19 Jul
2010
19 Jul
'10
1:37 p.m.
On 18 July 2010 20:25, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
As I said, it depends on what you use the machine for. 99% of users want
a device to carry data from their desktop machine (appointments, phone
number database ,etc) around. I don't. I sue my palmtop as a tool for
fixing classic computers. And a temrinal that I can fit just about
anywhere (rather than having to get a real VT100 to fit in somewhere) is
very useful.
The HP95LX/100LX (and I assume the 200LX,
although I have never used one)
have 1 feature that is essential for me, and another that is highly
desirable.
The first is a good terminal emulator, with plain text, kermit and xmodem
up/down loading.
I'm sure you're right, but in all my years on the Psion 5/5mx, I never
ever used a terminal emulator, as far as I can recall. The series 3 had one in ROM, but the ROM was in the
serial interface.
Plug in the RS232 cable, suddenly, a VT100/200 app became available.
:=AC)
Right. The serial port is built into the HP machines you just need a
cable, and it is a simple cable with no internal electronics (I've built
enough of them over the years...)
There were various downloadable ones for the S5 and 5mx, but I never
bothered. No need, for me.
The advantage of having it built-in, in ROM, is that it's always there.
If the batteries have gone so flat that the memory is lost, you can put
in a couple more AA cells (and those are available _anywhere_) and have a
working terminal again. No need to have to find some way to download
something to the machine. And you can bet that the batteries will be flat
when you're called to fix some obscure machine somewhere, well away from
your workshop/PC.
Primarily, the machines were a pocket database/diary,
secondly a
writing tool, thirdly mobile phone backup & SMS messagebase
management, and peripheral to these, a calculator and occasional web
browser. I tried out the email but never actually used it apart from
the occasional emergency.
Most of those applications I would have no use for at all.
I never did get to grips with RPN.
Hmmm. I found (and this is not atypical from discussions with others)
that it takes a couple of hours at most to learn to use an RPN
calcualtor, but after that you never want to go back. It's simply so much
more convnient and easy to use. You don;'t ahve to worry aobut the order
of operations -- the operatios are performed in the order you type them.
So remembering whether -2^4 is (-2)^4 or -(2^4) is not a problem any more.
-tony