HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad)
Subject: Re: The "high price" of the HP48!
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Date: 31 Dec 92 18:16:59 CST

In article <PHR.92Dec30222224@napa.telebit.com> phr@telebit.com (Paul Rubin) writes:
>In article <1992Dec26.053625.17951@doug.cae.wisc.edu> kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad) writes:
>
>	   Have you ever used a HP-48?  They're far from a "gross kludge."
>   Given a choice between a HP-95LX and a HP-48SX for doing math work, I would
>   pick a HP-48 much of the time.  Consider that the software for the HP-48
>   has been specifically designed for doing math/engineering/science work,
>   whereas the program you run on your PC is running on the same machine that
>   was designed to play Lemmings.  In this light, it looks more like the PCs
>   are kludges...
>
>1. Remember the original post said ALL CURRICULA.  This includes art,
>music, history, literature, etc. as well as engineering.  Computers
>are becoming important in all these fields--for text formatting
>if nothing else--but machines like the HP-48 (and even 95LX) are
>mostly useless in all nontechnical fields.  (Possible exceptions
>are business, economics, etc.).

Oops... ok, I missed the "all curricula" part.  I certainly agree that,
say, musicians aren't going to be needing HP-48's as standard equipment
anytime soon.

>I got the 42s more recently and feel it is overkill,
>though I got a good deal on it, from someone here on the net.

Ok.  Personally, though, I wouldn't mind a handheld Cray. :-)

>A 48 still seems to me like a solution looking
>for a problem.

I can accept the fact that this is how you see the 48.  For myself and many
others, I think, we've found appropriate problems.

>A 48 seems like a fun toy and I'd buy one if someone offered me one
>cheap enough, but I feel it is a disservice to most students to
>suggest that a real computer is not a better investment.

You're probably going to get upset if I suggest everyone ought to own a
computer, aren't you? :-)

I agree that everyone should probably have _access_ to word processing
facilities before they worry about getting a calculator.  Doing great
calculations is useless if you can't write them up very well...  At least
at my college here, though, engineers have access to zillions of PCs,
Macs, and Sun and HP workstations.  Everybody who lives in the University
dormitories has access to Macs.  Given the access to computers provided by
the college and the cost differential between decent computers ($2500) and
decent calculators ($250), I think some students would be better off buying
a calculator first.  Having University supplied calculators for everyone
isn't very practical if they're as powerful as a HP-48, of course.  On the
other hand, I'm all for universities having required calculators which can
be purchased by students at less than retail cost.

					---Joel Kolstad

P.S. -- The prices above are somewhat speculative.  "Decent" computers could 
range all the way from $1500 386SX boxes to $10000 workstations, whereas 
"decent" calculators could range from $100 TI-81's to $500 fully-outfitted
HP-48's.
From: lkv@mania.RoBIN.de (Lutz Vieweg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: Tricorder simulator
Date: Sat, 02 Jan 1993 16:50:17 GMT
Organization: The Funny Farm
X-Newsreader: Arn V1.00 alpha rel3

In article <sourada.725796573@vincent1.iastate.edu>, Steven D Ourada writes:

>                Copyright 1992 Steven Ourada   Freeware
> 
>                               TRICORDR
>                               ========
 [...]


8) - Wow! - finally I see at least one guy is using my CLASS assembler -
hope you like it!

Yours very happy

          Lutz Vieweg

PS: What version of CLASS are you using on which computer?

From: akcs.joehorn@hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com (Joseph K. Horn)
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 09:40:04 GMT
Subject: Re: How do you delete empty directories
Message-ID: <2b383337.2432.1comp.sys.hp48.1@hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48

v064mb9k@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu [NEIL GANDLER] writes:

> I have an HP 48s and I have an empty catalog that has no variables
> that I want to delete. According to the manual I typed the name of
> the directory and then used the function PGDIR and it wont work. Can
> anybody help me out?

(1) If it's empty, just use PURGE.
(2) PURGE and PGDIR will not work if you're inside of the directory
that you're trying to purge.  Press UP first.

-jkh-
From: kevin.jessup@mixcom.mixcom.com (kevin.jessup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: The "high price" of the HP48!
Date: 22 Dec 92 14:44:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Milwaukee Internet Xchange BBS, Milwaukee, WI U.S.A.

