Okay, I was able to test some more results for interest

P4 Single processor 1.7Ghz 512 Mb RAM - 96%
P3 Two processor 733 Mhz 512 Mb RAM - 67%

I could not get the P4 machine to 100% by just pressing keys, in fact it seemed to level out around 87%.  No point in trying out laptops at a lower speed than the ones I've tried, they will most likely max out at 100% anyway.

Curiously though, Microsoft Word tops out at 18% but then settles below 10%.  Just holding a single key down results in near 0% usage while Maple hovers around 2%.  Does this mean there's room to increase efficiency?

Sorry I didn't mention that but it's all default,

Standard mode, document setting in 2D Math and extended typing. 

Here are some benchmarks for CPU usage I've found using Maple 12 with speed typing of the alphanumeric keys

Laptops

Toshiba Tecra P3 733Mhz 512Mb RAM - 100%
Toshiba Portege P3 933 Mhz 768Mb RAM  -   100%
 

Desktop

P4 - 3Ghz with 2.5Gb RAM - 25%

There are two other desktop machines I should be able to gather stats on, a P4 - 1.4 Ghz 1Gb desktop and a P3 - dual processor (yes two processor machine) 733 Mhz 512 Mb RAM machine - should prove interesting and a P3 single core 733Mhz 512 machine. 

It would be interesting to know if anyone else using machines of the P3 era laptops experiences 100% CPU usage as well.  Anyone with 1Gb of RAM in a P3 laptop?  Does anyone else even have access to P3's anymore?  Based on my own stats and what I've seen here there is a clear line in the sand between a P3 and P4 using Maple 12 at least below the 1Gb level. 

Okay, my laptop is actually a P3 933 Mhz with 750 Mb of RAM.  Found a couple of viruses so I thought that was the problem and I did a complete hard drive wipe and re-installed windows and with a clean install, re-installed Maple.  Still unfortunately my CPU usage still jumps to 100% when I do some fast typing.  As a comparison with notepad I can get it up to 21%.

So it appears it all comes down to a hardware issue with my laptop, I'll have to double check the system requirements but I'm sure I fall within range.  Perhaps if I bump up the RAM to 1Gb, it's possible the software is optimized for RAM above 1Gb.  In any case Maple shouldn't require much CPU power for just typing in characters.

It shouldn't use much of any cpu power if any at all when typing. 

However when I type and the CPU usage goes up to 100% there is a lag time when the letters are typed (it's not instantaneous).  As an example if I was typing writing a procedure or something, by the time I finished typing proc the letters o and c would not yet be up on the screen literally it would take 1/4 of a second for each letter to appear.  As you can see if I was typing in a long line it would lag far behind just a couple of letters as I am seeing on my laptop which definitely indicates a problem like a keylogger or a virus of some sort. 

At 20 or 30% it shouldn't really matter that much but in all respect, as Roman has mentioned, why should typing a character on the screen consume any CPU power at all?

It doesn't have to be real typing just any set of keys as fast as you can so my benchmark is probably roughly the same as yours.  Probably some bug in my laptop or something I'll have to wipe the drive or something as I have no virus software or firewall then again I don't hook that one up to the internet at all. 

As for CPU usage, do you think 15-20% is a bit on the high side just for typing something in?  Shouldn't it hang under 5%?  Also strange that Classic uses more CPU  than the standard GUI.   

However assigning values outside the length of a predetermined list is unallowed.

a[7]:=j;

Error, out of bound assignment to a list

However assigning values outside the length of a predetermined list is unallowed.

a[7]:=j;

Error, out of bound assignment to a list

My mistake.  Even the student helping the drunk to his proper seat may already be taken.  On top of that, what is the probability that he even decides to help the drunk to his proper seat?  Then again this isn't a question with intelligent design in mind. 

My mistake.  Even the student helping the drunk to his proper seat may already be taken.  On top of that, what is the probability that he even decides to help the drunk to his proper seat?  Then again this isn't a question with intelligent design in mind. 

"Maple" leaves ... from Canadian maple trees.  Or in the current sense of company ownership the Japanese maple.  Either or it's still a maple leaf.  I'd keep it as the most suitable symbol.

That's a bit disappointing.  Maybe it's something they(maplesoft) need to think about.

That's a bit disappointing.  Maybe it's something they(maplesoft) need to think about.

replace   plots[display](P1,P2, scaling=constrained);

with   plots[display](Plot1,Plot2, scaling=constrained);

replace   plots[display](P1,P2, scaling=constrained);

with   plots[display](Plot1,Plot2, scaling=constrained);