Computers and Calculators Message #3 Posted by Andrés C. Rodríguez (Argentina) on 8 Apr 2004, 8:06 p.m., in response to message #1 by deleted
IMHO, even the HP-41C is a computer !
:-)
I consider that a digital electronic device which:
- is programmable,
- can operate on at least two types of data (numbers and text), and
- has some mean of Input/Output which could be connected to other devices (using a documented protocol),
... qualifies for the computer "genre"
So, the HP-41C qualifies as a computer, while the 42S does not, due to the lack of suitable I/O (specifically "I", since there is at least some "O" to the IR printer).
Again, it is just an opinion...
|