In <1992Dec21.132830.5946@doug.cae.wisc.edu> kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad) writes:

>As someone else mentioned, even "premium" calculators such as HP-48SX's
>as not that expensive when amortized over a four year or more college
>education.  If you didn't spend $300 on a calculator, perhaps you spent it on a
>stereo, and that was your choice.

I agree.  I do not understand those who buy the Casios and the TIs because
the 48 is just "too expensive".

When I went to college (Christ, I sound like my dad here!) back in 1975
the cost of a high quality calculator (HP55) was $350.00.  At a private
college (Marquette University) a years tuition was around around 4 to 5
grand.  

I have not done the calculations, but I would guess that in constant dollars,
the cost of a 4-year degree has gone up and the cost of the best calculator
available has gone down.  As a percentage of the total expense of a college
education, a calculator is insignificant today.  What's all the whining
about??

-- 
Kevin Jessup, kevin.jessup@mixcom.mixcom.com

        "Friends don't let friends run DOS."
                          -- Microware
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: roland@quadsys.com (Roland Besserer)
Subject: FAQ?
Organization: QUAD Systems
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 05:22:56 GMT

Could someone post the FAQ for this group? Or let me know an archive
site for HP48SX software?

Thanx
-- 

Roland Besserer
QUAD Systems
roland@quadsys.com
From: dakos@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (Dennis Akos)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: VCR Plus Project...
Keywords: VCR REMOTE CONTROL
Date: 23 Dec 92 18:58:02 GMT
Organization: Ohio University CS Dept,. Athens

In article <1992Dec23.153851.1610@cbfsb.cb.att.com> mxl@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (marc.a.levy) writes:
>In article <1992Dec23.132927.13649@eng.umd.edu> morris@eng.umd.edu (Morris S. Berman) writes:
>>Here's an ideas for a program for the HP 48.
>>In this area we have a device called VCR Plus,
>>I don't know if it's nationwide (USA) yet. But
>>the VCR.  
>[stuff deleted]
>>   Now if someone could determine how to extract
>>the time/channel info from the VCR Plus number,
>>you would program the HP48 to automatically
>>record programs by just enterting that number
>>that appears in the TV guide.  I don't have
>[stuff deleted]
>
>The information is avalible ( I have a C program that will do
>it) but why bother??  A VCR+ is only about $50!
>
>MArc
>
>  

I think there might be enough interest for someone to try, I for one, if
you could post the c code (if enough interest)  or e-mail it to me, I'd
appreciate it!

Thanks

da


-- 
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  | Dennis M. Akos  |  dakos@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu  |  Ohio University   |
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: hdev@dutiag.tudelft.nl (Hans de Vreught)
Subject: Re: The "high price" of the HP48!
Organization: Delft University of Technology
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 18:00:34 GMT

kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad) writes:
>phr@telebit.com (Paul Rubin) writes:

>> You can
>>quite easily get a 386sx box in the $500 range and I've scrounged
>>together XT and 286 machines for as little as $100.

>Typically "cheap" 386SX boxes with hard drives and monitors
>go for about $1K.  And these really are CHEAP PCs -- flimsy keyboards, huge
>dot pitch monitors, etc.  Definitely not HP (or even TI or Casio) quality!
>Also, software for that PC of yours is going to run you at least another
>$100 for MathCAD, Mathematica, etc. -- and those are often the student
>versions.

No, Joel, Paul is right. A modern 386SX with VGA monitor and 40MB is over here
(Europe) about $650. So in the States $500 sounds reasonable to me. Quality?
Let's not kid ourselves, the quality of unknown retailers is about the same as
better known vendors. Several cards in my pc (unknown manufactory) are
identical to the ones used by, say, IBM or HP. Bying a pc from a well known
manufactory sounds to me like a rip off.

Well, the software part, is another story. Most likely the software will be
obtained in a way not approved by the developers (if you get my drift...). But
there is also *lots* of software publically available and which is of high
quality.  The prices you've mentioned are simply out of date (even 486DXs
aren't expensive any more).

