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Subject: Re: Calculators revisited (TI-86, HP 48gx)
From: Geoff Kuenning (geoff@XXX.XXX)
Date: Sat Dec 09 2000 - 06:15:26 EST
I heartily agree with Dan in general, but my experience leads me to
one caveat.
Back before computers were affordable to the common man, I did a *lot*
of programming on my trusty new HP-41C (which is now my trusty OLD
41C). I have found that, at least for my mind, RPN is the perfect
notation for ad-hoc calculations, but it is much less handy for
writing complicated programs. The problem is that when you are
writing a long program, it is very difficult to keep track of what is
on the stack. When I wrote for the 41C, I would often use a piece of
scratch paper to keep track of the stack layout. Nowadays when I
write Postscript (see, for example, the Postscript plotting sheet
available from my Web site) I often use comments to keep track of the
stack.
I don't have same problem when writing code in languages like C and
C++, where the notation is algebraic.
My conclusion is that (for me) RPN is best for ad-hoc calculations,
but algebraic notations are more convenient for programming.
I also suppose I should mentionk, for what it's worth, that
programming is both my profession and my life (and has been for over
30 years). Not intended as a brag, just an indication of my mindset.
YMMV.
--
Geoff Kuenning geoff@XXX.XXX/~geoff/
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..."
-- Isaac Asimov
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