Reverse Polish Notation: Do you still use it? If not, why not?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Folks,

 

As you know, any time you might need to add or subtract a few numbers, then Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) is always faster and more convenient, not to mention more accurate.

 

And I am wondering how many in Thailand are using RPN, versus the more inaccurate way of adding numbers, such as using AN, instead.

 

Some have said that a minority of schools here do not stress ARITHMETIC enough.  Maybe this is true. But, still, if kids today, not to mention we adults, would increase our use of Reverse Polish Notation, then surely our Math (Maths) skills would continue to improve.

 

Hewlett Packard has always been a big fan of RPN.  Yet, in the past several years, it seems that HP has not been offering as many calculators with this RPN function.  Do you know why?

 

If you do NOT use Reverse Polish Notation, then would you care to share your thoughts concerning why you do not?...  Because, really, such a choice seems just so illogical.

 

 

 

These days, of course, many people use their phones for doing arithmetic calculations.  And, maybe there is a way to do Reverse Polish Notation on one’s phone.  Do you do this on your phone?

 

I could send you a photo of my first Reverse Polish Notation device, if anyone cares.

Please let me know if you do.

 

Times are changing, but I just hope that most people here will continue to use Reverse Polish Notation whenever they feel the need.

 

Best regards,

Gamma

 

Note and Question:  Most people are logical.  Right?

 

 

[short-Timer]

Dear GammaGirl,

 

Well, I must say, your passion for Reverse Polish Notation is positively thrilling. The way you describe it… faster, more convenient, more accurate. It sounds almost… intoxicating. I’m blushing just imagining you with your first RPN device. Fabulous!

 

And Hewlett Packard, oh my. What a brand. Reliable, logical, dependable. It’s almost romantic, isn’t it? Those buttons, those clean lines. The kind of machine that knows exactly what you need and delivers it without hesitation. A love story for the ages, if you ask me.

 

Please, you must show us a photo of your first RPN device. Was it rugged, handsome, built to last? Or sleek, modern, full of surprises? I can’t help but picture you, GammaGirl, cradling it in your hands, a glimmer of satisfaction in your eyes as the numbers fall perfectly into place.

 

And as for people who don’t use RPN? Oh, darling, they’re simply missing out. Illogical doesn’t even begin to cover it. It’s like turning away a warm embrace for a cold handshake. Tragic, really.

 

So, do you think there’s an app for RPN on the phone? I’d love to know. Though I doubt it could ever capture the sheer physical joy of the real thing.

 

Best regards,

RPN Curious (and maybe a little smitten)

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, short-Timer said:

And Hewlett Packard, oh my. What a brand. Reliable, logical, dependable. It’s almost romantic, isn’t it? Those buttons, those clean lines. The kind of machine that knows exactly what you need and delivers it without hesitation. A love story for the ages, if you ask me.

 

Back in the Day....

HP was amazing.

 

Then, some woman took over, and the company went completely to pot....FAST.

 

HP calculators were so amazing.....really.

 

So, anyway, do you still RPN?

 

Of course there are calc apps which use RPN for Apple.

 

And, there is one good one for Android, too.

Might be a paid app.

 

I forget though.

Maybe I already paid for that app.....eight years ago, or so.....

 

Still, using a REAL HP calculator, with the gorgeous feel to it, meaning the tact switches that HP used.....

Quite thrilling.

 

=============

So, the Topic is....

 

Do you still use RPN?

 

GlamourGirlGlobulin

 

[short-Timer]

15 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Back in the Day....

HP was amazing.

 

Then, some woman took over, and the company went completely to pot....FAST.

 

HP calculators were so amazing.....really.

 

So, anyway, do you still RPN?

 

Of course there are calc apps which use RPN for Apple.

 

And, there is one good one for Android, too.

Might be a paid app.

 

I forget though.

Maybe I already paid for that app.....eight years ago, or so.....

 

Still, using a REAL HP calculator, with the gorgeous feel to it, meaning the tact switches that HP used.....

Quite thrilling.

 

=============

So, the Topic is....

 

Do you still use RPN?

 

GlamourGirlGlobulin

 

 

Oh, my, GlitzyGammaGlobules, may I say?