About, the original point "48SX is a machine loking for a problem" the
following. I owe (beside my pc and 95LX) a 48S. My reason for a 48S instaed
of a 48SX was that I simply don't need the "X" part. I previously owed
(well, I still have him) a 15C and I used it heavily for matrix operations. I
really needed a bigger machine that was also capable of complex matrices (you
would be amazed if you know what problems you can solve with matrix
operations).

A 48S was my choice as an upgrade. Sure, most things of the 48S you'll never
use but hack, that goes with the territory (or should I say 48S). Why did I
choose HP? Well, HP *calculators* are high quality machines: both their
construction and their special purpose functionality. But, I'm not overwhelmed
by the power of the 48S. It is soooooo slooooow and the symbolic capability
stinks. Mathematica (or similar programs) is so much faster and better. But
comparing a Sparc (with Mathematica) with a calc isn't fair.

If the next generation of HP calcs has incorporated Mathematica or Derive,
well, then we're talking about a powerful calculator. That's probably when I
dump my 48S for a new calc.
--
Hans de Vreught                          | John von Neumann:
hdev@dutiba.twi.tudelft.nl               | Young man, in mathematics
Delft University of Technology (TWI-ThI) | you don't understand things,
The Netherlands                          | you just get used to them.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: gvahe@cs.ulowell.edu (Gerry Vahe)
Subject: HELP!!!!!  Format to transfer data to hp48
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Lowell Computer Science
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 17:37:57 GMT

I just bought a 48s calculator, but its killing me becausse I cant use most files with it.  What format should the file be in when I transfer it to the calculator??  I try sending the format with a .48 extension at the end, but when It gets 
to text, it gives me an error.  Do I have to get rid of the message header?
Thanks-------please email directly to my account
-gerry

Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: twh18@isuvax.iastate.edu (Phoenix)
Subject: transfer
Reply-To: twh18@isuvax.iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 21:34:16 GMT

	One more questions.  Are you suppose to uncode it first
before you even transfer the file from your computer to Hp48?
The guy who posted Tron II says uncode it on your unix machine
first and transfer it. I always thought that you transfer the
coded file, then uncode it with ASC-> in your HP48.
	All responses will be greatly appciated.
			Ming.

	PS:  Even though the Tron only takes 1.9K, and It says
"insuffient memory" when I try to put it on my HP48 (which
I cleard memory up to 30K); it went fine when I put 3 tetris
(each 9.2K) on there.  That's weirld.
From: p_quinn@pavo.concordia.ca (QUINN, PAUL)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: HP BBS
Date: 26 Dec 92 00:07:00 GMT
Organization: Concordia University
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Can someone please tell me ow to log onto the HP BBS using the internet?

What are other FTP sites for the 48SX besides HP and seq.uncwil.edu?


Paul
p_quinn@pavo.concordia.ca

Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: cracauer@wavehh.hanse.de (Martin Cracauer)
Subject: Re: ftp sites
Organization: Private UUCP, Martin Cracauer, Norderstedt, Germany
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 08:01:58 GMT

pu001b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu ( pedro miguel ugalde) writes:

>hi does anyone know some or most ftp sites ?
>please post them.

wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp48sx/*
nic.funet.fi:/pub/misc/hp48sx/*



-- 
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Martin Cracauer,    cracauer@wavehh.hanse.de
Waldstrasse 200, W-2000 Norderstedt, Germany
Tel.: +49 / 522 18 29, Fax.: +49 / 522 85 36
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: manowar@engin.umich.edu (krisztian  flautner)
Subject: Re: The "high price" of the HP48!
Date: Sat, 02 Jan 93 14:47:13 EST
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Keywords: PCMCIA modem


I am yet to have a PCMCIA based modem but I have seen laptops equipped with
slots for them and many times those slots were on top of each other. I have
seen pictures of the Megahertz patented fold out phonejack but I do not see
how it can be used if there is another card under it which has something
sticking out of it. Is there enough room for the jack ? Also how strong is
that fold out thing ? On the picture it does not look tu sturdy. I would 
imagine that if one yanked it a bit it would come loose or something. Has 
anyone had any experience with it ?

