Re: Please Help Choose - 41C/CV/CX, 48S/SX, 48G/GX? Message #10 Posted by Egan Ford on 3 June 2006, 2:24 p.m., in response to message #9 by jyl
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I'm interested in doing this because I don't see HP coming out with any new high-end calculators, the old HP calculators are just getting older, and AFAIK no-one else makes RPN programmables. So I'm thinking that if I want this sort of tool, I'd better get it now.
There is the rumored 50G coming out in June. http://commerce.hpcalc.org/
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Am I correct that my best choices are HP41C/CV/CX, HP48S/SX, and HP48G/GX?
IMHO, from a quality perspective, yes.
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Which one has the most software available? Which one is easiest to get software into, and to program for myself?
48GX. Large screen makes on-board development nice. Graphics is a plus. Serial port for bidirectional transfer a must. The 48GX can emulate the 41CX (http://www.hrastprogrammer.com/).
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Should I assume that because the 48G/GX is the newest, it will be supported by the HP enthusiast community for the longest time?
Yes.
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How about long-term durability, serviceability, and reliability?
Buy two or three, just in case. I give high marks to the 48GX for durability and reliability. For serviceability, well you have outfits like fixthatcalc.com.
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Finally, is this just a dumb idea? Do the current small PCs (like the Origami machines, the Toshiba Libretto, or even the pocket-sized oQo) or PDAs (like PocketPCs) make 1980s and 1990s vintage HP calculators obsolete, except for the retro-minded?
Vintage HP calculators functionally are obsolete. The current HP models in a general sense are functionally superior. But, if you consider tactile feedback, aesthetic design, serial communications, expandability, software availability, community support, emulator availability, pure joy and a big enter key that screams "stack it", then the 48GX is hard to beat. IMHO, not obsolete.
Printed tables were replaced by the slide-ruler, and the slide-ruler replaced by the pocket calculator (Scientific American, May 2006, Page 80). Yes, something will eventually replace the programmable scientific calculator as we know it today. It will not be a single one-to-one replacement, but more of a function-by-function replacement. E.g., for many the spreadsheet killed the desktop calculator, or at least its monthly usage. Everyone on this list has a computer or access to one, that may not have been true for many when they got their first 41C or 48GX. It begs the question, "How many scientific calculator functions have been replaced by their computers?"
There is a lot of great scientific computer software for complex computation and visualization that cannot be matched with a calculator. Scientific calculators (RPN or not) are losing ground. Colleagues younger than me do not even know what RPN is, older colleagues may have used a RPN calculator a "long time ago", but are not religious about it and both groups just use what ever calculator is available within the OS they run.
My kids school is an another example. Grades 6-12 require a TI-83 (I was not happy about it either). Starting in 2007 they become a "laptop school". I am not sure exactly what that is yet. But each student will use a laptop in class. Does that mean that specialized software will replace the TI-83? (What are they going to do about power? :-)
IMHO, The last hope of the high quality, high function, programable scientific calculator is in developing countries. With 6.5 billion people and only about one billion PCs, billions have yet to pick a method of scientific computation. The cost and available of power, computers, and software make high function, serviceable, rugged programable scientific calculators with their superior battery life a must have. Want to save RPN? Educate the developing world.
The non-scientific non-programmable calculators will continue to have a very long life (the abacus is still being manufactured and used today). If a calculator is handy ask yourself what you reach for when you need a add a few numbers together.
Bottom line, buy both while you can. Put your collection all over your desk, use different ones for different functions. Enjoy it while you can.
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