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Blue Mountain · 5th September 2011, 08:23 AM

Hewlett-Packard reintroduces the classic HP 15C calculator.

Quote:

Our classic 15c Scientific Calculator is back by popular demand! This limited collector's edition features the same intelligent design and compact size as the original, plus it's up to 100x faster. Packaged in a keepsake gift box, it makes a great gift for scientists, engineers and collectors.

I had a similar calculator (HP-16C "Computer Scientist") about 25 years ago. When it died a few years later, I couldn't bear throw it out because it was such a neat little device. I still have it in a drawer, and I still have the manual. It was programmable, which meant I could write simple programs on it, and recall and run them later. The 15C is also programmable.

And I liked RPN. Having your last four results in a stack was useful.

Complexity · 5th September 2011, 09:09 AM

Loved this calculator.

Love RPN.

I Ratant · 5th September 2011, 09:12 AM

My 16C is ready for the next (first) time I need to convert dec to hex.

Darat · 5th September 2011, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by Blue Mountain

...snip...

I had a similar calculator (HP-16C "Computer Scientist") about 25 years ago. When it died a few years later, I couldn't bear throw it out because it was such a neat little device. I still have it in a drawer, and I still have the manual. It was programmable, which meant I could write simple programs on it, and recall and run them later. The 15C is also programmable.

And I liked RPN. Having your last four results in a stack was useful.

You weren't a programming colleague of mine back in the 80s were you? One of my colleagues came back from a trip to the USA brandishing a HP16, and weren't we envious! Mind you, you could do with one now since your mental arithmetic is so bad, they were released in the early 80's - and the 80s can't be 25 years ago, that would make me old.

Doubt · 5th September 2011, 09:30 AM

RPN is still great. And plenty of smart phone calculator apps can do it.

My first and only HP was the 28. Fully programmable and did graphing.

JeanFromBNA · 5th September 2011, 09:33 AM

I still use mine. I thought I got it in the 90's, though.

Tim Thompson · 5th September 2011, 09:34 AM

Hey, this is real news! I have had mine, and it's original cover, since they came out. Can't remember when that was, but it finally failed only a couple months ago (still works intermittently). I will certainly replace it with a new one if I can.

Ziggurat · 5th September 2011, 10:10 AM

Ah, calculators...

FreshHat · 5th September 2011, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Our classic 15c Scientific Calculator is back by popular demand! This limited collector's edition features the same intelligent design and compact size as the original, plus it's up to 100x faster. Packaged in a keepsake gift box, it makes a great gift for scientists, engineers and collectors.

What, no pocket protector?

I Ratant · 5th September 2011, 10:34 AM

The first LED watch I saw... exhibited by a booth babe at an airshow here..
Some numbers would show -the dirty word- when looked at upside down.
"I'm not proud of my work", she said when I looked askance at this.

RussDill · 5th September 2011, 12:43 PM

It is frustrating that in general calculators have become a race to be the cheapest. I have an old HP-12C from high school, I looked around on the internet, they are going for $200 new.

I'll probably have to pick up one of the 15C's. I do prefer RPN.

Paul C. Anagnostopoulos · 5th September 2011, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Complexity

Love RPN.

RPN is God.

~~ Paul

icerat · 5th September 2011, 01:05 PM

So that's why they axed the touchpad

RussDill · 5th September 2011, 01:07 PM

What they need is a reboot of their popular rpn scientific and financial calculators with the same high quality durable casing and tactile keys with new e-paper displays. Possibly upping the durability with new materials.

icerat · 5th September 2011, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by RussDill

What they need is a reboot of their popular rpn scientific and financial calculators with the same high quality durable casing and tactile keys with new e-paper displays. Possibly upping the durability with new materials.

e-paper would be irritating slow wouldn't it?

RussDill · 5th September 2011, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by icerat

e-paper would be irritating slow wouldn't it?