						-- Krisztian Flautner
From: detlef@dmhh.hanse.de (Detlef Mueller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: How do I copy ROM-libraries to a RAM-card?
Distribution: world
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 92 15:54:03 GMT

In article <1992Dec25.144549.7438@kth.se> d91-mwd@dront.nada.kth.se (Michael Westlund) writes:
> [..]
>Is there any way I can copy the libraries of one of my ROM cards onto
>my RAM card and thus be able to access both of of them at the same
>time - without having to remove my merged RAM card?
> [..]

DeASC the following little program and store it as 'RPORT':

%%HP: T(3);
"D9D20D2951D2B36AEC81229123F21644230B2130AB9E"

RPORT expects a port number on the stack (0, 1 or 2) and returns all objects
stored in that port on the stack. Just store all objects you want to copy
into another port using eg. 0 STO.

Bye,
        8-Detlef
--
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
|`What a depressingly stupid machine'|             Detlef Mueller           |
| -- Marvin                          |          detlef@dmhh.hanse.de        |
+------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: vrr@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (veenu.r.rashid)
Subject: What is difference between E and D model?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 04:37:46 GMT


I have seen the D and E models being discussed - what is the difference
between the E and D models?  When did the E come out?  What new features
are in it?

Please email a short comment to vrr@cbnewsj.att.com

Thanks,
Veenu
From: clemon@lemsys.UUCP (Craig Lemon VE3XCL)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: The "high price" of the HP48!
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 1993 17:12:07 EST
 <PHR.92Dec30220240@napa.telebit.com> <1992Dec31.180319.8567@doug.cae.wisc.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Private UUCP "Twig" Node
X-Newsreader: Arn V1.00

In article <1992Dec31.180319.8567@doug.cae.wisc.edu>, Joel Kolstad writes:

> Letsee... a HP-48 is $275.  Let's say you're making $4 an hour take home
> pay... that's 70 hours of work for the 48.  I think my 48 has saved _me_ 70
> hours of work over the past three years, and I think they can for other
> people as well.

        Of course, keeping in mind that there is also the HP-48S as well. 
I'm not sure about down in the U.S. but in Canada our minimum wage is
~$6CAN, that has to be taken into account as well (University co-op student
make more than that usually, often quite a bit).  Food for thought.

> 
> Owning a house right now would be nice, but the kind that I'd want to own
> would probably end up costing me more in property taxes than what I pay for
> housing right now.  Owning one also wouldn't save me any time.
> 
>                                       ---Joel Kolstad
--
 Craig Lemon VE3XCL (Advanced) - Kitchener, Ontario. +1 519 741 0297
 clemon@lemsys.UUCP clemon%lemsys@xenitec.on.ca  | 1B Electrical Engineering
 TCP/IP: ve3xcl@ve3xcl.ampr.org [44.135.84.51]   |  University of Waterloo
 AX.25 Packet: ve3xcl@ve3euk.#SWON.ON.CAN.NA     | Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
From: clemon@lemsys.UUCP (Craig Lemon VE3XCL)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: What is Version J?>??>?>?>???
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 21:40:42 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: Private UUCP "Twig" Node
X-Newsreader: Arn V1.00

In article <Bzr12o.AFI@ulowell.ulowell.edu>, Gerry Vahe writes:

> I just bought an hp48s from service merchandise.  I was reading a faq list and I told me how to prompt the hp for the version letter.
> I received a VERION J
> I have been noticing the latest version is "E"
> Should I return it???
> Can you mail your replys directly to me because I dont usually read this list!
> thanks a lot
> 

        I heard rumours a while ago that a revision J would be released
that featured faster equation writer, matrix writer, bug fixes and an exam
mode that locked out memory access for a given length of time (for exams). 
I was going to post a question a while back asking if anything had come of
this but my news software was malfunctioning and the article probably
wouldn't have left my site anyways.  It looks like my question has been
answered.  Does anyone else have any _MORE_ information?  Is there a good
way to upgrade to a J from an E (in Canada)?   How have upgrades worked in
the past?  I've only had my HP for a year, BTW, and I have a REV E and
would be VERY interested in the optimized writer applications.  (Assuming
this is for real)

