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Don't Update Your TI-83 or TI-84 Calculator's Firmware:
It's weird to think about using a calculator in 2020, when just about everyone has a smartphone or laptop within reach, but Texas Instruments' calculators are still a popular (and often required) resource for students. The latest calculators are even capable of installing and running simple applications, which makes them an excellent learning tool for coders and hardware modders. (I even modded my TI calculator to run respectable facsimiles of Doom and Super Mario back in college.)
Unfortunately, Texas Instrument is removing support of the C assembly coding language in a new firmware update to crack down on cheating. And that means a lot of homebrew programs are either going to go away entirely or have to be converted to a much slower Python version—if that's even plausible.
The update affects the TI-84 Plus CE, TI-83 Plus CE-T, and the TI-83 Premium CE calculators. Texas Instruments says it's implementing the change to stop students from installing third-party software that circumvents the "exam mode" limitation on certain TI devices. Exam mode is designed to restrict certain functionality so students can complete their work without the help of extra features—cheating, basically.
[...] That said, TI-83 and TI-84 calculator firmware must be manually downloaded to your PC and updated over USB, so users who want to remain on the older version can do so by simply not installing the new firmware—but that's your only option.
What was the most interesting thing you created that ran on a calculator?
See also: TI removes access to assembly programs on the TI-83 Premium CE
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @10:45PM (1 child)
TI calculator hardware is quite expensive because TI has ingenuously created their own monopoly market. The standardized tests allow calculators, but only approved ones (and notably, TI's are the approved models). Which means students are forced into buying a particular TI model off the approved list if they want a calculator to use on the standardized tests. Which means TI has created a forced monopoly market.
And how did TI's calculators end up on the standardized tests approved lists, why TI's marketing of course. TI pushed to get their calculators on the approved list, so they could then be the sole supplier of calculators for the tests. At which point, the student either pays TI's inflated price, or does without a calculator. And in this day and age, no student is going to pick the "do without" path.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday May 31 2020, @08:05AM
I understand that TI have a monopoly position in North America, but their calculators are a rarity in Europe. In the UK, Casio calculators are dominant, with a smattering of Sharp and various minority brands. Some schools might recommend a model to pupils/parents, but there's no manding one (with the possible exception of some private schools). Exam boards will specify features that aren't permitted on a calculator, as opposed to whitelisting specific calculators.
On the other hand, programmable calculators are virtually unheard of in high schools, so we've not got that software ecosystem to lose in the first place.