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From: kca55611@ihuxk.UUCP (K.C.Anderson)
Newsgroups: net.micro.hp
Subject: HP-150 comments
Message-ID: <592@ihuxk.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Mar-84 14:37:06 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxk.592
Posted: Thu Mar 22 14:37:06 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Mar-84 20:54:05 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 34


x
	We recently had an HP-150 demonstration model to
play with in my department at work.  I would consider
it a nice machine, but unfortunately there were
enough features missing that we decided against
buying one.  
	1.  Even though an HP-IB bus is physically
	    present, the software to control and
	    take measurements from lab instruments
	    is basically non-existant.
	2.  The terminal emualator, expecially the
	    Tek 4014, is excellent.  But once you are
	    in the terminal mode, you lose the other
	    capabilities of the 150.  It would also
	    be nice if there was a filter to allow
	    the 4014 vector graphics to be plotted
	    using the 7470-type plotters.  As it is
	    now, all you can get is the dot-matrix
	    style hardcopy for 4014 graphics.
	3.  The menu system for setting the options
	    is a royal pain.  Any option should be
	    controllable by command, instead of hunting
	    through a tree-structure for where it lives.
	    Some branches of the tree are dead ends.

I'm posting this in the hope that the HP people listening
will consider this in future work on the 150 and other machines.
And to correct me if I have any mis-information from
my limited exposure to the HP-150's capabilities.

			Keith Anderson
			ihuxk!kca55611