--
 Craig Lemon VE3XCL (Advanced) - Kitchener, Ontario. +1 519 741 0297
 clemon@lemsys.UUCP clemon%lemsys@xenitec.on.ca  | 1A Electrical Engineering
 TCP/IP: ve3xcl@ve3xcl.ampr.org [44.135.84.51]   |  University of Waterloo
 AX.25 Packet: ve3xcl@ve3euk.#SWON.ON.CAN.NA     | Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: twh18@isuvax.iastate.edu (Phoenix)
Subject: Tron, any luck?
Reply-To: twh18@isuvax.iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 15:49:36 GMT

	I currently have some problems with Tron II that was posted
on this newsgroup.  I saved that file to my VAX/VMS account, cut
the ASCII part (since I ha<ve ASC-> and ->ASC on my HP48SX), then
tried to DL it.  Since the file is in my VAX account, I ran the
kermit on both VAx and the computer, (used text(ASCII) mode),
and got the file on harddriver, yeah, something like 19232 bytes,
the size seems right. Then, I cleard my HP48SX's memroy up to
30000+ bytes.   Set both to kermit on computer and HP48SX on
no parity, baud 9600, ASCII mode, 1 chksum, and translate
3 on my HP48 (I do'nt know how to sett translate code on the
computer, but it shouldn't matter, since all the file's first
part tells the recive unit what code shall be set).  I started
to transmitting, and it went perfectly fine until the 176th
packet (there're only 186 packets in TRon, I am pretty close, but
not close enough:(  ) Evertime it went to the 176th packet, it goes
"insufficent memroy".  I know I sure got lots of memory (1.1K extra),
and since I had set all the parameters right, I see nothing wrong
with it.
	I retried at least 5 times, got the same result everytime.
I then tried binary format to restart everything, still doesn't work.
Later, I tried again to cut the tron file into 2 parts, and DL them
separately, since I know there are strings, I planed to use the "+"
functino to add them toegether, then ASC-> it.  Well, you know what
happend - "insufficent memory" to do that job.
	Now, the TRon file is in ASCII form, and I DL it with text/ASCII
mode all the way.....Has anyone eever had this kind of probelm before?
BTW, somebody told me I need to have at least 2 or 3 times free memory
left in order to DL a file.  With that therory, I'd have to have
at least 60K RAM to get TRon II.  So, has anyone who only have 30K RAM
succesfully DL TRon?
	Thanks for your help.
					Ming
From: mheiskan@hut.fi (Mika Heiskanen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Re: BOULDER DASHP is here! (from France)
Date: 02 Jan 93 23:36:48 GMT
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Distribution: world
Reply-To: mheiskan@vipunen.hut.fi
NNTP-Posting-Host: lk-hp-9.hut.fi
In-reply-to: dougc@bert.cs.byu.edu's message of Sat,  2 Jan 93 11:05:08 MST


In article <br#@byu.edu> dougc@bert.cs.byu.edu (Douglas R. Cannon) writes:

>Here is the game BOULDER DASHP.

Nice protections :)

--
--> mheiskan@vipunen.hut.fi
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: morris@eng.umd.edu (Morris S. Berman)
Subject: VCR Plus Project...
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 13:29:27 GMT
Organization: Project GLUE, University of Maryland, College Park
Summary: VCR Plus for HP48
Keywords: VCR REMOTE CONTROL 

Here's an ideas for a program for the HP 48.
In this area we have a device called VCR Plus,
I don't know if it's nationwide (USA) yet. But
the deal is that in the TV guide there is a
number for each show that you may wish to record.
You enter that number into the VCR Plus 
device and it can determine the channel, time and
day of the show that you want recorded.  It
does the recording by learning from your VCR
remote how to "turn on", "stop", "record", etc
the VCR.  
   Now if someone could determine how to extract
the time/channel info from the VCR Plus number,
you would program the HP48 to automatically
record programs by just enterting that number
that appears in the TV guide.  I don't have
the time right now to do this programming (and
I just got my HP48 two days ago, as well).
But here is an idea for anyone on the Net
looking for a novel project.

-Mb
morris@eng.umd.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
From: ochealth@unixg.ubc.ca (ochealth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: Well? Where's the cool stuff from FRANCE?
Date: 27 Dec 1992 06:02:24 GMT
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
NNTP-Posting-Host: unixg.ubc.ca


Well? where is all the loot? We were promised some cool games and things...
I don't see anything new.

-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
ochealth@unixg.ubc.ca