DM32

[jonmoore]

(05-10-2022 02:06 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote:  

(05-10-2022 12:05 PM)jonmoore Wrote:  I'd like to see deeper programming integration between the new modifications and the classic 42S programming approach but Thomas has promised this for a future iteration.

Suggestions are always welcome!

(05-10-2022 12:05 PM)jonmoore Wrote:  RPL may be the antithesis of classic RPN for many, but I'm fine with it.

With the big RPN stack, big RTN stack, and local variables, Free42 and Plus42 getting close to RPL in terms of programming capability. Having done the equation-to-RPN compiler for Plus42, I think an RPL-to-RPN compiler isn't totally out of the question, either. Or HP-BASIC-to-RPN... The Free42 programming environment is actually a wonderfully easy target for compiler back-ends.

Totally agreed that the enhancements added in Plus42 are bringing us closer to RPL, and best of all this is achieved without sacrificing the immediacy of keystroke programming.

On the first point regarding suggestions, I'm not ignoring the request, but I'd rather answer it when I've lived with Plus42 a little longer. But taking a holistic view, what I'd like to see in general terms is no sense of 'walled gardens' with regard to the new areas of functionality to the classic RPN keystroke programming toolset.

I'd also like to see some of the stack manipulation tools from RPL to be added too. Once you have an extended 'big RPN' stack', simple R▼ and R▲ controls can end up being inefficient. A good point of reference is Bill Wickes 'Insights and Principles of the HP 28C/S'. Some of what he talks about is the manner in which the RPL stack doesn't feature stack lift, or truly empty stack registers (empty stack registers in classic RPN calculators are filled with zeros); but there are great insights into the wider set of stack manipulation tools that were added to RPL from the 28C/S onwards (Bill's 48 insights book is worth checking too as the stack manipulation tools went through generational tweaks.