Really frustrated...

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Hi there...

I'm really frustrated because my TI software keeps crashing during programming. It happens during some copy & paste operations (or moving around with the cursor after these operations?). I'm totally fed up with the editor! Is there any solution out there?

Thanks a lot,
Peter

[marseille]

You don't say which OS version you have but in the latest one 3.6 there's a bug that is well known in the program editor. This bug (and other ones as well), it seems (I'm not sure) has been reported to Texas Instruments in hope for a future correction. Let's hope it will, later in a future OS upgrade...

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I'm using the TI-Nspire Teacher Software 3.6.0.546 - Windows 7 (64bit). But I had the same problems with Window XP last year... yeah, I should have mentioned that...
Kind regards,
Peter

[Adriweb]

Indeed, a bug in the programming editor (among others) has been reported to TI devs directly.
It's now the second time it's been brought up, apparently...

However, on my 3.6 computer software, I don't have such (c/p operations) issue... :/
Could you please elaborate on what causes it for you ?

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Well, it's just crashed again will I tried ctrl+x on several lines. The editor seems to have problems with deleting lines. I don't think it crashed ever on ctrl+c or ctrl+v. On the other hand, I don't look on the keyboard while typing nor do I "track" what keys I use while I type... I just type...

Is there any way to contact TI devs directly. I had some other things, but the costumer service just said: "We can't do anything about it, but we will report it to developments."
That was one year ago.

I assume there isn't any other editor available, is it?

Thanks,
Peter

[Adriweb]

Well, the freeze-on-delete bug had been reported to devs directly, with a high priority, a few days ago actually.

And no, no other editor available...
Maybe you could try in Computer view, though, it might be a bit different and thus not freeze.

(Also, when it is freezing, try hitting/holding F12 for some time (although I doubt it works in this case)

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Dear Adriweb,

Thank you - that's helpful. I'll try it next time. Are you in contact with TI devs? Maybe I could try to explain what I tried to communicate to the costumer service last year. But beware: My English is rather bad and "Je ne parle pas français" ( really, I just took this from the web ).

Well, here we go: I'm a teacher and my school decided to use the TI-Nspire last year. I was quite surprised to learn, that the TI-Nspire is missing a certain function which should be used in physics. It's the hyperbolic regression. There are a few quantities which are inversely proportional to another. If you think of Newtons lex secunda F = m * a.
If F is constant a is proportional to 1/m. I don’t get it why TI isn’t offering a regression function for these laws. Our old Sharp EL–9900 was able to do this. I know I might use the “power-Regression” but, it’s not rally the same. And yes, I know there are other ways to show the inverse proportionality. Never the less. Our pupil have to learn and do more that pupil using e.g. the Sharp EL-9900. I programmed some crazy quit powerful regression function for the Nspire, but I soon learn that our pupil are not allowed to use these in their finals (school leaving examination / L'épreuve écrite du baccalauréat) – since these examinations should be comparable – (ha, ha, ha = ah ah ah).
Anyway – I discovered that the Nspire has problems with drawing the result of a function directly.
Example:
My function
regpoly(2,xw,yw,0)
returns
9.5*x^(2)-28.3*x+21.25
and I can use
g1:= regpoly(2,xw,yw,0)
and draw g1 than, but if I try to draw regpoly(2,xw,yw,0) directly, the Nspire fails.

Strange, isn’t it?

Best wishes,
Peter

[Adriweb]

Are you in contact with TI devs?

Yes, although not directly with the ones who would deal with this issue.

Maybe I could try to explain what I tried to communicate to the costumer service last year. But beware: My English is rather bad and "Je ne parle pas français" ( really, I just took this from the web ).

Well, they've been provided with an explanation and an animated screenshot showing the program editor and the freeze, so hopefully they'll locate the issue with no further info

Well, here we go: I'm a teacher and my school decided to use the TI-Nspire last year.

I may tell them that too, it could even more catch their attention...

I was quite surprised to learn, that the TI-Nspire is missing a certain function which should be used in physics. It's the hyperbolic regression. There are a few quantities which are inversely proportional to another. If you think of Newtons lex secunda F = m * a.
If F is constant a is proportional to 1/m. I don’t get it why TI isn’t offering a regression function for these laws. Our old Sharp EL–9900 was able to do this. I know I might use the “power-Regression” but, it’s not rally the same. And yes, I know there are other ways to show the inverse proportionality. Never the less. Our pupil have to learn and do more that pupil using e.g. the Sharp EL-9900. I programmed some crazy quit powerful regression function for the Nspire, but I soon learn that our pupil are not allowed to use these in their finals (school leaving examination / L'épreuve écrite du baccalauréat) – since these examinations should be comparable – (ha, ha, ha = ah ah ah).

Oh well, indeed I'm sure that if it's not there by default, this can be done by coding a function, as you said.

Anyway – I discovered that the Nspire has problems with drawing the result of a function directly.
Example:
My function
regpoly(2,xw,yw,0)
returns
9.5*x^(2)-28.3*x+21.25
and I can use
g1:= regpoly(2,xw,yw,0)
and draw g1 than, but if I try to draw regpoly(2,xw,yw,0) directly, the Nspire fails.

Strange, isn’t it?

I don't really have an explanation, but I may have an idea (could be wrong, but some other people can reply ) :
g1 could be calculated once and for all (and it can take a "long" time depending on the calculation) then graphed from the expression, whereas when graphing regpoly(), it's recalculating the whole thing for each point, which would appear as a freeze depending on the time one calculation takes....

[Excale]

I don't really have an explanation, but I may have an idea (could be wrong, but some other people can reply ) :
g1 could be calculated once and for all (and it can take a "long" time depending on the calculation) then graphed from the expression, whereas when graphing regpoly(), it's recalculating the whole thing for each point, which would appear as a freeze depending on the time one calculation takes....

That is probably the case.
IIRC, the Nspire tries to simplify your expression before graphing it (aka calculating the same expression for many points). However, it is often better to force-simplify it (like you did with g:=stuff) before graphing complex expressions.

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Well, the TI seems to use some clever algorithm to plot graph. I think the TI Nspire calculates several interpolation points and draws than a smooth line. I don’t know how annoying this might be: Not being able to plot your own functions directly. I haven’t got any insights in the TI software. I can imagine it should be possible to fix this, like doing this g:=STUFF and than using g than internally. It wouldn’t hurt if STUFF is just a normal term.

Oh well, indeed I'm sure that if it's not there by default, this can be done by coding a function, as you said.

Anyway – I’m not allowed to use any own programs in school. Unless TI provides a hyperbolic regression function via an update, our pupils have to learn alternative methods for their examinations.

Best wishes,
Peter