The smaller the screen, the faster it goes afaik. There are also algorithms for updating only a portion of the display, especially in the case of going from a blank area to a drawn area, as would be the case in number entry.

Soapy Sam · 5th September 2011, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by icerat

So that's why they axed the touchpad

HP is pulling out of personal computer production completely.

Paul W · 5th September 2011, 02:03 PM

I still have a working Brunsviga calculator, which I occasionally use to demonstrate the basic principles of arithmetic to my grandchildren and their friends.

I also have a collection of slide rules dating back to the 1950s – including circular ones. Most maths teachers of my acquaintance haven’t a clue about their use, or even how and why they work. My argument is that the batteries don’t go flat.

Bring back log tables!

RussDill · 5th September 2011, 03:57 PM

Anyone know when the 15c actually goes on sale?

roger · 5th September 2011, 04:30 PM

I hope it is better than the reissued HP12C. I've had nothing but problems with it - keys not working, sticking, etc.

Chris Haynes · 5th September 2011, 11:17 PM

Yay!!!!

I love RPN!

zooterkin · 6th September 2011, 12:56 AM

The first calculator I used was RPN (my Dad's Sinclair Scientific), and I find it difficult to use a 'normal' one. I also hankered after an HP calculator from seeing the ads in Scientific American (if I remember correctly). I eventually got a 32S celebrating HP's 50th anniversary in 1989; it lives in my desk drawer, and I do use it from time to time, and it's still on the original batteries.

Originally Posted by Soapy Sam

HP is pulling out of personal computer production completely.

They've said they are considering it.

Cuddles · 6th September 2011, 03:32 AM

I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.

icerat · 6th September 2011, 04:27 AM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.

Huh, so there is - RPNCalc on the Android market.

Still, people buy antique cars too

erwinl · 6th September 2011, 04:50 AM

I still got my HP-10C.

It's been without batteries for some 20 years (if not more), but I still haven't entirely gotten used to the workings of conventional calculators.

Howie Felterbush · 6th September 2011, 05:10 AM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.

Ask Harley-Davidson.

Nostalgia sells.

Blue Mountain · 6th September 2011, 05:39 AM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster.

.
No. The reissued HP-15C is priced at $100. I could get an Android for that price, but only by signing a contract to purchase an additional $1800 worth of telecom services ($50/mo for 36 months.)

Quote:

You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons.

Link, please.

Quote:

Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.

Howie mentioned nostalgia. I say "hobby." I see people in my office spending thousands of dollars to sit in a noisy, cold arena and watch grown men bat a flat piece of rubber over an ice surface for three hours. It's called a "hockey game" and it's extremely popular in this part of the world. Other places have baseball and football. [snark]Bloody boring waste of time if you ask me.[/snark]

People are willing to spend money on things that interest them. Some of us are interested in technology. It's just as unfair to label those people as "stupid" as it is for me to label the ones who spend money to attend sporting events as "stupid."

Soapy Sam · 6th September 2011, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by zooterkin

The first calculator I used was RPN (my Dad's Sinclair Scientific), and I find it difficult to use a 'normal' one. I also hankered after an HP calculator from seeing the ads in Scientific American (if I remember correctly). I eventually got a 32S celebrating HP's 50th anniversary in 1989; it lives in my desk drawer, and I do use it from time to time, and it's still on the original batteries.

They've said they are considering it.

I built a Sinclair from the kit in "Practical Electronics Today".
Cost £16.95 at a time when an equivalent Casio was about £100.

Some years later , I succumbed to the allure of an HP41C in Salt Lake City. $413.00 ! But gosh, I had some fun with that.

roger · 6th September 2011, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.

I use my HP almost every day. I don't have, or want a smart phone. I like physical buttons. When I do use a smart phone, I spend half my time on the backspace button because I pressed the wrong virtual button. I've had the same batteries in my HP for I have no idea how long - maybe 5 years? When they run low I have weeks to replace them.

