3 ms·

In my youth my treasure was a HP41cv. I always found RPN far more logical, conceptually cleaner and as a result far simpler to use.

koblas 2y ago
Plus, for owners of the HP41, if you had an essay question in your chemistry test you could type in cliff notes... Naw, I never did that.
- PeterStuer 2y ago
  I did do that! But data entry was so laborious that by the time you entered the formulas you basically knew them by hard.
  - nottorp 2y ago
    A decent way to cram for an exam you don't care much about is to hand copy the course material too. You'll most likely end up retaining enough to pass.
7thaccount 2y ago
If you want a recreation: https://www.swissmicros.com/product/dm41x https://www.swissmicros.com/product/dm41x They also have their own versions of the 15c and so on. I have 3 different models (and one original HP RPN calc) and can confirm they are really high quality. Again though, spreadsheets are a lot more useful to me when I have more than just a simple calculation or two. I think these are mostly getting picked up by hobbyists, collectors, and those who work in labs and need a dedicated device with physical buttons. Note that it doesn't have the big expansion pack things that I think the 41c came with if I'm thinking about the right calculator.
- ghaff 2y ago
  I've been really tempted as my 41CV doesn't work any longer but I do real calculating so little that it would just be a nostalgia trip. (And I have a couple of the horizontal format HP calcs that still work for any of the calculator stuff I do sometimes do outside of an app.)
  - 7thaccount 2y ago
    Yeah, for me it's mainly a hobbyist thing without much value at this point (probably better uses for my money). I'd love to have something like the 15c with a much bigger screen that does APL with physical buttons. Now that would be cool. I effectively have that on a tablet though (minus the dedicated system with physical buttons).
- DarkSucker 2y ago
  That link made my day! Thank you. From what I read, their builds perform better than the originals, and they even make landscape versions. Woo hoo! RPN rules in my book. I picked up an HP 32 before they were gone forever, but I've been afraid to use it. It's great to know about SwissMicros; they'll get my business soon.
  - 7thaccount 2y ago
    Not a problem. I have their DM42 and it feels good in the hands. The case is solid metal too and the screen is nice. I believe the performance is better than the originals (not hard as some of these were sold before my birth and I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore) and they fixed several bugs.
genewitch 2y ago
OK I always see this sentiment. Can someone show something useful in RPN? House odds on 3 on roulette, or don't come odds for 10; or the standard deviation of 1, 1, 1, 1, 7, 29. I have never seen anyone show an example more complex than 2 2 12 + * or whatever it looks like.

koblas 2y ago

Plus, for owners of the HP41, if you had an essay question in your chemistry test you could type in cliff notes... Naw, I never did that.

PeterStuer 2y ago
I did do that! But data entry was so laborious that by the time you entered the formulas you basically knew them by hard.
- nottorp 2y ago
  A decent way to cram for an exam you don't care much about is to hand copy the course material too. You'll most likely end up retaining enough to pass.

7thaccount 2y ago

If you want a recreation: https://www.swissmicros.com/product/dm41x https://www.swissmicros.com/product/dm41x They also have their own versions of the 15c and so on. I have 3 different models (and one original HP RPN calc) and can confirm they are really high quality. Again though, spreadsheets are a lot more useful to me when I have more than just a simple calculation or two. I think these are mostly getting picked up by hobbyists, collectors, and those who work in labs and need a dedicated device with physical buttons. Note that it doesn't have the big expansion pack things that I think the 41c came with if I'm thinking about the right calculator.

ghaff 2y ago
I've been really tempted as my 41CV doesn't work any longer but I do real calculating so little that it would just be a nostalgia trip. (And I have a couple of the horizontal format HP calcs that still work for any of the calculator stuff I do sometimes do outside of an app.)
- 7thaccount 2y ago
  Yeah, for me it's mainly a hobbyist thing without much value at this point (probably better uses for my money). I'd love to have something like the 15c with a much bigger screen that does APL with physical buttons. Now that would be cool. I effectively have that on a tablet though (minus the dedicated system with physical buttons).
DarkSucker 2y ago
That link made my day! Thank you. From what I read, their builds perform better than the originals, and they even make landscape versions. Woo hoo! RPN rules in my book. I picked up an HP 32 before they were gone forever, but I've been afraid to use it. It's great to know about SwissMicros; they'll get my business soon.
- 7thaccount 2y ago
  Not a problem. I have their DM42 and it feels good in the hands. The case is solid metal too and the screen is nice. I believe the performance is better than the originals (not hard as some of these were sold before my birth and I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore) and they fixed several bugs.

genewitch 2y ago

OK I always see this sentiment. Can someone show something useful in RPN? House odds on 3 on roulette, or don't come odds for 10; or the standard deviation of 1, 1, 1, 1, 7, 29. I have never seen anyone show an example more complex than 2 2 12 + * or whatever it looks like.