Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48

In comp.sys.hp48, James.McNalley@f47.n105.z1.therose.pdx.com (James McNalley) 
writes:

>         I have an HP 48S (not SX) and have been trying to do some
> fractal programming on it.  At first I was very excited because it has
> built in complex numbers, but PIXON doesn't seem to like complex
> numbers.  

Sure it does.  A pixel coordinate of the form (xpix,ypix) is what The Fine
Manual calls "user units" (Chapter 19 for those of you with the old 
manuals).  (xpix,ypix) works fine with PIXON.  However, a pixel coordinate 
of the form [ xpix ypix ] will give you a "Bad Argument Type" error, and a 
pixel coordinate outside of PICT will PIXON just fine, but you'll never
see it.  It's all in The Fine Manual, in Chapter 19, "More About Plotting
and Graphics Objects".

>           Then I found out (well, it seems that this is true) that you
> can't light up pixels while in the GRAPH mode, you have to draw it and
> THEN see it.

NOT.  You use the PVIEW command for this.  Do it like this:

	\<< ... { #0d #0d } PVIEW ... drwawing_instructions ... \>>

This allows you to see your fractal getting built.  That's in The Fine Manual
too, also in Chapter 19.  See Chapter 31, "More Programming Examples," for 
examples on how to use this feature.

>         I saw the book about the HP 48 GRAPHICS, but am not sure if I
> need to spend $20 to get stuff that SHOULD have been in the manual.

Um, well, the humble author of HP48 GRAPHICS got the majority (over 90%) of 
his information by Reading The Fine Manual and playing with the HP48.  True,
you could do the same thing.  I encourage you to do so.

Another thing the humble author did was refuse to let the 48's limitations
stop him.  "You can't do that" was viewed merely as a challenge, not a 
roadblock.  The 48 can do whatever you want it to do, and by writing HP48 
GRAPHICS he was able to give a graphic demonstration of that fact.  

Everything you need to know is in the Fine Manual.  HP48 GRAPHICS and the 
other aftermarket books just emphasize and arrange the information 
differently.  That's not a crime.  If it were, then we'd have to arrest 
anybody whoever wrote a book with a title like "WordPerfect Made Easy."

[ more gripes deleted]
> ...  Another thing
> is that I was drawing something that repeated this
> x
> y
> PIXON
> and some other stuff for each pixel, and after a few minutes it asked me
> if I wanted to purge a bunch of stuff because I had used up all the
> memory!  

Sounds like a programming error to me.  I just wrote a little fractal
drawing program for fun (don't ask, people, I also just purged it for fun)
, and although the unit paused a few times for garbage collection, I never 
got to the "full memory" condition.

> usuially keep 28K free, WHAT IS WRONG???  IS THERE A GOOD BOOK I CAN GET
> THAT WILL HELP ME?

Well, you can start by Reading The Fine Manual.  You haven't asked a 
question yet that can't be answered therein.  Sooner or later, you will, but
you ain't there yet.

>         I paid $170 and HP wasn't even kind enuf to give me complete
> manuals!  $!$#  I thought it was only Borland and Microsoft that charged
> you for the product, but sold the 'important' manuals seperately.

Here you're obviously referring to the Programmer's Reference Manual?Guide?

Cool down, friend.  You're getting all upset over nothing.  James, the 48 
was on the market for a long time before the PRM/G came out, and some of the 
coolest code written for the 48 was written with only the aid of The Fine 
Manual.  Lack of the PRM/G is not a good excuse for having problems with the 
machine.


Regards
Ray Depew
Integrated Circuits Business Division
Hewlett Packard Co, Fort Collins, Colorado
rrd@hpfiqa.fc.hp.com
Disclaimer:  I don't speak for HP, and I don't make calculators.
I did write a book once ....
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48