Soapy Sam · 6th September 2011, 08:08 AM

Zooterkin-
http://myproffs.co.uk/index.php/news...top-making-pcs

CynicalSkeptic · 6th September 2011, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by Paul W

I also have a collection of slide rules dating back to the 1950s – including circular ones. Most maths teachers of my acquaintance haven’t a clue about their use, or even how and why they work. My argument is that the batteries don’t go flat.

I remember some scifi story where the ship's navigation computer died, so the crew had to do all the calculations by hand. They used abacuses, not slide rules, IIRC.

grmcdorman · 6th September 2011, 08:17 AM

I have still working 15C and 16C. Some of the best calculators HP ever made.

The 16C was the only calculator I know of that could be used for UNIVAC mainframes (which I worked on in the 80s). It can do 36 bit word, ones complement (actually, "word" size from 1 to 64 bit, one or twos complement). Most "programmer" calculators in the day were 32 bit, twos complement only.

dlorde · 6th September 2011, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Paul W

I also have a collection of slide rules dating back to the 1950s – including circular ones. Most maths teachers of my acquaintance haven’t a clue about their use, or even how and why they work. My argument is that the batteries don’t go flat.

Ah, good old slide rules... I used to have an Otis King Patent Calculator (a slide rule wrapped around a neat little cylinder). Still got the working HP67 I used in my first job (calculating skin-fold anthropometry measurements). The card reader doesn't, but I could fix it... maybe one day

The HP67 was replaced by a Commodore PET, which was much more fun (Star Trek games, etc).

Cuddles · 6th September 2011, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by Blue Mountain

No. The reissued HP-15C is priced at $100. I could get an Android for that price, but only by signing a contract to purchase an additional $1800 worth of telecom services ($50/mo for 36 months.)

You are joking, right? I can buy an Android phone for less than £50 with no contract.

Quote:

Link, please.

The sad part here is that I don't even need to direct you here, since someone already linked one example over an hour before you posted.

Originally Posted by roger

I use my HP almost every day. I don't have, or want a smart phone. I like physical buttons. When I do use a smart phone, I spend half my time on the backspace button because I pressed the wrong virtual button. I've had the same batteries in my HP for I have no idea how long - maybe 5 years? When they run low I have weeks to replace them.

True, battery life is one area calculators definitely have the advantage. I wouldn't consider it worth the ridiculous price though.

As for not wanting a smartphone, why not? As already noted, you can get one for half the price of the calculator, and you can get them with physical buttons. Surely it would make far more sense to just buy a phone, install a calculator app, then never use it for anything else? Not only would it be cheaper, but you'd also have a handy computer in pocket just in case you ever wanted something other than a calculator.

Or if you're absolutely hung up on not having something that could be mistaken for a phone, you can get something like this. Or if you want bigger keys you can get something like this (under £100, and probably under $100 if buy in the US. We tend to get ripped off over here), and can even get a cheap keyboard to plug into it.

Like I say, if you already have an old calculator I'm not saying you should immediately rush out and replace it. But there's just no reason to get excited over HP trying to rip you off by charging insane prices for something so utterly obsolete. If you're buying it out of nostalgia that's one thing (although still a massive rip off at that price), but buying it because you actually want a calculator is just crazy.

X · 6th September 2011, 08:41 AM

I have an HP 50G
I too am an RPN acolyte.

When in university, a lot of my friends had managed to get HP 48G's. I like those so much that when the 49G+ arrived, I bought one within a week. Of course, a few years later it up-and-died for no reason whatsoever, and HP refused to do anything about it (apparently, a more-than-$300 calculator can only be reasonably expected to last 3 years). But for the sake of RPN, I went and bought an HP 50 (what the 49G+ should have been in the first place).
But I bought it used, because with such a limited lifespan I wasn't keen on spending more than $100. One of the rubber feet has come unglued and fallen off, now it rocks and clicks on my desk when I use it.
By comparison, my other calculator is a Sharp 2-line display 469 function scientific. That sucker has lasted me for more than 10 years now. And only one battery change.
And it came with a paper manual, that I could use! I hate the CD-rom manual and the cheap pleather cases HP has now. The 49's had a nice padded pocket case, and a real manual. No having to race to a computer to see what to do. Marketing moronics 101, there.

