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From: malloy@nprdc.arpa (Sean Malloy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: PC's are democratic; Mac's are fascistic
Message-ID: <5134@skinner.nprdc.arpa>
Date: 19 Dec 89 15:44:26 GMT
References: <6767@tank.uchicago.edu> <1989Dec17.112127.27333@me.toronto.edu> <14960@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <1210@serene.UUCP> <50942@srcsip.UUCP>
Reply-To: malloy@nprdc.arpa (Sean Malloy)
Organization: Navy Personnel R&D Center, San Diego
Lines: 37

In article <50942@srcsip.UUCP> mnkonar@gorby.UUCP (Murat N. Konar) writes:
>I hear that some people actually like RPN calculators too.

Instead of 99.9% of the rest of the calculators, which use a bastard
combination of algebraic and RPN? All of the puffery that TI used to
blather about how with their calculators you could enter the
computation "exactly as it is written". Ha. Example:

	(5 + (4 x sin(30))) x 4

Entered on an 'AOS' TI calculator:

	(
	5
	+
	(
	4
	*
	30	\__ All of the single-operand instructions like the 
	SIN	/   trig and hyperbolic functions, the log functions,
	)	    and even something as mundane as the change sign
	)	    key use RPN.
	x
	4
	=

Some of us just prefer a consistent user interface for our
calculators. All of the RPN functions work the same way; 'algebraic'
calculators use RPN where it was too hard to implement algebraic entry
correctly.


 Sean Malloy                                  | Now I lay me down to sleep
 Navy Personnel Research & Development Center | I hear the sirens in the street
 San Diego, CA 92152-6800                     | All my dreams are made of chrome
 malloy@nprdc.navy.mil                        | I have no way to get back home
                                              |    -- Tom Waits