WP34s curiosity...

[Stephan Matthys]

I'm just wondering why the prefixed functions are shown below the corresponding keys as e.g. on the HP67 instead of above the keys as on most other models...

[Matt Agajanian]

If my surmise and the faceplate on the WP-34s on the iPhone app are any indication, it is because, like the HP-67, the 34s has the same softkey-like access to the most used functions on the A-D label keys when they're not used as program labels. Thus, because the above-key position is already taken by these function labels, the only way to position the f, g functions, like the 67 is for those labels to be placed below the keys.

Edited: 23 Aug 2013, 6:15 p.m.

[Walter B]

It's a matter of consistency and was discussed more than once here. In short, if you find h-shifted labels on the *lower* slanted face of a key, why should f- and g-shifted labels be found *above* that key?

d:-)

[Matt Agajanian]

Another very excellent point! I may never look at my 67 the same way again! But, if so, why wouldn't the HP-34C's faceplate follow this same philosophy?

[Massimo Gnerucci (Italy)]

Quote:

---

It's a matter of consistency and was discussed more than once here. In short, if you find h-shifted labels on the *lower* slanted face of a key, why should f- and g-shifted labels be found *above* that key?

---

Then I would expect to find f-, g- and i-shifted labels on the right, left and upper face of the key... ;-)

Massimo

[Walter B]

LOL. I apologize - I didn't (or don't?) see those.

d;-)

[Jeff O.]

The location of the labels below the keys was a stylistic choice by the developers, implemented in the real world overlay produce by Eric Rechlin. If you can make your own overlays, you can have it any way you want. In fact, Eric produced an alternate version which place the f and g function labels above the keys, as described in this thread and pictured
here. This version also swapped the colors of the g and h prefix keys, so that the blue functions would be on the slanted lower portion of the keys, mimicking the many hp models that had the blue functions there.

...

[Dale Reed]

I joined the HP calculator world by getting a new HP-25 for my 18th birthday ($195.00). When Eric came out with the blue-slant layout with the yellow/green legends above the keys, I had to have it. Love it. Never looked back.

Dale