In short:

RPN is awesome.

Hewlett-Packard product quality and support?
Decidedly not-awesome.

So, while I'm sure the 15C was a nice unit in its day, I wouldn't recommend spending the money on what is going to be a low-quality reproduction of antiquated equipment. Source out an original, or do like I do and collect mechanical calculators. It seems Paul W shares that anachronistic hobby.
ETA: looks like a few others do, too. I am jealous of your Otis, dlorde.

dlorde · 6th September 2011, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by X

... I am jealous of your Otis, dlorde.

Sadly it was 'borrowed' in the early '80s and never seen again

RussDill · 6th September 2011, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.

Feel (Buttons, formfactor, weight) - Check
Durability - Check
Battery life - Check

A smart phone has none of these things.

RussDill · 6th September 2011, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by X

I have an HP 50G
I too am an RPN acolyte.

When in university, a lot of my friends had managed to get HP 48G's. I like those so much that when the 49G+ arrived, I bought one within a week. Of course, a few years later it up-and-died for no reason whatsoever, and HP refused to do anything about it (apparently, a more-than-$300 calculator can only be reasonably expected to last 3 years). But for the sake of RPN, I went and bought an HP 50 (what the 49G+ should have been in the first place).

I hate to tell you this, but the 48g/gx was the end of the line as far as HP quality was concerned.

Hokulele · 6th September 2011, 10:15 AM

You will have my 11C (still with original case) when you pry it out of my cold, dead, clammy hands.

And I have dibs on Mom's original 41C.

Cayvmann · 6th September 2011, 10:23 AM

Just sold my old HP 11c. It was a great calculator for my engineering classes. I hated to see it go unused so I sold it. Sold for exactly what my parents paid for it in 1985. Worked like a charm after all these years.

5th September 2011, 08:23 AM	#1
Blue Mountain Resident Skeptical Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Waging war on woo-woo in Winnipeg Posts: 3,657	HP reissues classic HP-15C calculator Hewlett-Packard reintroduces the classic HP 15C calculator. Quote: Our classic 15c Scientific Calculator is back by popular demand! This limited collector's edition features the same intelligent design and compact size as the original, plus it's up to 100x faster. Packaged in a keepsake gift box, it makes a great gift for scientists, engineers and collectors. I had a similar calculator (HP-16C "Computer Scientist") about 25 years ago. When it died a few years later, I couldn't bear throw it out because it was such a neat little device. I still have it in a drawer, and I still have the manual. It was programmable, which meant I could write simple programs on it, and recall and run them later. The 15C is also programmable. And I liked RPN. Having your last four results in a stack was useful.
	__________________ The social illusion reigns to-day upon all the heaped-up ruins of the past, and to it belongs the future. The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Gustav Le Bon, The Crowd, 1895 (from the French) Canadian or living in Canada? PM me if you want an entry on the list of Canadians on the forum.

5th September 2011, 09:09 AM	#2
Complexity The Woo Whisperer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 9,263	Loved this calculator. Love RPN.
	__________________ "It is a great nuisance that knowledge can only be acquired by hard work." - W. Somerset Maugham "Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible; thought is merciless to privilege, established intuititions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man." - Bertrand Russell

