Prime lags after extensive processing

[cyrille de brébisson]

Hello,

>The students you mentioned only click on the buttons they were told to achieve a specific task.

Unfortunately, they do not always press on the correct buttons. Therefore there is a need to create safeguards around basic use.
Teachers are tired of telling a class of 30 students: press A, press B... and get 5~10 student, after 5~10 minutes of "wasted time" in a 50 minute period: Sir, I do not get the same result you do, or something around these lines...


>HP needs to remember that the prime is not supposed to be a beginner's level calculator like the 38 you mentioned

Actually, it is, Prime is the HP38 replacement. As a result it needs to bear enough resemblance to the original 38 so that teachers who have spent years learning the 38 do not feel that they have to relearn everything.
The education world is slow moving and calculator are only a 'supporting cast' in it. As a result, they need to 'help', without being disruptive. This is a hard balance to strike.

That Prime does not feel like a beginner calculator is to the credit of the one who 'opened it up' for 'serious users'.
The Prime line (well, it's HP39GII+ fore-bearer) started as a pure education device and grew to be more, but it still needs to fulfill it's original purpose.


>Why should I not be able to refer to an expression and define what name is the independent variable?
That could be done, and might be a good idea, but again, there is a large potential for troubles there coming from the less careful users.
Let us assume that the UI for function entry gets changed so that the 'X' in the F1(X) can be edited and changed.
Student goes to physics class, changes the X in T (to draw a function of T, the time). Forgets about it, then goes to math class, enters SIN(X) as directed by math teacher (for whom it is obvious that the independent variable is X as "it's always X"). Calculator draws a flat line...
This is a classic problem that I have seen times and times again with HP50g users.
Is it the user's fault? Yes! Same as when the journalist toppled the Mercedes class A by doing a right left too fast. However, it's not the journalist who got bad rep, it's Mercedes.

It boils down to : "It is very hard to please everyone." And if you try, you get smacked by everyone!
Here is a good anecdote. And for once, ta tam! it is calculator related.
One of the app in Prime is the triangle solver. I created that thing because I needed a break from 1 user who just relentlessly asked for it for a period of over 10 years!
Now, go to the triangle solver and enter 1, 2 and 3 for a, b and c, press Solve... you get 0°, 0°, 180° for the angles

Do you know how many letters of complaints I got because of that? Because people complained that this was incorrect that this was not a triangle? literally order of magnitude more than before I created the triangle solver.

Problem is: Not everyone agrees on what is a triangle! Could you believe that! Something as BASIC as a triangle and different mathematicians have different definitions!
In the US, a triangle is defined as 3 non-co-linear points.
In Europe (and France) as 3 points... In French, we even have special name for degenerate triangles such as "Triangle plat" Flat triangle...

So, anyway, even if you do try to please everyone, they still will not be pleased as 'everyone' as it turns out disagrees with everyone else!


>P.S. I appreciate you efforts. And I know from personal experience that sometimes things have just evolved the way they are. I even cannot say if a re-design would be possible or advisable. Probably not. :-(
How about that:
At the beginning, they was no choice.
Afterwards it evolved
Removing what was done at the beginning is not possible as people now used to it, or relying on it would not like it one bit!

Cyrille