Re: The point is: (LONG) Message #5 Posted by bill platt on 13 Aug 2003, 9:54 a.m., in response to message #4 by Harry (Germany)
Harry,
No, you are not losing focus--you are right on!
This problem of doingthe details without the fundamentals is endemic in design and engineering today. Just read the "technical" papers from any technical socierty and you will notice that the majority of papers focus on minutuae and not fundamentals. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find good, reliable fundamental engineering information that is not 30 or more years old. I suspect that most younger engineers don't even know where the (old but good) information can be found--never mind that they may not even know it exists.
On the other hand, if you read any industry magazines from the world of photonics, electronics, microelectronics, or robotics, you will see great enthusiasm for the ability to do anything formerly requiring mechanical action by using electronics. I have read just such a piece regarding automobile stability and control!
What does this have to do with calculators? The same dynamics are at work---the products are produced using 3-D wiz-bang total product models, TQM ("total quality management") and "advanced analysis" (read: the software thinks instead of the engineer) and so in the nd, you have no real quality--only what a robot "thought" would work. I suspect this is why the 12C has the problems it does.
We'll see about the 33s. And yes, that keyboard layout looks like the Pontiac Aztek! (Uuuuuuuuuuuugly).
BTW: Interesting that you, a German, were the only one with an HP in your class. What years? For me, in the States, I was the only HP kid in 1983, out of 2,000 students. Clearly, the old HP was not successful with the "kids".
regards,
Bill Platt
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