5th September 2011, 09:17 AM	#4
Darat Lackey Administrator / JREF Forum Liaison Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South East, UK Posts: 64,990	Originally Posted by Blue Mountain ...snip... I had a similar calculator (HP-16C "Computer Scientist") about 25 years ago. When it died a few years later, I couldn't bear throw it out because it was such a neat little device. I still have it in a drawer, and I still have the manual. It was programmable, which meant I could write simple programs on it, and recall and run them later. The 15C is also programmable. And I liked RPN. Having your last four results in a stack was useful. You weren't a programming colleague of mine back in the 80s were you? One of my colleagues came back from a trip to the USA brandishing a HP16, and weren't we envious! Mind you, you could do with one now since your mental arithmetic is so bad, they were released in the early 80's - and the 80s can't be 25 years ago, that would make me old.
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5th September 2011, 09:30 AM	#5
Doubt Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 5,485	RPN is still great. And plenty of smart phone calculator apps can do it. My first and only HP was the 28. Fully programmable and did graphing.
Doubt Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 5,485	__________________ Doubt world tour locations: Mostly home for now. No international travel scheduled other than the Galapagos trip in March. Disclaimer: Not a high energy scientist!

5th September 2011, 09:34 AM	#7
Tim Thompson Muse Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles Posts: 966	Hp 15c Hey, this is real news! I have had mine, and it's original cover, since they came out. Can't remember when that was, but it finally failed only a couple months ago (still works intermittently). I will certainly replace it with a new one if I can.
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5th September 2011, 09:12 AM	#3
I Ratant Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15,305	My 16C is ready for the next (first) time I need to convert dec to hex.

5th September 2011, 09:33 AM	#6
JeanFromBNA Critical Thinker Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 399	I still use mine. I thought I got it in the 90's, though.

5th September 2011, 10:10 AM	#8
Ziggurat Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 26,285	Ah, calculators...
	__________________ "As long as it is admitted that the law may be diverted from its true purpose -- that it may violate property instead of protecting it -- then everyone will want to participate in making the law, either to protect himself against plunder or to use it for plunder. Political questions will always be prejudicial, dominant, and all-absorbing. There will be fighting at the door of the Legislative Palace, and the struggle within will be no less furious." - Bastiat, The Law

5th September 2011, 10:33 AM	#9
FreshHat Why, You Little... Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Funky Forest Posts: 1,087	Quote: Our classic 15c Scientific Calculator is back by popular demand! This limited collector's edition features the same intelligent design and compact size as the original, plus it's up to 100x faster. Packaged in a keepsake gift box, it makes a great gift for scientists, engineers and collectors. What, no pocket protector?
	__________________ "Pull the wool over your own eyes, and relax in the safety of your own delusions." J.R. "Bob" Dobbs

5th September 2011, 10:34 AM	#10
I Ratant Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15,305	The first LED watch I saw... exhibited by a booth babe at an airshow here.. Some numbers would show -the dirty word- when looked at upside down. "I'm not proud of my work", she said when I looked askance at this.

5th September 2011, 12:43 PM	#11
RussDill Illuminator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,349	It is frustrating that in general calculators have become a race to be the cheapest. I have an old HP-12C from high school, I looked around on the internet, they are going for $200 new. I'll probably have to pick up one of the 15C's. I do prefer RPN.
	__________________ The woods are lovely, dark and deep but i have promises to keep and lines to code before I sleep And lines to code before I sleep

5th September 2011, 12:52 PM	#12
Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Nap, interrupted. Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: a little toolshed Posts: 18,634	Originally Posted by Complexity Love RPN. RPN is God. ~~ Paul
	__________________ Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. ---Susan Ertz RIP Mr. Skinny

5th September 2011, 01:05 PM	#13
icerat Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: sweden Posts: 3,298	So that's why they axed the touchpad
	__________________ Benford's law of controversy - Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available On my Ignore List - Joecool NewtonTrino Porkchopjim Tex2 If someone on my ignore list posts something you'd like me to respond to, please let me know.

5th September 2011, 01:07 PM	#14
RussDill Illuminator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,349	What they need is a reboot of their popular rpn scientific and financial calculators with the same high quality durable casing and tactile keys with new e-paper displays. Possibly upping the durability with new materials.
	__________________ The woods are lovely, dark and deep but i have promises to keep and lines to code before I sleep And lines to code before I sleep Last edited by RussDill; 5th September 2011 at 01:09 PM.

