Survey posted 2006-05-09 05:50 by Jon.

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I generally see if their are useful features that come whith the new OS before I install it.

Right. And due to the insidious lockdown feature implemented in TI-84 Plus 1.40, I also now test new OS's in TiLEm...

2.40 :D

Right. Thanks.

And what is this lockdown feature?

Turn it off. Then hold [Left][Right] and [On]. It enables teachers (or whoever else might want) to block programs, apps, and statistical tools if they choose, and the only way to undo it is transfer something via the link port. I upgraded to 2.40 on my 84+, but I hated the feature, so I found a copy of 2.3 still on my harddrive. I will probably never upgrade my 84 again (because I doubt they will ever get rid of the feature).

Do you suppose someone might end up writing a program/interrupt routine/ROM patch to disable the feature? (I don't have an 84+, so I don't know if the OS design would allow such a thing, but I know that various OS protections have been circumvented on the TI-89.)

a workaround could be as simple as a very small microcontroller that transferred a file to the calc

Well, doing patches/interrupts would be non trivial, and if not done right the teacher would notice.

Even then it's NOT an evil feature...teachers can know students aren't cheating, and they DON'T have to go erasing student's calculators over it.

Yeah, at first I was working on getting a PIC to just acknowledge whatever the calc sent to it (really not hard), but gave up, partly because the feature isn't so bad. People act like their calcs are being taken away from them or something, but don't seem to understand that they can either (1) have their calculator locked down, and unlocked after the test, preserving everything except groups (just ungroup all your files), or (2) get a full memory clear, and lose everything.

Another disliked thing is that in 2.40, CODEX's "Calculator Off" feature won't work - the calculator will turn on, but it will greet you with a GBSOD (Greenish Brown Screen Of Death/RAM Clear).

except TI never tells us what they are :)
it's usually just a very minor bug fix, though

no I generaly wait until someone else has tried it and said what it did.

>>wait until someone else has tried it and said what it did.
Lab mice? Oh, you cruel person, risking other people's calcs to see if you want a new OS.... ;)

I never have anyone to ask about new OS's; no one at my school cares that much. Otherwise I would do that too.

no those are the "new freeks", people who have to have the newest OS on their calc I just weight until they figure out what it does.

And happy to serve I am. I load TI-OSes and Mac OS X updates as soon as I hear about them.

The only time I haven't had a problem with either was the time I waited two weeks before getting Mac OS X 10.4.6, instead of installing it the day it came out.

Well, then that's different....I completely support your actions.

sometimes sisters can be a good thing, i "borrow" my sisters TI and install the OS on that, and if i like it, i install it on mine... no wonder they say older brothers are evil...

Unfortunately, my little brother only has a non-graphing ti calc. I have to wait about three years for him to get a graphing calc, and by then I'll be going to college.

And I'm the one who tries it.

I used to update soon after the release -- especially if it was usefull fixes.

Now, I am remaining with 84+ 2.30 and 83+ 1.18

I don't like lockout risks. The only way I will update is if there is a way to remove this and still have StartUp work properly.

If anyone needs an older OS (like 2.30) I can send it to you. I have an archive from 84+ 2.22-2.41 & 83+ 1.15-1.19

I have most of the versions inbetween so...I probably have any one that is needed

I'm currently running:
83+SE 1.18
84+SE 2.30

oops...forgot...

email: millermmail@yahoo.com