Read Me

Before starting the installation please check the HP-15C Simulator Home Page for the latest version.

Requirements

The Simulator is written in the Tcl/Tk script language. It should run on all operating systems supported by Tcl/Tk. It has been tested on several UNIX/Linux flavours, Windows 64bit versions and macOS.

Each distribution contains an executable for the particular platform or, in case of the source code distribution, the simulator Tcl/Tk source code file. To run the executables no further software is required. To run the Simulator from the source code file you need to install Tcl/Tk version 8.6.6 or higher.

Installation

1. Create a new directory, e.g. "HP-15C", and extract all files. The directory tree must be preserved when extracting the files. If you have already installed a previous version of the Simulator you can just copy the new version over the previous one.

2. Under Linux/Unix you must mark the file "HP-15C" as executable.

3. From the new directory, install the font "HP-15C_Simulator_Font.ttf". If you are not familiar with installing fonts, information for your operating system can be found here:

   • Windows
     

     Go to the Microsoft home page and search for "install fonts windows".

   • Linux
     

     Go to your user directory (e.g. "cd $HOME") and create a directory "~/.local/share/fonts/truetype" (older linux versions use(d) "~/.fonts") if it doesn't exist. Copy the file "HP-15C_Simulator_Font.ttf" to that directory. Then update the font cache "sudo fc-cache -fv".

     This should work on all current Linux distributions, e.g. Debian based distributions like Ubuntu or professional distributions like SuSE and RedHat. It should work also with all popular Window Managers, like KDE, Gnome or XFCE.

   • macOS
     

     Using the "Finder" file manager, navigate to the directory where you installed the HP-15C Simulator software.
     Then Double Click the mouse on the file named "HP-15C_Simulator_Font.ttf".
     In the "Font Book" window that opens click on the button labeled "Install Font".

4. Read the documentation "<new-directory>/doc/index.html".

5. Start the platform specific executable (see below), or run the Simulator source file "HP-15C.tcl" with the Tcl/Tk "wish" application.

Uninstall

Files and Directories

Base directory

doc directory

css directory

icons directory

lib directory

logo directory

msgs directory

Release Notes

Version 4.6.00, Build 6414

• Bug fixes
  • When starting the simulator, the simulator window could be outside of the visible area when the monitor layout had changed after saving the window position.
  • Program description dialogue: When the Search and Replace window was closed, the input focus was not set to the edit window.
  • The mnemonics in the program popup menu did not respect the current setting for the comma and the thousands separator.
  
  
• Changes
  • Key sequences with a decimal point, e.g. STO . 3, are now formatted as { 45 .3 } or { 45 ,3 } in the program files. The actual format depends on the settings for comma and period. In previous versions the sequence was formatted using the key code ('48') for the decimal point, e.g. { 45 48 3 }.
  • The entire simulator documentation was checked using DeepL Write. The use of nouns, such as button vs. key, and verbs , such as show vs. display, is now more consistent.
  • Program description dialogue:
    • The statistics registers R₂ to R₇ are now automatically added to the program description, when the program uses the commands Σ+ or Σ-.
    • Selected text in the Usage field now remains highlighted, when the field looses the focus. For example when you open the Search and Replace window.
    • The preview mode now supports text that is formatted in bold and italic at the same time.
    • The symbols menu can be opened at the cursor position with the shortcut Control–B3 (not for macOS).

  
  
• Known issues
  • macOS
    
    • When minimising the description dialogue, it becomes immediately maximised again
    • Artifacts along the top and bottom edge of the simulator keys for some font sets
    • Some users got errors when they installed the HP-15C Simulator Font. It is recommended to deinstall all versions of the font before installing it again.

  • Linux, macOS:
    • The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on macOS and Linux.

Version 4.5.00 Build 6308

• Bug fixes
  • When stepping into an error with SST in Run mode, the display did not show "Error #"
  • DM15: Reading and writing worked only when option "Ask for each operation" was activated.
  • When writing the stack to the DM15, an application error could occur under certain conditions.
  • When writing to the DM15, Complex mode was deactivated for devices with firmware version V.23 and higher.
  • macOS: The program menu did not open at the mouse position, when clicking GTO with the right mouse button.
  
