Re: HP42s Message #3 Posted by Steven Soto on 16 July 2001, 5:31 p.m., in response to message #1 by Chuck
Chuck,
Since high school (1987) I've used: (in order) 32S, 42S, 28S, 15C, 41CV, 32SII and 48GX. The 42S is by far my favorite. It is small, light, durable and powerful. The 42S was my second calculator of the ones listed, and I still use the same one. I recently acquired one to keep as a backup, as I don't have the discipline to leave my 42 at home like I know I should.
I write at and delete at least two programs a week, usually less than thirty lines, to do small tasks such as interpolation, repetitive tasks, and numerical integration, or to solve. This is the reason the 42 is my favorite. The programs are simple to write, and I can store lots of them. If I have to do a calculation more than three times, I write a program. If I need to use "strange" functions like erf, bessel, or probability functions, I use the integration function and write a program to find functions I would otherwise have to look up (and then carry around) from a book. If I have a nasty function that requires iteration, I write a program and use the solver. I do not want to give you the impression that I am some sort of programming expert. It's just that easy. The 42 is the only "language" I can program in.
I do not find the alpha mode cumbersome, as Daniel does. After you get used to it, it's a breeze. I could stand to have a greek alphabet, but it's not a major drawback with named variables.
In short, I will pay whatever I have to in order to always have a 42 with me. And I'm CHEAP! Get one, and you won't regret it.
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