Re: Popularity of the HP-41C Calculator Message #4 Posted by Mark Edmonds on 3 July 2009, 5:05 a.m., in response to message #3 by Palmer O. Hanson, Jr.
Machines likes their Voyage 200 are pretty impressive and in some ways, out-strip functionality in HPs, at least up to and including the 49g series (I'm not entirely sure about the 50 and close relative 49s). I'm not going to quote specifics here because I can't remember but download the manual and look at the TI-basic language to see some aspects of what I mean.
Another massive benefit and wise move TI made was to use the M68000 CPU so if you want to get into assembler, you have a very elegant chip to work with.
However....., yes, there has to be a catch....
I find the Voyage 200 to be a strangely uninvolving experience, very boring, the Basic is slow and it has a confusing "file system" and a confusing front-end which doesn't leave you feeling in total control.
I think there is also a RPN suite for the machine too.
So I would also say that TI did not throw in the towel, they just went off in a different direction and if they sorted out a few aspects of operating their current top end calcs, they would be killer machines.
Mark
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