Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Dieter · (This post was last modified: 10-08-2016 07:25 AM by Dieter.)

(10-07-2016 08:03 PM)Gene Wrote: Jim Davidson of the HP 25 Library Fame wrote an article about merged code. He reaches a rather astonishing conclusion

"95% of the time, 100 unmerged steps (GW- the SR-56) is better than 50 merged ones."

Ah yes, the merged vs. unmerged thing. I remember a book with various mathematical programs both for the HP67/97 and the TI-58/59, i.e. the same algorithms programmed by the same person. Comparing the program lengths yielded something like a 4:7 ratio, i.e. the 224 steps of the 67/97 were comparable to almost 400 in the TIs. So this ratio is roughly the same as Jim's. Of course this is partially because of the merged/unmerged steps, but also due to the more flexible coding scheme in the HPs.

As far as the HP-25 and SR-56 are concerned: The TI appeared a year later than the HP, and this makes a difference. Features like subroutines and DSZ counters became standard, and another year later the HP29C was introduced which of course offered both, as well as 98 merged steps (comparable to 55-60 equivalent steps in the SR-56, if you take the ratio given in the linked PPC article). All this along with other benefits that show what a difference one year of development made in those days.

Dieter