17 replies to this topic

[Line]

Hi
Our class is doing some electrical calculations with complex numbers and degrees. The ClassPad is doing a great job when it's in the "Rad" mode. The problem appears when we want the answer in degrees instead of radians.
If we type in the complex calculation in "Deg" mode we do not get the tight result.
We can use the ConvertToPol() command, but then we have to keep switching between "Rad" and "Deg". It's easy to forget and get a wrong result.

I can imagine two solutions
- An update for complex numbers and degrees
- A "ConvertToPol()" function that makes complex number with degrees in "Rad" mode

Is there any good suggestions out there?
Thanks

[weirleader]

are you using values of the form: e^(i*theta) ?

or are you using: cos(theta)+i*sin(theta) ?

because the first one isn't defined for theta measured in degrees and that's where the problem creeps in. If you're using e^(i*theta) then I think you just have to use radians all the way through and convert to/from degrees at the beginning and end every time. It stinks, be I'm not sure there's a better solution.

If you're NOT using e^(i*theta) then give me a sample problem so I can understand the issue better.

[Line]

are you using values of the form: e^(i*theta) ?

or are you using: cos(theta)+i*sin(theta) ?

because the first one isn't defined for theta measured in degrees and that's where the problem creeps in. If you're using e^(i*theta) then I think you just have to use radians all the way through and convert to/from degrees at the beginning and end every time. It stinks, be I'm not sure there's a better solution.

If you're NOT using e^(i*theta) then give me a sample problem so I can understand the issue better.

Hi!
Thank you, I use e^(<degrees>⁰ i), The ClassPad has to be in "rad" mode to give right result. the outout is rectangular.

[kucalc]

You can't blame CASIO, they don't write the CAS. CASIO instead contracts another company, Saltire, to write their CAS.

[squonk]

Thank you fior this message.
But what does it mean? Saltire do not write anymore their software? Why they don't release a bugfix version?

[kucalc]

If you want stuff to be really fixed, you should contact Saltire:
http://classpad.org/support.html
http://saltire.com/

[kucalc]

I'm just saying, if you want something in the ClassPad OS to be fixed, you should go ask Saltire.

As for your example, "Microsoft hired a certain company to make Vista?" I highly believe that's not true. Where did you get that?

A better example would be Dell and other OEM's installing Windows on PCs and selling them to customers.. Even though the computer says and is labeled with the Dell logo, if you have problems with Vista or XP, you still contact Microsoft even though if Dell built the computer (hardware)

Same thing with CASIO, they just built the hardware (ClassPad - analogous to Dell computers). Another company makes the software (ClassPad OS - analogous to Dell computers running Microsoft Vista)

[squonk]

Here's my 2 cents...
I think is a good thing to contact both Casio and Saltire, but the point for me is another one.
We know that Casio and Saltire had be already contacted about several bugs with the last OS version, isn't it?
I've seen a post also in the "official" forum on edu.casio.com (a buggy and deserted forum) and in this forum it seems me to remember a post with an email from Casio about some bug...
So I ask: how many people must report the SAME problems to Casio and Saltire to obtain a bugfix release?
The project is abandoned? They have no time to work on this? How many disappointed consumer we must count before they put out a new OS?

[McCoy]

'Microsoft hiring a company to make vista' was used as an example to give you an insight of what I was talking about rather than stating the fact.
yea whatever example we pick will serve the purpose. In my country, when your computer stuffed up( be it the operating system or the hardware that's playing up), you take it back to the dealers that you bought it from them(They may fix the hardware depending on their agreement with the dell,toshiba etc company).If it's a software issue,the dealers can ask dell/toshiba for a non faulty copy.You only contact microsoft directly when your warranty expired and the problem was caused by the update or when you have a problem activating your copy of the software. However, it's not the same as what we're talking about here,....when you read the license agreement about the cp softeware, it's clear that the users have to contact 'casio' should they find their cp software to be defective.By definition, a software that have bugs is defective and casio have to be contacted about it according to what's stated in the license agreement.I think it has been that way since casio started to make calculators, so why it it different in 2008? Moreover, the 'agreement' in the license agreement of cp software is between casio and the users, not users and saltire. So if casio think users should not contact them but saltire about defects in their software, then I advise they better revisit their license Agreement and do some corrections. It doesn't seem obvious in the license agrrement that users have all right to contact other companies about issues in the cp operating system.

[kucalc]

Well, it's not good to use lies to make examples...

There was a guy who used to hang out here and he worked for Saltire. Back then, things for the ClassPad were fixed faster because we were able to talk directly to a Saltire employee who worked on the software.

There's nothing in the license that prevents you from talking with other companies. Most companies just create licenses to protect themselves from blame (and suing) if the product does something to harm the consumer (explode, catch on fire, eye injury, etc.)

Lol, but then there might be the possibility that you have a secret agenda: that you don't want the ClassPad to be fixed and left crappy...

Oh, and don't you also know that Saltire also sells ClassPads?: http://classpad.org So for some (or maybe a lot) of people, they bought their ClassPad from Saltire. So if you say they should contact the dealer, why not contact Saltire?

