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From: Manatee on 27 Dec 2006 00:06
I installed the Fin49a package on my 50g, but I'm having trouble
understanding how to use it.

By the way, I'm using RPN mode. In the txt file that describes the
functions, it seems to assume RPN mode.

I see the various subdirectories for Tvm, Stck, Simp, Opts, Gnpv, Dsec,
Dep,... I click on one of these, and there is a GO-> menu label followed by
various other labels. I'm supposed to press the GO-> button, which in some
cases brings up a list of variables on the screen that apply to the problem.

For example, pressing the GO-> button for the Dep (depreciation) folder
brings up a screen that looks like:

Depreciation

Book = 0.00
Salvage = 0.00
Life = 0.00
DB Fact = 0.00

and buttons for: SBV, SAL, LIFE, FCTR, <empty>, CLV

If I press the NXT button, I get more soft menu buttons, but the display of
variables and values disappears, and the stack reappears.

Ok, so now I want to enter values for the variables.

I enter 5000, and click SBV (book value), and I get an error message: THEN
Error: Bad Argument Type

So maybe I didn't use the keys properly. Maybe I should have Entered the
value onto the stack before I pressed the SBV soft key. Or maybe I should
press left-shift before the SBV key.

In any case, the GO-> button no longer produces the Depreciation screen or
brings up the soft keys.

What do I need to do to get the menus and variables back to their original
state?

And what is the proper method for entering the values for the variables?

So far, the only way I've been able to reset it so that GO-> works as it
does initially is to Purge my Fin49 directory and reload it from a PC.
That's not good. I have a lot to learn about operating this little machine.

Thanks.
Peter


From: John H Meyers on 27 Dec 2006 02:54
On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:06:23 -0600,
Peter carefully and thoroughly documented
(setting a very good example for everyone else :)

> I installed the Fin49a package on my 50g, but I'm having trouble
> understanding how to use it.

This is contributed software, so it's solely a matter
of what its author wrote, how well documented,
how well instructions are followed,
and in this case one more thing that just happens
to occur sometimes, when older programs (for 48G series)
are transferred to a new environment.

The author's documentation in this case is very extensive
and explicit, isn't it?

I did not try everything, but found that whatever examples
I followed exactly as in the original author's guide seemed to work;
the problem in this case is only that you inadvertently created
an input of a type which didn't exist when the original program
was written, as explained below.

> By the way, I'm using RPN mode. In the txt file that
> describes the functions, it seems to assume RPN mode.

The majority of calc software does, especially that which was
originally written for HP48GX, as this was, since that calculator
has *only* RPN mode. Since the HP48GX also had no such thing
as special "exact integer" objects, it might be best
to set your 49/50 series calc to "Approximate" mode
before starting to use this package, to reproduce
the original environment, and to avoid creating any input
that might be unexpected by the original program.

In fact, unless you are using the CAS for symbolic stuff,
it usually pays to keep your calc in Approximate mode,
which is all that Financial calculations are, anyway :)

> I see the subdirectories for Tvm, Stck, Simp, Opts, Gnpv, Dsec,
> Dep,... I click on one of these, and there is a GO-> menu label
> followed by various other labels. I'm supposed to press the GO-> button,
> which in some cases brings up a list of variables on the screen
> that apply to the problem.

That's what the instructions indicate, and that's what seems to work.

> For example, pressing the GO-> button for the Dep (depreciation)
> folder brings up a screen that looks like:
>
> Depreciation
>
> Book = 0.00
> Salvage = 0.00
> Life = 0.00
> DB Fact = 0.00
>
> and buttons for: SBV, SAL, LIFE, FCTR, <empty>, CLV

> If I press the NXT button, I get more soft menu buttons,
> but the display of variables and values disappears,
> and the stack reappears.

The author has not created his own graphical interface,
but relies on a standard feature of the calculator
which "freezes" displayed screen data only until the next
keypress, as you also observe when starting to type any data.

The instructions say "the NXT set of menu keys
is used to calculate depreciation and crossover.
Key in the year for which you want to calculate depreciation
and press the appropriate key."

I expect that a new display is generated
each time that a calculation is invoked,
so no need to worry about the previous display.

Within this particular software package,
you can also always press VAR and then GO-> again,
which seems to start off with a complete display.

> Ok, so now I want to enter values for the variables.
>
> I enter 5000, and click SBV (book value),
> and I get an error message:
> THEN Error: Bad Argument Type

You were in "Exact" mode, so the input "5000" [sans "."] became an
unanticipated "integer" object instead of a "real number" object;
setting "Approximate" mode before starting to enter data
will eliminate this problem, caused by creating new stuff
in the 49/50 series that didn't exist in the 48G series,
which was what this original software was written for.

Windows XP users can think of this as analogous to
"compatibility mode," which must be set for some programs
which were originally developed when Windows was simpler and better :)

> Maybe I should have Entered the value onto the stack
> before I pressed the SBV soft key.

Makes no difference; you don't have to second-guess
the instructions, which say "Data is entered by
keying in the value and pressing the variable key,"
as the problem isn't in this area.

> Or maybe I should press left-shift before the SBV key.

Better not to take wild guesses that aren't in the instructions.

Shifted menu keys might do something unexpected; you might sometimes
store input into a variable containing a program, for example,
but in this case, the author did a good job of protecting
against this, by carefully creating the special "GO->" menus,
which do *not* work the same way as the built-in VAR menu,
so it won't pay to try to fly an airplane by stepping on
"gas" and "brake" pedals found on a different type of vehicle :)

> In any case, the GO-> button no longer produces the
> Depreciation screen or brings up the soft keys.

