old skool calculator

Although it has nothing to do with music, nor its reproduction, I know there is a good chance you are going to dig this: a software version of the classic HP-15C calculator.

I remember being intrigued in the 80s by this series of calculators and its slightly intimidating reverse polish notation (RPN).

I never owned one of these or any other RPN calculator, but a year or two ago I took the (soft) plunge and installed on my computers this (soft) HP-15C as the main calculator. Apart from back-to-the-80s nostalgia, it was a personal experiment in man–machine interaction; to see how I would adjust to RPN.

Turns out that exactly five things work differently in RPN: +, -, ×, ÷ and y^x (OK, the first four matter, a lot). That and nr. 6: no brackets (needed) to marshall operator precedence.

I duly adjusted, and can offer the following observations:

• it feels like unnecessary effort every time I have to use the Enter key, although I know that in the long run RPN requires less key strokes;
• I am aware of the effort it takes to operate the RPN way, although I know that using +, -, ×, ÷ and y^x in more elaborate equations on normal calculators takes planning ahead too;
• on normal calculators I now make the mistake of trying to enter RPN—but only after an initial calculation, when RPN starts having an edge and the Enter key is not needed.

The best thing about the software HP-15C is that it is available for mac, linux and windows—enjoy.