5th September 2011, 01:12 PM	#15
icerat Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: sweden Posts: 3,298	Originally Posted by RussDill What they need is a reboot of their popular rpn scientific and financial calculators with the same high quality durable casing and tactile keys with new e-paper displays. Possibly upping the durability with new materials. e-paper would be irritating slow wouldn't it?
	__________________ Benford's law of controversy - Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available On my Ignore List - Joecool NewtonTrino Porkchopjim Tex2 If someone on my ignore list posts something you'd like me to respond to, please let me know.

5th September 2011, 01:24 PM	#16
RussDill Illuminator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,349	Originally Posted by icerat e-paper would be irritating slow wouldn't it? The smaller the screen, the faster it goes afaik. There are also algorithms for updating only a portion of the display, especially in the case of going from a blank area to a drawn area, as would be the case in number entry.
	__________________ The woods are lovely, dark and deep but i have promises to keep and lines to code before I sleep And lines to code before I sleep

5th September 2011, 01:25 PM	#17
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,929	Originally Posted by icerat So that's why they axed the touchpad HP is pulling out of personal computer production completely.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,929

5th September 2011, 02:03 PM	#18
Paul W Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 476	I still have a working Brunsviga calculator, which I occasionally use to demonstrate the basic principles of arithmetic to my grandchildren and their friends. I also have a collection of slide rules dating back to the 1950s – including circular ones. Most maths teachers of my acquaintance haven’t a clue about their use, or even how and why they work. My argument is that the batteries don’t go flat. Bring back log tables!
Paul W Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 476

5th September 2011, 03:57 PM	#19
RussDill Illuminator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,349	Anyone know when the 15c actually goes on sale?
	__________________ The woods are lovely, dark and deep but i have promises to keep and lines to code before I sleep And lines to code before I sleep

5th September 2011, 04:30 PM	#20
roger Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 11,062	I hope it is better than the reissued HP12C. I've had nothing but problems with it - keys not working, sticking, etc.
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5th September 2011, 11:17 PM	#21
Chris Haynes Perfectly Poisonous Person Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Wacky Washington Way Out West Posts: 4,214	Yay!!!! I love RPN!
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6th September 2011, 12:56 AM	#22
zooterkin Nitpicking dilettante Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Berkshire, mostly Posts: 25,042	The first calculator I used was RPN (my Dad's Sinclair Scientific), and I find it difficult to use a 'normal' one. I also hankered after an HP calculator from seeing the ads in Scientific American (if I remember correctly). I eventually got a 32S celebrating HP's 50th anniversary in 1989; it lives in my desk drawer, and I do use it from time to time, and it's still on the original batteries. Originally Posted by Soapy Sam HP is pulling out of personal computer production completely. They've said they are considering it.
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6th September 2011, 03:32 AM	#23
Cuddles Decoy Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: A magical land full of pink fluffy sheeps and bunnies Posts: 16,676	I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid.
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6th September 2011, 04:27 AM	#24
icerat Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: sweden Posts: 3,298	Originally Posted by Cuddles I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid. Huh, so there is - RPNCalc on the Android market. Still, people buy antique cars too
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6th September 2011, 04:50 AM	#25
erwinl Muse Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: A small country beneath the sea Posts: 616	I still got my HP-10C. It's been without batteries for some 20 years (if not more), but I still haven't entirely gotten used to the workings of conventional calculators.
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6th September 2011, 05:10 AM	#26
Howie Felterbush Bow Tie Daddy Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: In the twilight, singing all the old lullabies Posts: 5,333	Originally Posted by Cuddles I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid. Ask Harley-Davidson. Nostalgia sells.
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6th September 2011, 05:39 AM	#27
Blue Mountain Resident Skeptical Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Waging war on woo-woo in Winnipeg Posts: 3,657	Originally Posted by Cuddles For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. . No. The reissued HP-15C is priced at $100. I could get an Android for that price, but only by signing a contract to purchase an additional $1800 worth of telecom services ($50/mo for 36 months.) Quote: You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Link, please. Quote: Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid. Howie mentioned nostalgia. I say "hobby." I see people in my office spending thousands of dollars to sit in a noisy, cold arena and watch grown men bat a flat piece of rubber over an ice surface for three hours. It's called a "hockey game" and it's extremely popular in this part of the world. Other places have baseball and football. [snark]Bloody boring waste of time if you ask me.[/snark] People are willing to spend money on things that interest them. Some of us are interested in technology. It's just as unfair to label those people as "stupid" as it is for me to label the ones who spend money to attend sporting events as "stupid."
	__________________ The social illusion reigns to-day upon all the heaped-up ruins of the past, and to it belongs the future. The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Gustav Le Bon, The Crowd, 1895 (from the French) Canadian or living in Canada? PM me if you want an entry on the list of Canadians on the forum. Last edited by Blue Mountain; 6th September 2011 at 05:42 AM.