Re-entry of "5000" (integer) as "5000." (real) should fix everything;
in Approximate mode you won't need to type the decimal point, however,
because all numeric input is assumed "real" type in that mode.

So the entire matter boils down to two things:

o First set "Approximate" mode (the *only* mode in original 48G)

o Then just follow the instructions -- including "If you like
these and use these, please send me [Don Phillips] an email" :)

With best wishes from http://www.mum.edu
and http://www.maharishischooliowa.org
(where all of Creation does the calculation :)
From: Raymond Del Tondo on 27 Dec 2006 03:59
Hi John,

way OT, but anyway:

"John H Meyers" <jhmeyers(a)nomail.invalid> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:op.tk7j9ou5nn735j(a)isdept23.ia.mum.edu...
On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:06:23 -0600,
>[..]
> Windows XP users can think of this as analogous to
> "compatibility mode," which must be set for some programs
> which were originally developed when Windows was simpler and better :)
>
Of course I noticed the smiley;-)

Actually, I have long time experiences with nearly all Windows versions,
from 3.0 to XP .
Although XP is a 'big monster' regarding the footprint,
it's the only Windows version where I didn't experience a single blue screen
so far,
or crash or lockup in general, in about three years of heavy usage.

The next best versions were W2K, and then NT 4.0 , which are very stable,
too.

The DOS-Shell types of Windows (3.x, 9x, ME) can't be considered as stable.

As a side note, my Nokia 770 running a Debian derivate crashes nearly every
day,
because the built-in Operas browser is buggy/unstable.
I think it'll be the last Linux machine I bought for the next few years.

Hope I can afford an XP UMPC soon...

Regards

Raymond


From: Veli-Pekka Nousiainen on 27 Dec 2006 11:49

"Raymond Del Tondo" <RDelT(a)gmx.de> wrote in message
news:emtcmq$s95$03$1(a)news.t-online.com...
> Hi John,
>
> way OT, but anyway:
>
> "John H Meyers" <jhmeyers(a)nomail.invalid> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> news:op.tk7j9ou5nn735j(a)isdept23.ia.mum.edu...
> On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:06:23 -0600,
>>[..]
>> Windows XP users can think of this as analogous to
>> "compatibility mode," which must be set for some programs
>> which were originally developed when Windows was simpler and better :)
>>
> Of course I noticed the smiley;-)
>
> Actually, I have long time experiences with nearly all Windows versions,
> from 3.0 to XP .
> Although XP is a 'big monster' regarding the footprint,
> it's the only Windows version where I didn't experience a single blue
> screen so far,
> or crash or lockup in general, in about three years of heavy usage.
>
> The next best versions were W2K, and then NT 4.0 , which are very stable,
> too.
>
> The DOS-Shell types of Windows (3.x, 9x, ME) can't be considered as
> stable.
>
> As a side note, my Nokia 770 running a Debian derivate crashes nearly
> every day,
> because the built-in Operas browser is buggy/unstable.
> I think it'll be the last Linux machine I bought for the next few years.

Is it the 2005 version (early alpha I would call it)
or the new 2006 version (beta?)
They have a 870 coming up
I hope for 2007 software version...


From: Raymond Del Tondo on 27 Dec 2006 19:58
Hi Veli,

it's the official Internet Tablet OS 2006 edition,
version 1.2006.26-8 .
I know there's a later release,
but upgrading the Flash and reinstalling
all apps is a painful job. I've done that twice.
It takes about half an hour, not counting
the re-install time for the other apps.

And worse, Minimo, the only browser which could have been
an alternative to the built-in Opera stuff,
doesn't seem to be developed any further.

After all, the 770 has been announced as Internet Tablet,
but for exactly that purpose, browsing the web with the 770,
the unit is too slow IMHO,
and the built-in browser is not as good as it could be,
to use calm words;-)

I don't think the 870 will be much better in this respect,
since it has the same limits, uses the same base OS and browser,
and AFAIK it has the same slow ARM CPU.

Regards

Raymond


"Veli-Pekka Nousiainen" <DROP_vpn(a)dlc.fi> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:fuxkh.10060$Wd4.9364(a)reader1.news.saunalahti.fi...
>
> "Raymond Del Tondo" <RDelT(a)gmx.de> wrote in message
> news:emtcmq$s95$03$1(a)news.t-online.com...
>> Hi John,
>>
>> way OT, but anyway:
>>
>> "John H Meyers" <jhmeyers(a)nomail.invalid> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>> news:op.tk7j9ou5nn735j(a)isdept23.ia.mum.edu...
>> On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:06:23 -0600,
>>>[..]
>>> Windows XP users can think of this as analogous to
>>> "compatibility mode," which must be set for some programs
>>> which were originally developed when Windows was simpler and better :)
>>>
>> Of course I noticed the smiley;-)
>>
>> Actually, I have long time experiences with nearly all Windows versions,
>> from 3.0 to XP .
>> Although XP is a 'big monster' regarding the footprint,
>> it's the only Windows version where I didn't experience a single blue
>> screen so far,
>> or crash or lockup in general, in about three years of heavy usage.
>>
>> The next best versions were W2K, and then NT 4.0 , which are very stable,
>> too.
>>
>> The DOS-Shell types of Windows (3.x, 9x, ME) can't be considered as
>> stable.
>>
>> As a side note, my Nokia 770 running a Debian derivate crashes nearly
>> every day,
>> because the built-in Operas browser is buggy/unstable.
>> I think it'll be the last Linux machine I bought for the next few years.
>
> Is it the 2005 version (early alpha I would call it)
> or the new 2006 version (beta?)
> They have a 870 coming up
> I hope for 2007 software version...
>
>



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