allegra,cmcl2,philabs}!phri!roy


 Frank Wales                  [frank@zen.uucp<->..!mcvax!ukc!zen.co.uk!frank]
 hand-held systems Development Engineer (and long-time calculator User)
[^^^^ ^^^^ ...this doesn't mean I'm a pixie, by the way...]
 Zengrange Limited, Greenfield Rd., Leeds, England	 +44 532 489048 x220