6th September 2011, 07:23 AM	#28
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,929	Originally Posted by zooterkin The first calculator I used was RPN (my Dad's Sinclair Scientific), and I find it difficult to use a 'normal' one. I also hankered after an HP calculator from seeing the ads in Scientific American (if I remember correctly). I eventually got a 32S celebrating HP's 50th anniversary in 1989; it lives in my desk drawer, and I do use it from time to time, and it's still on the original batteries. They've said they are considering it. I built a Sinclair from the kit in "Practical Electronics Today". Cost £16.95 at a time when an equivalent Casio was about £100. Some years later , I succumbed to the allure of an HP41C in Salt Lake City. $413.00 ! But gosh, I had some fun with that.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,929

6th September 2011, 07:46 AM	#29
roger Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 11,062	Originally Posted by Cuddles I see Zigurat beat me to the xkcd strip, but seriously, what the hell is the point? For the same price, you can get a phone that can do everything the calculator can, but much faster. You can even get an emulator app so that it is identical to the calculator is every respect other than the actual physical buttons. Why would anyone waste that much money on a completely worthless piece of obsolete technology? I can kind of see keeping an old one on the grounds that there's no reason to get rid of something that still works perfectly well, but buying a brand new one is just plain stupid. I use my HP almost every day. I don't have, or want a smart phone. I like physical buttons. When I do use a smart phone, I spend half my time on the backspace button because I pressed the wrong virtual button. I've had the same batteries in my HP for I have no idea how long - maybe 5 years? When they run low I have weeks to replace them.
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6th September 2011, 08:08 AM	#30
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,929	Zooterkin- http://myproffs.co.uk/index.php/news...top-making-pcs
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,929

6th September 2011, 08:17 AM	#31
CynicalSkeptic Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: state of denial Posts: 1,407	Originally Posted by Paul W I also have a collection of slide rules dating back to the 1950s – including circular ones. Most maths teachers of my acquaintance haven’t a clue about their use, or even how and why they work. My argument is that the batteries don’t go flat. I remember some scifi story where the ship's navigation computer died, so the crew had to do all the calculations by hand. They used abacuses, not slide rules, IIRC.

6th September 2011, 08:17 AM	#32
grmcdorman Muse Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 866	I have still working 15C and 16C. Some of the best calculators HP ever made. The 16C was the only calculator I know of that could be used for UNIVAC mainframes (which I worked on in the 80s). It can do 36 bit word, ones complement (actually, "word" size from 1 to 64 bit, one or twos complement). Most "programmer" calculators in the day were 32 bit, twos complement only.
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6th September 2011, 08:25 AM	#33
dlorde Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,654	Originally Posted by Paul W I also have a collection of slide rules dating back to the 1950s – including circular ones. Most maths teachers of my acquaintance haven’t a clue about their use, or even how and why they work. My argument is that the batteries don’t go flat. Ah, good old slide rules... I used to have an Otis King Patent Calculator (a slide rule wrapped around a neat little cylinder). Still got the working HP67 I used in my first job (calculating skin-fold anthropometry measurements). The card reader doesn't, but I could fix it... maybe one day The HP67 was replaced by a Commodore PET, which was much more fun (Star Trek games, etc).
dlorde Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,654	__________________ Simple probability tells us that we should expect coincidences, and simple psychology tells us that we'll remember the ones we notice...

