[49] New user needs advice....
Bob Martin
I guess now you can call yourself a Forty-Niner! I was where you are now,
about 3 months ago. HP documentation for the '49 is severely wanting in all
respects. Your best bet is to get ahold of a user guide for the '48 and
read it from cover to cover. At the same time, become a religous reader of
this news group. You will pick up more here than just about any other place
in the universe. If you have any brain-busters that you can't figure out,
ask a question and you'll get several excellent responses. That was my
method, and I feel like I've made some real progress. I got a TI 89 at the
same time. The manual for the '89 also was a great help because it gives
excellent explanations for the common functions- the ones you will use first
and most often. The thing that's frustrating is that I can spend 10 minutes
doing a given task with the '89, then spend probably 2 hours doing the same
task with the '49, losing several clumps of hair in the process. The 49's
learning curve is steep, but I've been promised there is a plateau at the
top...
Good Luck!
Bob
>
> I know computers & I'm a C programmer. I just don't know Calculators.
> But I want to learn.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks in advance.......Darin
>
>
>
>
ds1009
purchased my first graphing calculator (YES my first). After a thorough
comparison and talking to several Professors I decided on the Hp49g, I also
purchased it to learn how to use the RPN mode.
I figured since I was starting from scratch I might as well purchase the
best.
I'm finding it very difficult to learn even some of the basic operations,
such as file manipulations, loading and removing libraries, building custom
menus. I'm not a idiot, but there just isn't a large population of 49g
owners here to help me out.
I did purchase the connectivity kit and have updated the ROM. I knew how to
do this because there were instructions on how to do it. I believe HP has
assumed that purchasers of the 49g would be past HP owners and know how to
do this stuff. I need documentation. I've downloaded the users guide and
browsed hpcalc.org and though I'm sure this information is helpful to some.
It seems to be leaving the novice user behind.
Sam
releases and that it was the latest product so had to be the way
forward. I then found the user guides are realy bad, OK if you owned a
HP48 but if you were new to the '49 even a techno expert will have
problems.
If you want to learn RPN then the HP49G is not a good way of doing it,
the manuals (oops, user guides) are clearly written for algerbraic
entry.
I have temporaraly 'given up' on the HP49 and bought a HP48GX and
advanced user guide. The manuals are good and the hardware platform
(display, keys, case) is better and the operating system(!) isn't
continually changing. I am now slowly but surely learning the features
of this product.
My personal advice is to only buy the HP49G if you fall into the
following categories:
You are a HP48 expert and want the extra features
You are a student and are doing a set course that uses the HP49G
You are rich and want a flashy toy
If you don't fall into these then buy the HP48G+ or GX. (P.S. they are
a bit cheaper too!)
Sam.
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Victor D. Koechli
of the available documentation. At least as far as RPN mode and User RPL
is concerned, you can make your life easier by acquiring the manuals of
the 48G series. They are an excellent guide to RPN mode, since it was
the only mode that existed on the HP 48, and by setting system flag -117
(type -117 SF) you will get, with a few exception, the soft key menus of
the HP 48 instead of the 49 style choose boxes. Makes unit conversions a
lot easier, trust me!
The HP 48 G Series Advanced Users Manual can still be bought from HP or
from bookstores. I'm not sure about the standard manual included with
the calc, but you should be able to order it from HP, I guess.
Second, as Jean-Yves Avenard has promised the latest ROM-Version
B-1.19.1 to be available by the end of this week, you can download it
into your calc as soon as possible and will receive an on-line CAS help
key.
Cheers
Victor
----------
Victor D. Koechli
Project Manager
Dept. of Internal Medicine
Medical Informatics
Zurich University Hospital
Raemistr. 100
CH-8091 Zurich
Phone +41-1-255 3398
Fax +41-1-255 4560
e-mail: The e-mail address in this message's header is modified for spam
protection. Use usz.unizh.ch instead of bull.shit.com to reply.
Pat
> ds1009 wrote:
<snip>
> Any suggestions?
Of course, your main site is hpcalc.org
http://hpcalc.org/
http://hpcalc.org/hp49/docs/faq/
Learn RPL at these 2:
http://members.tripod.com/ekalin/index.html
http://www.area48.com/escreen.html
Couple of interesting places:
http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~aschoorl/faq/48faq.html
ftp://165.234.32.14/Uploads/
Borrow an HP48GX manual from one of those helpful
professors.
Here's some postings I kept in my tips file about libraries.
(Hope the contributors don't mind!)
============================================
"PORTS
>Sorry for being ignorant, but in the HP49, which port should I store libs to?
>
>Can I store to any of 0, 1, or 2, or just 0 or 1? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different ports?
Library location on the 49 is not as important as it was on
the 48. On the 49
just remember that port 0 is shared with the rest of your
RAM, so storing
things there reduces the amount of RAM available to your
programs and scratch
memory. Port 1 is ERAM, which should be safer from
scrambling by poorly
designed or untested programs. Port 2 is flash ROM,
reportedly safe from 20,000 volt sparks, and AFAIK, safe
from drops from four feet above the ground without a screen
cover as well.
I would suggest port 1 for "trial" libraries, and port 2
(with over 1M
available) for the ones I think I want to keep. You would
have to be a pack rat to ever need to store anything in port
0, unless the program will not run from a "covered" port
(the program in question should mention whether this is
important or not.)
