[Pc_Support] Re: HP 50G Calculator for $112.99 shipped ... and why are used TIs cheap and HPs not?

[Bryan J. Smith]

Damien McKenna wrote:
> So why buy one of these versus the TI jobbies that are dime a dozen used?

Let's reverse that question ...
  "Why are the 10 year-old, HP 48 series still going for $100 USED
  and the TI jobbies are dime-a-dozen USED?  Hmmm?"

Other than the HP 39/49G/49G+ (which sucked, hard, long story, glad HP
reversed their decision to exit the market), HP's
scientific/engineering calculators are _rarely_ resold because their
users love them.  They last nearly forever (those 4MHz Saturn
processors went 3+ years on 3xAAA batteries) and my 48G is now 15
years-old (even well dented from the usage ;-).

Paul M Foster wrote:
> Reverse Polish Notation, the *only* way a calculator should be used.

While I personally agree with you on postfix (aka RPN) entry for
myself, the 49/50 series offers both infix (aka common
arithmetic/algebraic) and CAS (computer algebraic system) entry as
well.  On the older 48 series, you use to have to use a leading single
quote to enter an infix line -- some people liked that, although most
people did not.

Now regarding my use of infix, it only took me 1 physics assignment to
learn postfix entry.  After that, I never wanted to use infix ever
again.  No "store" or "write down" so-called "temporary values" to
re-use later.  With postfix, you _never_ have to store anything -- it
all goes on the stack.  That's why I use it.  And it's why engineers
learn it, because they get their work done in half (or less) of the
time using an infix calculator -- even those that offer CAS or
"parenthesis" for order-of-operations.  You literally and quickly
learn to do order-of-operations in postfix directly, and people are
amazed how quick you can punch out answers with such a RPN calculator.