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Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:53 pm
by mcc
Hi,

found a glitch in The Matrix: ;)
If the CATALOG of function is sorted alphabetically, the command "PSLV" is positioned at the wrong place.

Cheers
Meino

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:00 pm
by Thomas Okken
mcc wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:53 pm
found a glitch in The Matrix: ;)
If the CATALOG of function is sorted alphabetically, the command "PSLV" is positioned at the wrong place.
The FCN catalog is sorted according to the "same as on the HP-42S" ordering.
There is no glitch. The universe is still consistent. :mrgreen:

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:43 pm
by salvomic
Thomas Okken wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:00 pm
...
There is no glitch. The universe is still consistent. :mrgreen:
yes :)
in HP 42s Catalog there is this order: PINT > PSLV > PI, I don't know why that command is not in alphabetically order.

Salvo

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:55 pm
by dlachieze
salvomic wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:43 pm
in HP 42s Catalog there is this order: PINT > PSLV > PI, I don't know why that command is not in alphabetically order.
It's because the function names are PGMINT and PGMSLV, so they are correctly sorted alphabetically. PINT and PSLV are shortcuts to easily identify them on the soft buttons.

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:56 pm
by salvomic
dlachieze wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:55 pm

It's because the function names are PGMINT and PGMSLV, so they are correctly sorted alphabetically. PINT and PSLV are shortcuts to easily identify them on the soft buttons.
Thomas Okken wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:57 pm


Probably because some of the command names you see in the menu are abbreviations. Press them to see their full names: PGMINT, PGMSLV, etc. I think they are all in alphabetical order if you consider their un-abbreviated names.

thanks Didier and Thomas, then they are ok!

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 4:10 pm
by Walter
Due to the lower resolution of the HP-42 LCD, less characters could be put into one softkey window. With the 400 pixels of the DM42 LCD, abbreviations as on the HP-42 wouldn't have been inevitably necessary, so that traditional annoyance could have been avoided, and alphabetic sorting would have become obvious by simply reading the softkeys. Perhaps in a later edition of the firmware? ;)

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 5:26 pm
by mcc
Hi,

I feel it is contraintuitive to search a list with abbreviations (while reading them) according to list of words (unabbrivated and in my head hopefully) if lists are sorted differently.

To exeggerate this:
Search a list of english words alphabeticaly sorted according to their french translations....

Only my two cents, your cent-foo may vary... ;)

Cheers
Meino

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 5:55 pm
by keithdalby
I suppose this becomes another example of the reoccurring question: to what extent do we want the DM42 to be compatible with the HP42S and to what extent should it stand alone as its own improved calculator?

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:20 pm
by revwillie
keithdalby wrote:
Thu Jan 11, 2018 5:55 pm
I suppose this becomes another example of the reoccurring question: to what extent do we want the DM42 to be compatible with the HP42S and to what extent should it stand alone as its own improved calculator?
At some point when the source is opened there could very well be a forking between "true42" and "new42" firmwares. Kudos to SM for building a solid and flexible device.

Re: Minor bug in firmware 3.2: CATALOG of functions

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:53 pm
by Thomas Okken
Walter wrote:
Thu Jan 11, 2018 4:10 pm
Due to the lower resolution of the HP-42 LCD, less characters could be put into one softkey window. With the 400 pixels of the DM42 LCD, abbreviations as on the HP-42 wouldn't have been inevitably necessary, so that traditional annoyance could have been avoided, and alphabetic sorting would have become obvious by simply reading the softkeys. Perhaps in a later edition of the firmware? ;)
That would be a pretty easy change to make. The function table contains all function names in their un-abbreviated forms, with the letters that are to be suppressed in menus marked by having their high bit set. DM42 could simply check whether the entire name fits inside a softkey, and if it does, render it, and if not, drop some or all of the marked characters, as needed. (For labels, it should use the current algorithm, which is to truncate from the right if a label doesn't fit, but of course it should show more letters than the 42S / Free42 do, if there's room.)