For a more informative discussion on libraries and port
memory, see the
ubiquitous John H. Meyers' many postings on the subject, for
example:
http://x44.deja.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=560904954.1&CONTEXT=953439092.
1143865349&hitnum=1
Dennis
============================================
Subject:Re: hp49 game help
Date: 27 Feb 2000 07:08:25 GMT
From: dst1...@aol.com (Dennis Straley)
Typically libraries need to be stored in a port before they
can be used. If
you have the library on the stack, and you are in RPN mode,
you store it in a
port by pressing the port number and then STO. You can
select from ports 0, 1, or 2.
Once it is stored in a port, it may need to be 'attached'.
This is done by
entering the library's number on the stack and then typing
ATTACH. Going to
the LIBS menu will then show the directory name of the game
where you can run it.
You can find the library number from the LIBS menu by
pressing the key of
the port you stored the game in.
Dennis
==============================================
Advanced User Guide Chapters 11 and 13 for file manipulation
and custom menus (which you probably already knew).
Post more questions. I'm also a new user and look forward to
learning from the replies.
Buchan Milne
http://www.hpcalc.org/docs/programming . They are all for the 48, but will
(mostly) work on the 49, just make sure you use approx numbers ALWAYS in
programs ("4." not "4")
VPN wrote a good post on custom menus a while back, look at dejanews.
Buchan
Thomas Bäro
does it make a difference, if I get hold of an HP48SX manual instead of the G/GX
version? My brother (the owner of the HP48SX) told me the quite a lot changed
from the SX to the G/GX. Is this right?
Best regards,
Thomas
Veli-Pekka Nousiainen
If not changed, certainly added !
VPN
"Thomas Bäro" <nimb...@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:8jb34o$105$2...@news.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de...
_________TOM_______
The HP 48 G Series Advanced Users Manual can still be bought from HP or
from bookstores.
----------------------------------------------
Or you could threaten a law suit ! I did . I went to Attny Gen and
complained that the worlds top PROGRAMMABLE calculator should have a
manual on PROGRAMMING it .
Duh ! A programmable calc w/o a programming book ! What next , buy
a new car and keys are extra !
Thomas Bäro
> The HP 48 G Series Advanced Users Manual can still be bought from HP or
> from bookstores.
Well, I already got a HP 48 Owner's Manual - which is about three times as big
as the AUG for the HP49 :-) - so now I will start to work with this book, since
I am not eager to by the book, if I can use the "old" HP48 Owner's Manual.
I was just wondering, if this Owner's Manual is completely useless, if I want to
learn how to use my HP49.
> Or you could threaten a law suit ! I did . I went to Attny Gen and
> complained that the worlds top PROGRAMMABLE calculator should have a
> manual on PROGRAMMING it .
> Duh ! A programmable calc w/o a programming book ! What next , buy
> a new car and keys are extra !
:-)
Thomas
John H Meyers
> Or you could threaten a law suit! I did. I went to [my]
> Attorney General and complained that the world's top
> PROGRAMMABLE calculator should have a manual on PROGRAMMING it
I've heard that computers are programmable, but none of my PCs
comes with a programming manual; hey, let's all sic our
Attorneys General on Dell, Compaq, IBM, and all those companies,
too (and why not Microsoft as well, since they force their
operating systems down our throats, but they don't come
with any free compilers :)
Geez, what's a company like HP to do, when users
act up like this? We know that the '49 manuals (now
somewhat electronic in nature) are not Great Classics
of programming literature -- and the whole market knows,
as well. But you can not force companies to cater to
avid hobbyists, and ignore what they think is their
actual general market; you also don't know whether
they are saving their capital to put into new products,
or are just thinking of letting this niche fade out --
and they are perfectly entitled to do either.
That's life; give HP a break, and go found a new company
to "set the world on fire" yourself, instead
(and then watch while people trash your own efforts).
-----------------------------------------------------------
With best wishes from: John H Meyers <jhme...@mum.edu>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Máximo Castañeda
> > Or you could threaten a law suit! I did. I went to [my]
> > Attorney General and complained that the world's top
> > PROGRAMMABLE calculator should have a manual on PROGRAMMING it
>
> I've heard that computers are programmable, but none of my PCs
> comes with a programming manual;
...
The one I have came with most of the stuff documented. I mean, there was
not a C programming book, but there wasn't a compiler either! It had
DOS, so you could use batch programming (documented in the DOS manual)
and QBASIC (documented in QBASIC itself: on-line help, yes, but in the
package).
Thibeault
tried to lean Q-Basic from the online help. Uggg, that wasn't easy. I
did manage to write a dice rolling program though(it took 2 days)... I
was about 12 then I think...
DF
_________TOM_______
Or you could threaten a law suit! I did. I went to [my]
Attorney General and complained that the world's top
PROGRAMMABLE calculator should have a manual on PROGRAMMING it
John H Meyers escribió:
I've heard that computers are programmable, but none of my PCs
comes with a programming manual;
-----------------------------------------
Tom wrote
No , thats not programming , thats customising or whatever .
Programming involves a language that must be learned . W98 has no such
language .
_________TOM_______
> No , thats not programming , thats customising or whatever .
> Programming involves a language that must be learned . W98 has no such
> language .
Call it scripting , but not programming .