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Calculatable (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by HootinNHollerin to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Problem is on some calculators C is clear all and CE is clear entry, on some C is clear entry and AC is clear all, and some have a C/AC or CE/C button where it’s press once to clear entry and press twice to clear all.

So it’s safest to mash unless you really know your calculator, because the industry can’t get its shit together, and that’s the sole reason it died (I’m assuming.)

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Why didn't they just make one Clear and make another Backspace? The concept of erasing the last character had been in typewriters for a while by then, and this is far more obvious. Maybe erasing a single digit in earlier software/hardware was much harder than just clearing it all?

[–] RememberTheApollo_ 16 points 2 weeks ago

Some do that, too. Unfortunately the weight of tradition seems to enforce the C/CE/AC key preference.

Even the iphone built in OS calculator has the “AC” button unless you manually tap the entry window, then you get a backspace.

[–] InverseParallax 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Because calculators used to use paper, and clear entry basically invalidated the line.

This kept the same interface for the really old paper calculator users.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226285302528

http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/busicom_141-pf.html the granddaddy of calculators, and the one the Intel 4004 processor was designed for.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

but we got digital typewriters that still used paper and those added the obvious functions like backspace and actual text editing tools, why didn't calculators progress the same?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks I was looking at the answer and thinking it didn't fit my memory. i'm sure most of mine were ACs. TBF with things like VPAM coming in the late 90s, you did have backspace and all sorts of stuff like that.

I still remember doing linear regression in a stats exam on i think a casio fx-115W something like that . Excellent calculator - but just no, it was time for some things to be on a real computer.