[PopePompus]

There was a time when I would have salivated over this. But now I can run iPython on my phone, and have numpy, sympi, scipy, astropy and countless other packages. Physical keyboards are great for calculators - much better than virtual keyboards on phones. But the keyboard advantage seems to me most valuable for quick calculations, not elaborate things like this calculator offers. If I'm going to do matrix calculations, I want to be able to put the data into a file with a real, and familiar, editor. I want to be able to grab tables of data from the web. If I make a plot, I want to be able to save it to a PNG file. I want a high resolution color display. A phone running iPython/Python seems much better to me, especially since almost everyone who would want to do what this calculator does already has a smartphone. Also, I can ssh into my phone and interact with it using my desktop computer's keyboard and monitor, eliminating the phone keyboard limitations when a full sized computer is nearby.

[Baeocystin]

I don't really disagree with anything you've said, but I still feel a warm spot in my heart from projects like this. I still have (and use!) my HP48SX from my high school days, and it still works like it always has. There is something to be said for a device's limitations, and I mean that honestly. It's very powerful for what it is, but its processing limitations keeps me from overextending, which is something very easy to do with the pocket supercomputers we've all gotten used to carrying around over the previous decade. (And its keys are simply a delight to press compared to even the best glass touchscreen.)

[0xTJ]

Even with almost all of my work done on a computer, with Python, MATLAB, etc. available in a few keypresses, I still keep a calculator on hand. I haven't come across a desktop calculator (including direct 1:1 software recreations of classic calculators) that's quite as user-friendly and efficient as grabbing a scientific calculator off my desk and typing in there.

There are just some user interface advantages for me in having a physical calculator. The only thing stopping me from buying this is the price tag.

[Elfener]

Same. Although I have a few physical calculators, I rarely use them, because although for a simple calculation they're faster, when I'm already at a computer/phone, using that is faster, and when I want to do anything involving programming an actual programming langugage is better.

[bombcar]

Physical devices can be great where you have dust and water issues that can make a phone nearly impossible to use.

Of course, then a $5 calculator may serve you better ...

[ghaff]

My HP41CV died after a few decades and a full repair didn’t seem feasible. The Swiss Micro seemed tempting but I honestly really wouldn’t use it.

[grugagag]

True but a dedicated device has its own advantages (and disadvantages). Despite high availability I dislike spending too much time on my phone beside quick uses.

[wslh]

Yes, the "On/Off" button is instant and goes directly to the point/prompt.

[anthk]

Any netbook it's far better than a smartphone for input.

[ct0]

What IDE do you use? this functionality sounds great.

[PopePompus]

I use Android phones, and there are at least two ways to get iPython going on an Android phone.

The first is Termux, which provides a gnu userspace atop the Android kernel. This app is pretty old, and well-tested. There is an active and helpful Termux community. But it has some downsides: 1) The version of Termux in the Google Play Store is not the preferred and maintained version, although the Play Store version does work. The preferred version is in F-Droid, but the future of F-Droid itself is uncertain in the light of recent Google policy decisions. 2) Termux does not have access to directories such as /proc, /sys etc, which prevents some gnu/Linux utilities from working and 3) The Termux filesystem layout is very non-standard, so unless a program has been packaged explicitly for Termux, installation will probably be messy. I was able to get most, but not all of the Python packages I use frequently, to run within Termux. I could not get astropy to work, for example. Termux has nice usability features like pinch-to-zoom to change the font size. Termux requests a wakelock, and if you grant the wakelock then the OS will not throttle the app when your phone is locked.

The other option is the relatively recently added "terminal" app. terminal runs a plain-vanilla Debian Linux OS within a VM. Its file system is laid out exactly as you would expect, so if you want to get iPython and lots of libraries, you can just run the Anaconda Python installation script, and it will run unmodified with no errors. Nice! You can also install other nice desktop-style apps like VeraCrypt. There are a few downsides: 1) The OS will throttle the app, and occasionally kill the app, when the app is not actively being used interactively. 2) I have found no way to change the tiny font. 3) It's a Google app, so it might disappear for no good reason, as so many Google products do.

Both of these options work especially nicely on a foldable phone, because then the tiny phone keyboard is much less of an issue. A foldable phone plus the terminal app really is a pocket Linux computer.

[scandals]

I can't seem to find a Terminal app produced by Google LLC in Play store. Could you share the playstore link?

[PopePompus]

It's actually not in the app store, and it may only be available on Pixel phones. You get the app not by downloading it from anywhere, you just enable "developer mode" in the system settings, and the app magically appears in your app menu (the full menu, not on any home screen by default). There is a subreddit dedicated to this app ( https://www.reddit.com/r/androidterminal/ ).

I've never used a Samsung phone, but I think their DeX environment might allow you to do the same things that the "terminal" app supplies.

If you can't get either of the above to work, give Termux a try. It's not full gnu/Linux, but it's pretty close.

[jwr]

A physical calculator is a tool, so is your python interpreter, but they are different tools for different purposes.

Mathematica does everything your python interpreter does and more — but that doesn't mean python becomes useless because of that. It's good for certain things, while Mathematica is good for other things.

Similarly with calculators (especially HP calculators), which have become a bit of a lost art (an elegant weapon for a more civilized age). I use them all the time when doing any kind of engineering or hobby work. Good luck using your computer with python one-handed in a workshop next to a CNC.

One thing I do agree with is that plotting functions or working with larger matrices on calculators makes little sense.

[anthk]

GNU Maxima it's the best of both grounds.

[jwr]

Can I use it one-handed in my workshop? :-) There is no single perfect tool.

[volemo]

Maxima isn't a GNU package, is it?

[defrost]

It's forked from MacSyma and released under a GNU General Public License (GPL).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxima_(software)

Cayley (1975–1993), now Magma, predates it somewhat and has recently been used to crack post Quantum cryptography candidates.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1089355.1089359

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magma_(computer_algebra_system...

[shawn_w]

It's not a GNU project though.

(Maybe ggp is thinking of the Matlab clone Octave, which is?)

[ted_dunning]

Running in WASM!