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786 Part 4½ Family Range, Compatibility, and Evolution
Section 3½ Evolution of HP Calculators

constraint on user compatibility between generations. Chapters 48, 49, and 31 sketch the designs of the three major generations of Hewlett-Packard desk-top calculators. Functionality has increased with each generation and is best exemplified by the programming interface. HP 9100A programs consisted of arithmetic keystroke functions and program control operations (e.g., GO TO and IF). The HP 9800 series ranged from an algebraic language through BASIC, traditionally a computer-based language. The perception is that the HP 9810/20/30 series is matched to user functionality rather than software compatibility. The HP 9845 also supports BASIC. This section concludes, in Chap. 50, with some observations by Tom Osborne, one of the architects of the Hewlett-Packard desk-top series.
 
 

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