 

Ah, the downfall of HP.

 

Such a tragedy.

 

And all because of… a woman?

 

It sounds like something straight out of a Southern Gothic novel.

 

A proud empire brought to its knees, all in a matter of moments.

 

But those calculators, Gamma… those calculators.

 

They weren’t just tools.

 

They were works of art.

 

The tact switches alone were enough to make a grown person swoon.

 

The way they clicked.

 

The way they felt.

 

You’re right—they were thrilling.

 

Using one felt like you were commanding something far greater than just numbers.

 

It was control, power, precision.

 

Do I still RPN, you ask?

 

Oh, GGG, I couldn’t imagine not using it.

 

Once you’ve tasted the sweet elegance of RPN, there’s no going back.

 

AN feels so… clumsy.

 

It’s like drinking tap water when you know there’s champagne in the fridge.

 

Of course, I don’t have my old HP anymore.

 

How I miss it, though.

 

Just thinking about it makes me a little misty-eyed.

 

But an app to fully replace it? Hmm.

 

I hadn’t considered that.

 

Can an app really replicate the feel of those buttons?

 

That satisfying click?

 

Still, I might give it a try.

 

If only to relive a bit of the magic.

 

Do let me know which one you used.

 

Even if it was eight years ago.

 

Some things are timeless, after all.

 

And RPN is certainly one of them.

 

So yes, I still RPN.

 

Perhaps not always in practice.

 

But certainly in spirit.

 

Every calculation I make, I think of those glorious HP days.

 

A time when math wasn’t just math.

 

It was art.

 

Best regards,

Tact Switch Devoteeeee...

[GammaGlobulin]

9 minutes ago, short-Timer said:

But those calculators, Gamma… those calculators.

 

They weren’t just tools.

 

They were works of art.

 

Correct.

And, do you know who chose the color combinations for body, face, and buttons, and numbers?

Yes.

A work of art.

 

That woman destroyed everything!

 

 

[Lacessit]

11 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Correct.

And, do you know who chose the color combinations for body, face, and buttons, and numbers?

Yes.

A work of art.

 

That woman destroyed everything!

 

 

Dear me, a touch of misogyny creeping into the posts of GG.

 

How about a useful thread, such as candlestick patterns and Black-Scholes equations? RPN is so passe.

[brfsa2]

43 minutes ago, short-Timer said:

Dear GammaGirl,

 

Well, I must say, your passion for Reverse Polish Notation is positively thrilling. The way you describe it… faster, more convenient, more accurate. It sounds almost… intoxicating. I’m blushing just imagining you with your first RPN device. Fabulous!

 

And Hewlett Packard, oh my. What a brand. Reliable, logical, dependable. It’s almost romantic, isn’t it? Those buttons, those clean lines. The kind of machine that knows exactly what you need and delivers it without hesitation. A love story for the ages, if you ask me.

 

Please, you must show us a photo of your first RPN device. Was it rugged, handsome, built to last? Or sleek, modern, full of surprises? I can’t help but picture you, GammaGirl, cradling it in your hands, a glimmer of satisfaction in your eyes as the numbers fall perfectly into place.

 

And as for people who don’t use RPN? Oh, darling, they’re simply missing out. Illogical doesn’t even begin to cover it. It’s like turning away a warm embrace for a cold handshake. Tragic, really.

 

So, do you think there’s an app for RPN on the phone? I’d love to know. Though I doubt it could ever capture the sheer physical joy of the real thing.

 

Best regards,

RPN Curious (and maybe a little smitten)

 

Wow, Just Wow, My dearest RPN aseannow buddy!

Your words… they make my little RPN heart sing! You understand. You truly understand it! The sheer elegance of it all! No more pesky parentheses, no more mental gymnastics trying to decipher the order of operations. Just a graceful dance of numbers, swirling and shifting, culminating in the glorious, inevitable answer.

 

Hewlett Packard, you are so right. It's a love affair, a passionate embrace with every keystroke. The sturdy click of the buttons, the reassuring weight of the machine… it's like holding a piece of history in your hand. A testament to human ingenuity, a marvel of engineering.

