SwissMicros Calculator Forum

I will be waiting by my cyber-mailbox for the new ROMs

As far as I can see, none of the changes actually affect the DM42. Remember, keyboard input is managed by DMCP.

If so, that would be great....As long as the DM42 has any corrections related to Free42 that would carry forward to the DM42, if they are not any that is good.

That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that the changes in Free42 only affect parts that are not used in the DM42. Because of this, updating to Free42 2.0.22 just for the sake of being up to date makes no sense. It will be of no benefit to the DM42.

Four of the six changes in 2.0.22 affect *all* platforms. They're all pretty minor, but still...

Well, even if minor, the changes need to go into a new DM42 ROM...If they were needed and done for Free42 they also need to be done for the DM42...What is good enough for Free42 is good enough for action regarding the DM42 also...I trust updates will be made even given their being minor...

Pardon, do you mean FRAM when writing ROM? Just for curiosity ...

I think everybody here knows by now how a DM42 firmware update works. No need to split hairs over the terminology.

On the subject of functionality, these are the four items in Free42 2.0.22 that are relevant to the DM42:

• INPUT should clear any message from the display before showing the prompt, but it didn't. Fixed.
• When ALPHA mode is active on top of VARMENU, ASTO and ARCL should show the regular variable menus, but they showed the VARMENU instead. Fixed.
• During command entry, SST and BST should be disabled, but the code that tried to do this also prevented some legitimate uses of up-arrow and down-arrow, such as switching menu rows during FIX IND __.
• While entering a numeric LBL, it should be possible to switch to ALPHA mode, using Shift-ENTER, to switch from, say, LBL 3_ to LBL "3_ , as an alternative method of entering ALPHA labels that start with a digit. The HP-42S allows this, but Free42 didn't. Fixed.

The other two changes in 2.0.22 apply to pasting -- not relevant here since the DM42 has no copy & paste -- and to the behavior of continuous-on mode, which I don't think the DM42 supports.

Thanks for explaining the update comprehensively.

Thomas Okken wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:30 pm

I think everybody here knows by now how a DM42 firmware update works. No need to split hairs over the terminology.

Alas, the term "ROM" was used more than once. And as far as I can imagine, language was generally invented for better understanding, not for raising confusion.

Thomas Okken wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:30 pm

On the subject of functionality, these are the four items in Free42 2.0.22 that are relevant to the DM42:

I was wrong about that.

I've been in touch with David and there is a firmware version incorporating Free42 V2.0.22 in the works. ETA as yet unknown as it depends on whether or not other stuff will be added to it but I do have an alpha version that I'll be testing later this evening.