The Role of the Graphing Calculator in 2021 and Beyond

[OlidaBel]

(04-12-2021 10:27 PM)robve Wrote:  In BASIC (e.g. on the SHARP PC-G850) this is super simple to "key in" right away, taking only a few minutes:

10 CLS: N=50
20 FOR I=1 TO 500
30 X=72
40 FOR J=0 TO 50: X=X+2*RND 2-3: NEXT J
50 FOR Y=47 TO 0 STEP -1: IF POINT(X,Y) NEXT Y
60 PSET(X,Y): BEEP 1,X,10
70 NEXT I

The BASIC commands are standard. The graphics and sound commands are just a few built-in (and easy to memorize or find in the manual if need be.)

Now do the same in Python or C++ and write the code in just a few minutes, debugged and all.

Some have proposed alternatives to learn about programming, such as Scratch and Alice. But I would argue that these are not for the "cool kids" that want to use something that the "grown ups" use. Unfortunately, the "grown ups" want kids to fly a Boeing 747... right?

Anyway, this is a side topic for another time perhaps.

Hi. Yes you can start easily with Basic.
My first programming experience was on HP 11C ;-) , later with RPL.
About Python : I think it's easy to use and discover, you can use is as a procedural language without the hassle of object oriented definitions.
But... the way the code is structured with spaces and without { } is (or could be..) an issue on a small calculator screen.
Maybe the reason HP why choose the PPL language written between BEGIN END...!

When I was in university, there was the HP RPL fans and ...the rest (Basic Casio FX850 for the majority). I never regret this choice, the flexibility of RPL helps a lot to write nice numerical methods simulations and solve scientific exercices. There was also the fun to use it, one reason of its success.

Scratch language is very interesting, I tested it a long time ago.