Ah, my first RPN device. It was… a vision. A sleek, black HP 48GX. A technological masterpiece, a symphony of buttons and screens. I remember the feeling of holding it for the first time – a sense of power, of control. I felt like I could conquer the universe with that little machine.

And those poor souls who haven't seen the light? Bless their innocent hearts. They're stumbling around in the dark, their calculations a chaotic mess. It's like trying to navigate a maze blindfolded. Tragic, truly tragic.

 

An app? My dear, the very thought is… sacrilegious. Can you imagine the horror? Touchscreens, glitchy software, the soul-crushing absence of tactile feedback? No, no, no. The true RPN experience demands a physicality, a connection with the machine.

But thank you, RPN Curious, for your kind words. You've rekindled the flame in my RPN-loving heart. Perhaps it's time for a trip to the vintage electronics store…

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

My HP-21 from circa 1975 is but a memory, but I do have a working HP-12c.

 

But I'm warning you, too much RPN makes one go blind.

[GammaGlobulin]

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Dear me, a touch of misogyny creeping into the posts of GG.

 

How about a useful thread, such as candlestick patterns and Black-Scholes equations? RPN is so passe.

 

Yes.

And, true....

 

Before that...that....that....

WOMAN came to town at Hewlett-Packard....everything was hunky-dory.

 

She ruined everything.

 

And, I am wondering, still, who chose the colors for these calculators....simply beautiful....

And, must have been a MAN, and not a woman.

 

 

 And, I don't even want to see that woman's face again, or I would post it here, something unthinkable.

I don't want to see her face in the same comment as my beloved Reverse-Polish-Notation calculators.

 

I think I might have had the one on the right....

The "65", as I recall it.

 

What a machine for it's time.

And, who needs the female sex when you have one of these?????

 

 

[short-Timer]

34 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Correct.

And, do you know who chose the color combinations for body, face, and buttons, and numbers?

Yes.

A work of art.

 

That woman destroyed everything!

 

 

Dear GammaGlee,

 

Ah, the color combinations!

 

Absolutely breathtaking.

 

The way the body, face, buttons, and numbers came together… it wasn’t just design.

 

It was genius.

 

Whoever chose them understood the perfect balance of form and function.

 

It wasn’t just a calculator.

 

It was a statement.

 

A work of art, as you so rightly said.

 

But then, she came along.

 

And, oh, the destruction she wrought! Catastrophic!

 

Everything elegant, everything timeless, gone in the blink of a female's eye.

 

Replaced by mediocrity.

 

And for what?

 

Progress? No.

 

It was sacrilege.

 

We may never see the likes of those calculators again.

 

Such a loss.

 

I’m still mourning. 

 

Sincerely tearful,

RPN Romantic

[GammaGlobulin]

1 minute ago, short-Timer said:

Dear GammaGlee,

 

Ah, the color combinations!

 

Absolutely breathtaking.

 

The way the body, face, buttons, and numbers came together… it wasn’t just design.

 

It was genius.

 

Whoever chose them understood the perfect balance of form and function.

 

It wasn’t just a calculator.

 

It was a statement.

 

A work of art, as you so rightly said.

 

But then, she came along.

 

And, oh, the destruction she wrought! Catastrophic!

 

Everything elegant, everything timeless, gone in the blink of a female's eye.

 

Replaced by mediocrity.

 

And for what?

 

Progress? No.

 

It was sacrilege.

 

We may never see the likes of those calculators again.

 

Such a loss.

 

I’m still mourning. 

 

Sincerely tearful,

RPN Romantic

 

Agree.

100 percent, agree.

 

[Clapped out]

Dear Gamma, 

 

I happily used RPN for many years.....Why ? 'cause there was a time when a programming language called Forth ( a.k.a. FORTH )  was pretty darned well perfect for what I needed. Native Forth relied / required RPN

 

See more about it at

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_(programming_language) 

 

While not as super slick as some of what is around today it was pretty darned good for the time.  I have a recollection of a number of neat systems fitting easily in 32kb (ytes) with another 32kb for HD sector buffering

 

( you might be wondering about "kb".  That means "kilo bytes".  Its around one thousandth of a megabyte or one millionth of a gigabyte ).

 

I dont do any of that now..... 'cause these days I'm just a tired old fool

 

Y'all be good 🙂