Re: $400.00 HP 27s? Message #12 Posted by Vincent Weber on 1 Feb 2006, 12:36 p.m., in response to message #11 by Joe Edwards
Hi Joe,
So, you are the one who pissed me off :pp I am joking too, no offence, and no prob ! :-)
I am very keen on the 27S as 1) it is rare 2) it is one of the most underrated machine here - let me explain:
I own a 19BII, which does almost everything the 27S does (except for base conversion) and much more... but in too bulky a package for a calculator with no I/O. I do prefer my 200LX to it, if you want the drawbacks of a bulky machine, you should at least get the advantages: I/O, large screen, full QWERTY keyboard.
The good thing about the 27S is that it is pocketable. It is the only scientific pocketable calculator with the most elegant and powerful solver ever done. I read the technical applications book and I got amazed that for a so-called 'non programmable' calculator, it can do conditionals, loops, intermediate variables, long variable names, with no need for prompts as all variables appear nicely in the solver automatically. It even has some kind of indirect adressing, at least for reading variables, through the list feature.
This is more programmability than most people will ever need on a pocket calculator. If you need more complexity than advanced formulas, you are likely to go for a notebook these days..
I just regret that you cannot define your own functions: imagine that you could do something like DEF F(X,Y)=SIN(X)*COS(Y) and reuse F within other formulas - there we go, this would be a true subroutine feature, that will leave the 27S with very little to be desired compared to let's say a 33S - but so much more user friendly for the commun user!
Too bad the 27S lasted so little time, and is underrated on this forum as it is not RPN. Yet, it is a beautiful thing! The 27S makes me (almost) agree with Valentin Albillo that RPN is obsolete ! :-) (no flame intended).
Hope you now see why I want to pay so much for this baby.
Cheers,
Vincent
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