From: hsu_wes@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Wesleyan Hsu)
Subject: Re: The "high price" of the HP48!
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 15:55:34 GMT

In article <PHR.92Dec30222224@napa.telebit.com> phr@telebit.com (Paul Rubin) writes:
>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.).

Jeez, there's a reason why HP happened to print "Scientific" on the
calculator.  You don't see "science" people running out and buying a
business calculator to do their complex exponentials.  And if you're going
to do test formatting, why not spend $500 and buy a Powerbook 100.

[deleted text about all the HP calcs previously owned]
>tens of K$.  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.

Some people actually buy the 48 as an upgrade.  My previous calc was a HP
11C and it served me well for a good 6 years.  I'm a grad now and I thought
that I would like a more functional calculator.  Since I loved my 11C and I
know HP makes excellent products, why should I consider another company?
So, I considered buying a used 28S, but opted for the 48SX since I figure
I'll be using it for many years to come.  Heck, this could be my last
calculator.  There's nothing wrong with loyalty to a fantastic company.

>	   Of course, there are places for both in this world.  For research
>   use, PCs running Mathematica are better.  For doing normal classwork (in
>   class), HP-48's are better.  A HP-95 running, say, Derive fits into the
>   above scheme somewhere, but I still wouldn't want to only be able to use a
>   HP-95 and not a HP-48.

Bravo.  I agree.

>
>I've hardly ever wanted to use a calculator in class except maybe in
>physics lab, which was not really "in class".  In the lab there were

Well, that's your choice.  Personally, I like having it with me.  Sometimes
I don't feel like calculating transforms manually...so shoot me.

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

For some people, perhaps...

>At home, from what I've seen of the 48, a PC running Mathematica
>beats it in every way, though you do need more expensive hardware
>that is less portable.  I haven't tried a 95 with Derive but would
>be interested to hear how it compares to the 48.

Oh jeez.  Well, from what I've seen, the Cray seems to blow away my 48SX in
every way.  Damn, guess I shouldn't have bought it.  No comment on Derive on
a 95.

>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.

I wouldn't say it's a disservice.  Students should know their priorities.
Do they spend $140 for a calculator or put that towards their $2000 for a
"real" computer?  Schools usually don't provide calculators in class, but
I'm sure they provide computers for general use.

Wes Hsu
Johns Hopkins U
Dept.of.ECE