Prizmpocalypse: The mystery of the mass Casio fx-CG10/20 bricking

[Yuki]

Renesas switching to ARM would make sense to me. Mostly every embedded application nowadays (that isn't trying to be compatible to something made 20 years ago, eh TI?) use ARM and their processor would definitely sell a lot more if they use that instruction set. As stated on Cemetech, plans to make a SH5 most likely failed, and what do you do when plans fail? Abandon it, then either go bankrupt or manufacture something similar to the competition, which is, luckily in our case, an already successful product that happens to license the instruction set to anyone asking.

In short, TI is making ARM calcs, HP too, it's used on most Android phones, it's on the Raspberry Pi and the likes too, if you can't make a CPU that can compete with ARM, better make ARM CPUs.

Note that it also works for Intel CPUs, but Intel was less willing to license the instruction sets. That didn't stopped a bunch of companies making Intel clones and compatible CPUs, but, as far as I know, only AMD is still successful at it. And probably Zilog, making Intel 8080-compatible CPUs since the 70s.

[Dream of Omnimaga]

In the event where Casio would switch to ARM processors, I think it might be time to write a new MLC. Claw language could maybe be it, but first I think we would need some library thing to allow users to make programs for the TI-Nspire CX, TI-84 Plus CE, fx-CG10/20 and once a third-party OS is available, the HP Prime. It would be much less work for people who don't mind not using the entire screen (for example, if the PRIZM LCD is 384x216 pixels and everything else 320x240, then just use 320x216.


Also I wonder if Classpad calculators also have bricking issues? It would be interesting to see if the hardware is similar to older Prizms that are at risk. I also wonder what is the future of the Classpad. I can't see this calc being a big seller, because it's not sold in USA and even if stores sold it, it would be banned at many tests, and in Europe it's friggin expensive.