Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

General discussion about calculators, SwissMicros or otherwise
Linus_Sch
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Linus_Sch »

48GX wrote:
Fri Sep 23, 2022 2:04 pm
redglyph wrote:
Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:11 am
48GX wrote:
Fri Sep 23, 2022 3:25 am
I believe SM is missing the largest market of all by poo pooing the 48 because it is incomplete. Make the hardware and O/S to run the ROM and sell a lot of these calculators.
What's the exact legal status of the HP-48 series' ROMs? What I read was HP unofficially announced that people were allowed to download it, but there is no trace of this and that division of HP has closed since then (circa 2001 I think).

The ROMs still have the original copyright, so using it is potentially a problem for a professional product because nothing prevents HP from sending a cease & desist letter. Explaining to customers that they have to find the ROM on their own could be awkward, even if it's still possible to find it. We can suppose it's not a real problem, but maybe that's why SM has second thoughts (and it would be rightly so).
They hand me a hardware device with an operating system loaded. I load my own ROM.
Possible work-around: sell the hardware with Plus42. The problem with that idea is just what to print on the keys.
Boub65
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Boub65 »

Hello all,
I think that the problem with any BASIC calculator that will have low to medium sales is the "QWERTY QWERTZ AZERTY" hardware possibilities for the keyboard...
Sincèrement, Sincerely, 73,
Boubker

DM15L, DM41L, DM42 #00855 (domes upgraded), DM41X #00707
HP48SX (with dark screen), HP42s, HP32SII (1990 with fraction bug), HP41C/CV
TI-89 titanium, CASIO fx-cg50 and Numworks (to play with micropython)
Linus_Sch
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Linus_Sch »

Boub65 wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 2:07 pm
Hello all,
I think that the problem with any BASIC calculator that will have low to medium sales is the "QWERTY QWERTZ AZERTY" hardware possibilities for the keyboard...
These devices generally need only one secondary function per key, so there is room to leave those keys blank and put the alpha labels on faceplates/overlays.
Boub65
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Boub65 »

Linus_Sch wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 3:33 pm
Boub65 wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 2:07 pm
Hello all,
I think that the problem with any BASIC calculator that will have low to medium sales is the "QWERTY QWERTZ AZERTY" hardware possibilities for the keyboard...
These devices generally need only one secondary function per key, so there is room to leave those keys blank and put the alpha labels on faceplates/overlays.
You are right...
1) a horizontal alphanumeric calculator with a QWERTY keyboard
- with the possibility to change to either QWERTZ or AZERTY with keys label and overlays (sold by SwissMicros?)
- coming with BASIC when bought
- but open enought so that developpers can provide other langages like micropython, Forth, etc. on top of DMCP
- with some sort of I/Os (serial interface though USB should be enought)

Would be a winner...
Sincèrement, Sincerely, 73,
Boubker

DM15L, DM41L, DM42 #00855 (domes upgraded), DM41X #00707
HP48SX (with dark screen), HP42s, HP32SII (1990 with fraction bug), HP41C/CV
TI-89 titanium, CASIO fx-cg50 and Numworks (to play with micropython)
redglyph
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by redglyph »

Boub65 wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 4:24 pm
You are right...
1) a horizontal alphanumeric calculator with a QWERTY keyboard
- with the possibility to change to either QWERTZ or AZERTY with keys label and overlays (sold by SwissMicros?)
- coming with BASIC when bought
- but open enought so that developpers can provide other langages like micropython, Forth, etc. on top of DMCP
- with some sort of I/Os (serial interface though USB should be enought)

Would be a winner...
Another solution would be for the user to simply move the keys, if they're the type attached by pins (serving as small shafts) like some or all the original HPs. It would be more readable than blank keys and a crowded plate with an instruction, a letter and sometimes a symbol for each key.

But would anyone really need AZERTY and QWERTZ in the first place? I'm an AZERTY user but for a calculator I really don't mind a QWERTY keyboard. People who have been in this part of HP history and who'd be interested in that calculator have likely had to use those English keyboards on a C64, ZX or another computer of that era. So I don't think it should be an obstacle, but a poll could confirm or infirm that.
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Calambres
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Calambres »

Linus_Sch wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:57 pm
Possible work-around: sell the hardware with Plus42. The problem with that idea is just what to print on the keys.
Easy: make the keys replaceable and also make the front bezel with overlay indents.
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48GX
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by 48GX »

Calambres wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 7:53 pm
Linus_Sch wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:57 pm
Possible work-around: sell the hardware with Plus42. The problem with that idea is just what to print on the keys.
Easy: make the keys replaceable and also make the front bezel with overlay indents.
My thoughts exactly. Now they can sell "mods." :-) Let's go!
Waiting for SM to release DM42 hardware with one additional row of keys.
DM42, DB48X, DM32, HP42s, DM41X, HP35s, DM41L
Raising a next generation RPN/RPL user.
rprosperi
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by rprosperi »

The DM42 and DM41X do and always have had small slots on the sides of the keyboard, just above the original metal bezel, to hold tabs on an overlay. Due to the small size of the overall body, they are quite close to the actual keys, and the slots are fairly thin, so making an overlay that will fit, and installing/uninstalling is not simple, but it is possible. Other folks in previous posts have commented on making such overlays, and I believe Jaco has designed some for his 43C alternate keyboard design project.
--bob p

DM42: β00071 & 00282, DM41X: β00071 & 00656, DM10L: 071/100
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Walter
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Walter »

rprosperi wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 11:48 pm
The DM42 and DM41X do and always have had small slots on the sides of the keyboard, just above the original metal bezel, to hold tabs on an overlay.
Bet I know the person who told SwissMicros to design the DM42 this way (in 2016).
WP43 SN00000, 34S, and 31S for obvious reasons; HP-35, 45, ..., 35S, 15CE, DM16L S/N# 00093, DM42β SN:00041
Peet
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Re: Collection of wishes for future SwissMicros products - discussion following Bob Prosperi's HHC 2022 talk

Post by Peet »

At the top of my list would be further development/troubleshooting of existing products or at least an improvement of the hardware platform and significantly better communication with customers.
My programmable calculators - former: CBM PR100, HP41CV, HP28S, HP11C - current: HP48G(256kB), HP35S, Prime, DM41X, DM42
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