I disagree... ;-) Message #8 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 18 Apr 2003, 12:41 a.m., in response to message #1 by NH
Hello, Norm,; my regards to Captain Zener!
I used and programmed the HP34C when I was studying at the university (E.E.) and the HP34C had his popularity, it was and will be a powerful calculator.
I just think you forgot two other characters in this plot: TI58C and TI59. Their price and available resources, together with the "WYSIWYG" AOS, made them rule for long time. And the HP34C "shared" part of his success with these two, too; they also share part of the same existing "era".
I have been using an HP34C for a few days and I saw that it actually uses less power than the other spices. I also compared (at least this unit's) LED's brightness and found it a bit lower than others I could put side by side. Is it a fact? While an HP38C with the same batteries (NiCad 700 mAh, from Gama Power) "wanted some more" once, the HP34C is being used a bit more (I'm trying some routines on it) and did not stop for resting so far. Would it be a better power management? I don't think so, it seems their P.S. unit is the same.
Well, looking at the HP25C, the HP34C has plenty more. Even if we compare it with the HP29C. In time: the HP29C is a must! I think the HP29C as the one that lost place for another HP calculator, the HP67.
When I was about to buy my first HP41C (with one memory module) I was offered an HP34C for about half the price and three-years warranty (from the local shop). I declined. Not because I wanted extra features and extra programming capabilities, and to have something so complicated they would never figure out how to use it, but because I wanted low-power consumption and no need to plug it in an AC outlet to recharge batteries for ten to twelve hours so I could barely use it for 3 to 4 hours before plugging it again. I wanted to use a calculator I would not care for batteries till it showed me the BAT annunciator and give me 'bout a month or two to replace them. ALPHA is a nice feature, too, and sometimes helps a lot, mostly when it allows a program to be used without a written/printed procedure. And I must confess: I use calculators under plenty of light, I like reading, writing and studying while using them. LED displays are hard to read under, let's say, sunlight. Well, my own preference. When we're ate the office under "regular" light conditions, LED's or LCD's are just a matter of preference.
It took me a long time to actually get acquainted with all HP41 features described in the Owner's Handbook. I mastered all of them because I wanted to know about them all. Except for the ALPHA features and memory requirements in some very specific cases, everything else can be done in an HP34C, considering a few operation limits.
I like the HP34C and I can tell that because now I have one and I'm using it. But for me its greatest opponents are the HP15C and the HP11C because of their similarities: keystroke programming, program listings with keycodes, numerical solve and integration (15C only), flags, subroutine calls, key-touch execution (A to E labels), gamma function, and a few others. For me, the HP15C is a plenty enhanced HP34C and the HP11C is an HP34C without solve and integrate. In the particular case of the HP11C, both have the same amount of memory. and of course they are "virtual" opponents because they lived in different eras.
Based on this all I tell you that each one that selected the HP11C or the HP15C as preferred calculators have implicitly chosen the HP34C, because this would be their choice if we are talking about this, let's say, twenty years ago.
I wrote too much.
I'm expecting comments, agreements and disagreements as well.
Best regards, Norm, folks.
Luiz C. Vieira - Brazil
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