Plus42 Equations, Preview Release

[jonmoore]

(04-07-2022 01:14 PM)Richard Garner Wrote:  Thomas

You might look at offering the Android version on both Amazon App Store and Google Play, Amazon devices are blocked from using Google and Google devices are blocked from Amazon.

Although in fairness to the prospective Plus42 user, they're just the sort of individual who will be aware that it's very easy to install the Google Play Store on their Amazon Fire device. I'm an iOS/iPadOS user but purchased the latest-gen Amazon Fire 10 Plus to test Android app builds. The bonus here is that I can make use of calculator emulators that are only available on Android (or beta builds, as is the case with Plus42).

This page details the steps you need to go through to download and install the Google frameworks necessary to install the Play Store on any Fire tablet released from 2014 onwards. And best of all, you don't have to hack your device (no rooting or installation scripts required).

https://www.howtogeek.com/232726/how-to-...re-tablet/

To be clear, I think it's sensible to offer Plus42 through the Amazon app store, but one needn't limit themselves to the paltry set of apps Amazon offers directly when it's so easy to install Google services onto a Fire tablet.

@Thomas, I'm really enjoying the tweaks to Plus42 over Free42. Especially the ability to use 27S/19Bii Equation solver techniques. However, owning a 19Bii and both DM42/DM41x, I believe the utility of the Equation solving techniques as outlined in "Step-by-Step - Technical applications for the HP-27S and HP-19B" would be streamlined if Plus42 had a proper alpha keyboard, instead of the HP-42s alpha keyboard. Entering equations can be a tedious affair (even with a proper alpha keyboard) but the workflow is at least eased with a dedicated alpha keyboard.

I don't believe you'd have to adulterate the 42S faceplate with alpha legends, but the skin could dynamically update when in alpha mode. I've obviously been spoilt by the dedicated alpha keyboard on the 19Bii but the dedicated alpha keys on the DM42 is one of the most significant workflow tweaks of the DM42 hardware over the 42S.

When using Plus42 via a desktop build, the lack of a dedicated alpha keyboard isn't a UX bottleneck. But with the ubiquity of tablets and phones, I suspect that the majority of Free42/Plus42 users are using mobile devices these days. I never program Free42 on a mobile device because of the lack of a dedicated alpha keyboard, and Plus42 seems like a perfect opportunity to streamline that particular mobile workflow barrier (especially if Plus42 is going to be a commercial offering on mobile platforms).

On another note, I was really pleased to see ARM64 support (for Raspberry Pi's). Our kids are massively into classic calculator emulators (who'd of thought!), so the ability to get Plus42 onto their Pi's was a lovely bonus. Building Plus42 was a little gnarly the first time as some of the necessary packages weren't in the default Debian archives but that in itself was a useful learning exercise for our budding nerds.

However, they each use 13" Arzopa portable monitors with their Pi'si which run at 'retina' resolution (the same as you get on 13" MacBook Pro's) so Plus42 is far too small in terms of its interface real-estate (luckily their young eyes are still able to see the tiny on-screen faceplate legends). I'm sure you've factored in greater pixel density screens in your mobile and macOS builds, so it would be good to have the same options on the Windows and Linux builds of Plus42. 'Retina' equivalent pixel density is commonplace on non-Apple/mobile hardware these days too.