  
• Changes
  • NEW: Preferences setting to save the last screen position
  • More Preferences settings are accessible directly from the main menu bar.
  • Program description dialogue:
    • A Search and Replace window is available for the program description.
    • The preference setting "Show resources in tabs" was moved to the "Preferences" dialogue.
    • The "Search/Replace" and the "Resource" window can be switched on and off.
    • The toolbar buttons in edit mode can now show icons as an alternative to the tag text.
    • A context menu (right mouse click) for HTML tagging was added.
    • New submenu for Superscript/subscript Unicode characters in the "Symbols" menu.
    • The "Symbols" menu is now available as context menu in the entry fields for labels, storage registers and flags.
    • Improved rendering of lists in preview mode
    • The renderer now uses the parameter "start" of an <ol> tag. This is needed in lists with labels, storage registers or flags that do not start at 1.
    • When reloading a description, the user is asked whether to discard any changes

  • macOS: The native macOS "USB to UART" driver, introduces with Big Sur, is now supported.
  • Improved layout and behaviour of the Mnemonic Converter.
  • In PRGM mode programs can now be pasted directly from the clipboard into the Simulator.
  • New short-cuts
    
    ? : g F?, query tthe status of a flag.
    Ctrl–F2 : Menu bar on/off on Windows and Linux. On macOS the menu bar is always on.
    

  • Executables are packed with tclkits based on Tcl/Tk 8.6.12 for all operating systems.
  
  
• Known issues
  • macOS
    
    • When minimising the description dialogue, it becomes immediately maximised again
    • Artifacts along the top and bottom edge of the simulator keys for some font sets
    • Some users got errors when they installed the HP-15C Simulator Font. It is recommended to deinstall all versions of the font before installing it again.

  • Linux, macOS:
    • The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on macOS and Linux.

Version 4.4.00, Build 6210

• Bug fixes
  • SOLVE failed in some cases, when "Strict HP-15 behaviour" was enabled.
  
  
• Changes
  • Memory and history file:
    • Starting with this version, only ".mme" (matrix memory) memory files are loaded. Older memory files with the extension ".mem" are ignored, even if no ".mme" file is found.
    • Linux and macOS: The memory and the history file are now in a (hidden) subdirectory ~/.HP-15C. Existing files are moved to the new location.
    • The file names of the memory file, HP-15C.mme and the recent file history, HP-15C.hst, are now the same on all systems.

  • Program description dialogue:
    • The "Symbols" menu now inserts Unicode characters by default instead of HTML Entities (except for &lt; and &gt;). This can be deactivated in the Preferences.
    • The <img> is now also rendered. Supported graphic formats are PNG and GIF.
    • New preferences setting to automatically open the dialogue after loading a program.
    • Improved preview for nested lists.
    • Additional keyboard short-cuts (see section "Programs | Program Documentation" in the HTML help).

  • HTML export:
    • Preformatted text, i.e. <pre>…</pre>, has a light grey background.
    • Most keys have the same width, except some with long labels such as MATRIX. Previously the width was defined by the label.
    • Optimised layout for Labels and Storage Register descriptions

  • Preferences: New option to show descriptions in the storage register menus.
  • DM15 support: New entry in the DM15 menu to read the system information, e.g. firmware type, version etc.
  • Program labels where the description starts with a "#" are not in the GSB menu. This allows it to hide subprograms.
  • Updated all URLs from "http" to "https" when supported by the web site.
  • Harmonised titels of all windows, message boxes and dialogue boxes.
  • Added a "Keyboard Usage" table to the "Keyboard" section in the documentation.
  • Windows 11 support added.
  • New short-cuts
    
    ? : g F?, query tthe status of a flag.
    A : Computes the absolute value of the number in the X-register.
    Shift–D : Converts the number in the X-register from radians to degrees.
    Shift–F : Computes the decimal fraction of the number in the X-register.
    Shift–M : Converts the number in the X-register from a decimal hours into an hours-minutes-seconds-decimal seconds format.
    Shift–H : Converts the number in the X-register from hours-minutes-seconds-decimal seconds format into decimal hours.
    Shift–R : Converts the number in the X-register from degrees to radians.
    

  
  
• Known issues
  • macOS
    
    • When minimising the description dialogue, it becomes immediately maximised again
    • Artifacts along the top and bottom edge of the simulator keys for some font sets
    • Some users got errors when they installed the HP-15C Simulator Font. It is recommended to deinstall all versions of the font before installing it again.

  • Linux, macOS:
    • The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on macOS and Linux.

Version 4.3.00, Build 6111

• Bug fixes
  • Improved interrupt handling while running a program
    • Only mouse clicks on a simulator key will interrupt a program. Previously any mouse click interrupted a program.
    • The program now stops immediately and more reliable. Previously, especially when the program uses SOLVE or ∫^x_y, it could take a few seconds, or you even had to press or click multiple times, to actually stop the program.
    