6th September 2011, 08:35 AM	#34
Cuddles Decoy Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: A magical land full of pink fluffy sheeps and bunnies Posts: 16,676	Originally Posted by Blue Mountain No. The reissued HP-15C is priced at $100. I could get an Android for that price, but only by signing a contract to purchase an additional $1800 worth of telecom services ($50/mo for 36 months.) You are joking, right? I can buy an Android phone for less than £50 with no contract. Quote: Link, please. The sad part here is that I don't even need to direct you here, since someone already linked one example over an hour before you posted. Originally Posted by roger I use my HP almost every day. I don't have, or want a smart phone. I like physical buttons. When I do use a smart phone, I spend half my time on the backspace button because I pressed the wrong virtual button. I've had the same batteries in my HP for I have no idea how long - maybe 5 years? When they run low I have weeks to replace them. True, battery life is one area calculators definitely have the advantage. I wouldn't consider it worth the ridiculous price though. As for not wanting a smartphone, why not? As already noted, you can get one for half the price of the calculator, and you can get them with physical buttons. Surely it would make far more sense to just buy a phone, install a calculator app, then never use it for anything else? Not only would it be cheaper, but you'd also have a handy computer in pocket just in case you ever wanted something other than a calculator. Or if you're absolutely hung up on not having something that could be mistaken for a phone, you can get something like this. Or if you want bigger keys you can get something like this (under £100, and probably under $100 if buy in the US. We tend to get ripped off over here), and can even get a cheap keyboard to plug into it. Like I say, if you already have an old calculator I'm not saying you should immediately rush out and replace it. But there's just no reason to get excited over HP trying to rip you off by charging insane prices for something so utterly obsolete. If you're buying it out of nostalgia that's one thing (although still a massive rip off at that price), but buying it because you actually want a calculator is just crazy.
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6th September 2011, 08:41 AM	#35
X Slide Rulez 4 Life Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Launching the army, waiting for Hok to commit her forces (then the moles strike...) Posts: 4,087	I have an HP 50G I too am an RPN acolyte. When in university, a lot of my friends had managed to get HP 48G's. I like those so much that when the 49G+ arrived, I bought one within a week. Of course, a few years later it up-and-died for no reason whatsoever, and HP refused to do anything about it (apparently, a more-than-$300 calculator can only be reasonably expected to last 3 years). But for the sake of RPN, I went and bought an HP 50 (what the 49G+ should have been in the first place). But I bought it used, because with such a limited lifespan I wasn't keen on spending more than $100. One of the rubber feet has come unglued and fallen off, now it rocks and clicks on my desk when I use it. By comparison, my other calculator is a Sharp 2-line display 469 function scientific. That sucker has lasted me for more than 10 years now. And only one battery change. And it came with a paper manual, that I could use! I hate the CD-rom manual and the cheap pleather cases HP has now. The 49's had a nice padded pocket case, and a real manual. No having to race to a computer to see what to do. Marketing moronics 101, there. In short: RPN is awesome. Hewlett-Packard product quality and support? Decidedly not-awesome. So, while I'm sure the 15C was a nice unit in its day, I wouldn't recommend spending the money on what is going to be a low-quality reproduction of antiquated equipment. Source out an original, or do like I do and collect mechanical calculators. It seems Paul W shares that anachronistic hobby. ETA: looks like a few others do, too. I am jealous of your Otis, dlorde.
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