TI-Nspire OS 1.7

[Steve Arnold]

Hi all

(What follows is information I have obtained regarding the next OS update for TI-Nspire. If there are errors or inaccuracies, they are likely to be mine: this is NOT any sort of official statement from TI.)

The latest update to the TI-Nspire operating system, OS 1.7, is due for public release within the next few days. Full details about the changes will be available then; in addition to the usual collection of "under the hood" bug fixes and minor improvements, the main changes appear to be related to user interface and ease of use improvements. It appears that the response has been to requests from current users to make the Graphs & Geometry experience in particular more straightforward and responsive. 

New functionality includes in-built sequence graphing/time plots and frequency tables in the spreadsheet. You will remember that sequence graphing was included in the last release as a bundled document; this has been upgraded to the OS. Included in this release is conics graphing functionality in document form.

The summary that follows, I understand, lists some of the more visible changes, but is not presented as exhaustive.

Graphs & Geometry

•Dedicated Graphs & Geometry mode settings

•Larger Grab region and larger point attributes

•Disappearing Function Entry Line after plotting of function

•Tool tips for function manipulation

•Less intrusive function definitions: hidden until needed

•Less intrusive function definitions: Better organized placement

•Improved Trace features: More organized placement of Trace

•Improved Trace features: Trace All and Simplified Trace Settings

•Improved contextual menus: Label

•Sequence Graphing and Time Plots

Lists & Spreadsheet

•Frequency Plot

•Ability to handle empty cells: void

For more detailed information, please wait a few more days for the public release. 

With best wishes,

Steve

_________________

Dr Stephen Arnold

Compass Learning Technologies

Technology Directions for Schools

T3 Fellow, Teachers Teaching with Technology Australia

Office: +61-2-4232-2080

Mobile: +61-4-0175-3834

Email: st...@compasstech.com.au

Web: http://compasstech.com.au

_________________

[Ross]

Oh... it stinks that there isn't any improvements to programming...
At least they cleaned up the graphs and geometry, and they really
listened to feedback, because some of the problems people were
complaining about are now fixed, like the less intrusive function
definitions or hidden entry line. Maybe there will end up being some
programming improvement that you couldn't mention here, but at this
rate, I doubt it. Anyways, thank you so much for revealing so much
info about OS 1.7, Steve.

[Nelson Sousa]

it's a matter of priorities. Although there are users requesting
improvments to programming there are a lot more demanding sequences.

Cheers,
Nelson

[Andy Kemp]

Indeed I suspect that in time we will get the various improvements to the programming stuff that people have requested, but the people who want these changes are not the majority of users so it is unlikely to be at the top of the priority list...  Patience is a difficult thing (especially with technology!) but the TI-Nspire is still a young platform and it continues to improve with every update...  Give it time and I'm sure we will get (within reason) everything we want...

It reminds me a bit of the complaints people made about the iPhone when it came out - Doesn't do MMS, no copy & paste, rubbish 1MP camera etc...  And there were people claiming it would be a failure becuase of these omissions...  But it turned out for most of the users these were not the priorities do they were not in the initial relelase...  But the rumours have it that next week they will announce an iphone which includes these features - It's just that they wanted to do it right and that takes time, and other things rightly had a higher priority... 

I think the same is true for for the TI-Nspire, they want to get I/O right not just hack something in that we need to be changed/fixed later on so they need time...  But before they can get to that there are other things which for most users are higher up the priority list...

But I do believe we will get there!

[nspire user]

I did a workshop yesterday, and the WOLOP handhelds were loaded with
1.7

Howard

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[Pat Flynn]

How did you like it?

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[hastern]

I liked it fine. It was just confusing at first when the handhelds
weren't behaving like my own, which I was demonstrating with. Then I
realized it was the new OS.

I think I'm going to like the new Graph and Geo behavior -- function
rules are easy to toggle on and off, and the entry line seems to
autohide.

[Andy Kemp]

In  case you haven't seen it there is a video on the TI site outlining the changes:

http://www.ti-nspire.com/tools/nspire/resources/download_upgrade.html

[hastern]

Looks as though we've got a new version of Connect to Class, too.

[Luke Setzer]

The Windows MSIEXEC.EXE file is needed to install the Teacher version
of the CAS software onto a PC. It is supposed to be in the C:\WINDOWS
\system32\ directory. My PC has it in the C:\WINNT\system32\
directory. I made a new directory with the right name and copied the
file there. The error I got during installation attempts vanished and
I now can run the new version.

Some here might need to know that.

[Nelson Sousa]

The folder is probably called $SYSTEM$ or $WINDOWS$\system32, where
$SYSTEM$ is the system folder (usually c:\windows\system32 or
c:\winnt\system32) and $WINDOWS$ is the windows installation folder.
So the install program should be able to locate the file, regardless
of the folder's name (by default it was c:\windows up to win98 and
c:\winnt starting with win2k).

That's probably a problem with Windows Installer itself; I'd
reccommend you check your registry and windows installation for
corrupt files or registry entries, as you might run into the same
problem again with other applications.

Nelson

[Josh Schneider]

Luke,

If you open a command prompt and type "%windir%" and press enter, what
do you get?

[Luke Setzer]

C:\WINNT

[Josh Schneider]

Nelson was absolutely correct, you may want to check your registry and
your windows install for trouble. You shouldn't have to manually copy
that file, and the installed shouldn't be looking in c:\windows
\system32 for it.

Sent from the ever-shifting reaches of my iPhone.

[Pat Flynn]

I have been creating some teaching documents and noticed that when you
open a tns file, you no longer have the blank document file open as
well. So it is quicker to go to the smart view display option. I
also noticed that when taking screen shots, you can toggle the border
on and off as well as capture the small and large handheld screen.

Pat