Comment by wtallis
5 years ago
Since the HP50g is running an emulator of the 48G, it inherits a lot of the UI lag. It also inherits most of the UI efficiency; in my experience, the keystrokes saved outweigh any remaining visual latency deficit relative to the TI-89. But that's contingent on learning how to use it well in the manner of becoming a power user of emacs, while the TI-89's UI paradigms and learning curve feel more like using Microsoft Office.
>in my experience, the keystrokes saved outweigh any remaining visual latency deficit
In mine, lack of responsiveness makes the 50g a non-starter.
Anything less than effective immediate feedback is unacceptable for interactive use.
That paradigm simply doesn't belong in a hand calculator.
> Anything less than effective immediate feedback is unacceptable for interactive use.
I feel like you're ignoring the presence of tactile feedback, which is in fact effective on the device in question. Possibly because basically no other electronic gadgets in your life give reliable tactile feedback anymore, so you're used to visual feedback as the only indicator that your tactile input was registered.
I use mechanical keyboards. I also use vim. I'm familiar with the concepts you're on about.
I used the hp50g throughout university. I'm well acquainted with it and with typing faster and navigating menus faster than the screen can update.
Regardless, there's literal centimeters of distance between keyboard and CPU. There's no excuse for the calculator UI to lag noticeably relative to the keypresses.
I got the ti-89 out of sheer curiosity, mostly because it's 68k based. After using it just a little, it was obvious to me I wouldn't be suffering the 50g much anymore.