    
  • When both SOLVE and ∫^x_y were used in a program,
    • the display did not flash "running" but showed it permanently
    • the return stack could overflow resulting in "Error 5"
    • interrupting the program could result in an invalid return stack. Resulting in "Error 5" with the next GSB command

  • Program description dialogue:
    • When inserting a new tag or after undo, the new or restored text was not highlighted
    • When inserting a tag or a symbol into unchanged documentation, the change status was not set.
    • In specific multi display configurations, reloading the dialogue could result in an application error
    
    
  • When opening a faulty program file, the error message was incorrect
  • Linux: On screens with high DPI values, the simulator display and the function labels were misaligned
  • Linux: On systems with extreme scaling, no valid font set was found
  
  
• Changes
  • Program description dialogue:
    • Links in the description can now be clicked
    • <pre> is now used instead of <code> for formatted code, e.g. formulas
    • Short-cuts for HTML tags <sup> and <sub> added
    • Enhanced and optimised "Symbols" menu
    • Switching between "Show resources in tabs" and list mode does not change the size of the dialogue (unless it is to small for list mode)
    • Dialogues to warn about unsaved changes are more consistent

  • Depending on the functions used in an HP-15C program, execution time has been reduced by 30% to 70%
  • Windows: The font sets for normal and high DPI values have been merged.
  • Linux package support: The environment variable HP15Cdocdir can be used to install the simulator documentation separate from the program binary file.
  • Mnemonic Converter: The Unicode "Latin Letter Small Capital ᴇ"" is accepted as exponent character , e.g. 1ᴇ7, to support Free42 output conversion.
  • The oldest supported Tcl version is now 8.6.6 (was: 8.5.12)
  
  
• Known issues
  • macOS Big Sur:
    The following issues are incompatibilities between the Tcl/Tk runtime and macOS Big Sur. Earlier versions of macOS are not affected.
    • Active buttons on dialogues have white text on white background, the active button text turns black if you change the focus back to the main window
    • When minimising the description dialogue, it becomes immediately maximised again
    • Fonts in the menus are a bit blurry on some systems
    • Artifacts along the top and bottom edge of the simulator keys on some displays (>24 inch?)

  • Linux, macOS:
    The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on Mac OS X and Linux.

  • macOS:
    • Some users got errors when they installed the new HP-15C Simulator Font version under macOS El Capitan and newer. The macOS Sierra font validation program reports no warnings or errors. It is recommended to deinstall any older version of the font before installing the new version. Despite the errors, the font can be installed and used.
    • The "Emoji and Symbols" menu does not work. This is a known Tcl/Tk bug.

Version 4.2.00, Build 6045

• Bug fixes
  • SOLVE could fail, when the two initial estimates were identical.
  • STO or RCL followed by g (i), to set or get the value of a matrix element, did not work.
  • x↔ failed when the X-register contained a matrix descriptor.
  • In ENG 0 display format, numbers with 3 digits in the mantissa were displayed with only 2 digits.
  • Writing the LU form of a matrix of dimension n to the DM15 failed, when the number of permutations was smaller then n-1.
  • When the display was blinking due to an overflow, the blinking was erroneously stopped by switching the PRGM mode on/off.
  
  
• Changes
  • Program description dialogue:
    • New preferences setting: "Automatic preview". Important note: The setting is "On" by default.
      If set to "On" and the "Usage" field of the program description contains HTML tags or entities, the program description dialogue opens in preview mode.
    • The HTML tag buttons layout was optimised. The effect is most visible under macOS.
    • Short-cuts are now defined for the supported HTML tags and the HP-15C specific css classes
    • The labels for the tag buttons for bold and italic are now in the language of the UI.
    • New menu to add HTML Entities, i.e. Greek letters, mathematical symbols and arrows.
    • Improved rendering of the HP-15C specific css classes in preview mode.
    • HTML Entities, e.g. "&pi;", are now rendered using the corresponding Unicode character, e.g. π.
    • The initial width of the dialogue is now always appx. 40% of the screen.
    • The initial height on large screens has been increased.
    • When switching "Show resources in tabs" on or off, only this section is redrawn and not the whole window.
    • Resources are now always shown in at least two columns if more then one of each type is used in a program.
    • The "Author Information" is now inserted into an empty "Usage" field, when the program description dialogue is openend.