[McCoy]

lol you don't get it, do you? I didn't say ms hired a company to develop their software....let me explain to you what that mean(i'e The 'By the way of example, even though microsoft hired a certain company to engineer their vista'.....thing).It means 'let's take it as just asan example that if ms hired a company......'. I should have picked another random example like "even though a cat hired a cow to to bake pieces of cake for him'(This doesn't mean cat bakes cake).Everyone knows that ms make windows and no other company does it for them.
If casio relies on those who hang out in forums to convince them that the bugs are out there in their calculator softwares and not just act as ti and other companies do, well i think they're hurting their reputation as reliable company.No one should contact saltire as I said before(Casio will or let's them wait for that guy who hung out here to do it for them and it'll be interesting to watch casio calculators collect dust near fireplace in near future).

Calculators and mobile phones are different from computers.And don't ask me why,it's a commonsense and the license Agreements(I'm referring to cp/ti/mobile phone license agreement software here) say it all.I have ti and i contact ti when there's a problem, not whoever who might have made their software(They'll contact those guys on their own if they have to).Last year Nokia recalled and replaced faulty Nokia BL-5C batteries.Remeber that nokia didn't make those batteries.They were made by other companies of which Matsushita is one of them. So my question is, why didn't nokia ask folks to contact other companies (e.g Matsushita)? the software in nokia N95 is not made by nokia either but still nokia handle bugs in N95 OS. And even if license agreement are written to rid future blame, whatever is written there must hold true....under no circumstance can it be invalid till the terms and conditions are changed( and a new licese agreement rewritten) .I read it between the lines and I learnt that I have to contact casio if the software is defective. If that is not valid, then they shouldn't have written it in the first place.And yes saltire sell cps just like my local dealers sell them.Whether the cp was sold by saltire or whoever, what is in the license agreement is same(i.e it's between casio and users and casio should be contacted).

I'm going to send casio an email asking them if they think contacting them on matters related to cp bugs is a wrong thing and that if they're expecting us to contact those who made cp software instead.
why? I want it fixed.... that's why I'm wasting time here typing:)
Anyway, we won't agree on a single point here, so let's leave it as that.

[squonk]

The classpad.org support page has 4 sections:

Questions about Books and Purchases
Questions about the website
Casio ClassPad 300 Support
Return Policy

The Casio Classpad support report a link to Casio's support page.
So it seems that for support request you must write to Casio...

[kucalc]

If casio relies on those who hang out in forums to convince them that the bugs are out there in their calculator softwares and not just act as ti and other companies do, well i think they're hurting their reputation as reliable company.

Lol, if you've been here in the calculator community for years as I have, you would know that's absolutely false. The reason why TI and HP programmers have the luxury of creating better software, is because employees of TI and HP hang out in the forums and give out information.

If CASIO actually did have guys hang out in our forums, maybe CASIO would be a lot better (Well they do, but only 1 guy). In fact, TI 68k assembly was spilled out by someone who worked at TI. He helped out the TI community and answered questions, which is why the TI-89 has so many good programs. Now with the TI-nSpire, they are doing what CASIO has been doing: keeping info tight. If you read around on the forums, there's frustration on hacking the TI-nSpire. And that is why even though the TI-nSpire has been released (I think more than a year ago), it sucks.

Same thing with HP's, some employees for Hewlett Packard hang out in the forums and mailing and have been spilling out information about HP calcs. It was from complaints in the mailing lists that convinced HP to build the HP-50g, which is considered to be HP's best calc so far...

I'm going to send casio an email asking them if they think contacting them on matters related to cp bugs is a wrong thing and that if they're expecting us to contact those who made cp software instead.

Lol whatever, go ahead... It's not going to prove anything. I never said it was wrong to contact CASIO. I just said you might want to contact Saltire because they write the CAS and software and then you all of the sudden had to overreact which I think was a bit ridiculous... But then again, I probably have overreacted also. If you think so, then I'm sorry.

Hopefully we can get back on the original topic...

[McCoy]

Hellas1 has sent them a long list of bugs, guys from my school have sent them an endless list too(I mean there're numerous people who have complained to casio about bugs).But still nothing is fixed.So maybe(just maybe) casio need their guys(employees) to hung out here and send them those lists before they should do 'bug fixing'(They may fix bugs before testing to confirmm them,and in that light they don't trust other source and have no time to test if what's being reported by users are really bugs or not).

So just you know, I was a fun of Ti before I decided to embrace casio too..Ti don't rely solely on the information their employees give them.They rely both on the complaints from users and what their employees report in the 'field'.Even if nothing is reported by their guys who hung out in forums, they still fix bugs reported to them by users...provided that they're bugs that need to be fixed.
yea nspire was shitty but its fix came like a lightning when users complained after weeks of its release.

Well you didn't say 'you might want to contact..''. you said 'you should contact...' And I'm not overreacted so you know.We're having a friendly and honest discussion here...so there's nothing to be mad about.

Anyway, let's give others a chance to comment on it too.You may respond to this comment though if you want.
cheers.

[squonk]

Is there a complete list of known bug of the 3.03 OS?
If someone could write a letter with all bug it's possible for all users here in the forum send it to Casio and Saltire.
Perhaps after this "pacific attack" something could change...