  • Reading and writing files:
    • With the HTML export, "Keys in black and white" now also affect the program description and not only the program listing.
    • With the HTML export and "Structure in English" activated, the decimal point is now always a dot and the thousands seperator a comma. Previously the current display settings where used.
    • When opening program files, key sequences with a decimal point, e.g. STO . 3, can now be formatted as { 45 ,3 } or { 45 .3 } in addition to { 45 48 3 }. The additional format is more common in the Web.

  • New short-cut
    
    N : Computes the integer of the number in the X-register, i.e. makes it a natural number.
    Alt–F3 : Show GSB menu.
    

  • The documentation was reviewed and standardised with regard to spelling, grammar and presentation.
  • Only 64-bit executables are provided from now on. For 32-bit operating systems the source code version can be used, if Tcl/Tk is available on that system.
  • Only macOS 10.15 and newer versions are supported from now on. The executables may run on older versions, but this has not been tested.
  • Executables are now packed with tclkits based on Tcl/Tk 8.6.10 for all operating systems.
  • In the "About" dialogue, the Tcl/Tk shell program and the Tcl/Tk version are now only shown in the source code version.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux, macOS:
    The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on Mac OS X and Linux.
  • macOS:
    • Some users got errors when they installed the new HP-15C Simulator Font version under macOS El Capitan and newer. The macOS Sierra font validation program reports no warnings or errors. It is recommended to deinstall any older version of the font before installing the new version. Despite the errors, the font can be installed and used.
    • The "Emoji and Symbols" menu does not work. This is a known Tcl/Tk bug.

Version 4.1.00, Build 5914

• Bug fixes
  • It was possible to close the simuator with an invalid number in the X-register. The memory file had to be deleted, before the Simulator would start again.
  • Source code version: The simulator could be started only from the directory with the source code.
  • The Mnemonic Converter created invalid Key Codes for STO and RCL in USER mode.
  • On some Linux systems with 4k displays the area around the display could be corrupted.
  
  
• Changes
  • NEW: A "Recent programs" history is now available as a submenu to the context or ON popup menu and in the "Files" menu of the main menu bar.
  • Like the real HP-15C, the Simulator now uses the Romberg method for numerical integration. Previous versions used the Simpson method and the implementation - over 15 years old - failed for some integrals.
  • Improved layout of the backside, especially for larger font sets.
  • Revised and improved program description dialogue:
    
    • The "Highlight tags" check box has been moved from the Program Description dialogue to the Preferences dialogue.
    • The preview mode now supports the HTML tags "<sup>" and "<sub>".
    • When an HTML tag range is highlighted, e.g. "<bold>some text</bold>", clicking the corresponding tag-button now removes the tag.
    • The blank part of indented text did not have the correct background colour.
    • The last position on the screen is stored. The position is discarded when the program is closed.

  • Executables are now packed with tclkits based on Tcl/Tk 8.6.9 for Windows and Linux, 8.6.8 for macOS HighSierra and 8.6.7 macOS prior to macOS HighSierra.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux, macOS:
    The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on Mac OS X and Linux.
  • macOS:
    • Some users got errors when they installed the new HP-15C Simulator Font version under macOS El Capitan and newer. The macOS Sierra font validation program reports no warnings or errors. It is recommended to deinstall any older version of the font before installing the new version. Despite the errors, the font can be installed and used.
    • A user reported that the Simulator does not run on Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard". It seems that at least Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" is needed.
    • The "Emoji and Symbols" menu does not work. This is a known Tcl/Tk bug.

Version 4.0.00, Build 5811

• Bug fixes
  • Linux & Mac OS X: UTF-16 encoded programs were corrupted.
  • FRAC and INT did not work for numbers larger then 2³².
  • Some commands could not be used in a program, when USER mode was on.
  • SOLVE now uses the Secant-Method as the real HP-15C, it is more reliable and even faster.
  
  
• Changes
  • NEW: Matrix functions added. This includes:
    • Matrix entries in the stack popup menu; optionally with a submenu showing the values of the matrix.
    • A right click on A…E brings up a popup menu with the values of that matrix.
    • A right click on MATRIX brings up a popup menu with matrix functions.
    • When exchanging data with the DM15, matrices can be selected separately.
    • When the X-register contains a matrix descriptor, Ctrl–C and Ctrl–Shift–C copy the whole matrix to the clipboard.

  • NEW (Windows): When the HP-15C Simulator Font is not installed, a graphical display is used. Under Windows, administrator privileges are required to install a font. In many cases they are not available, e.g. on company computers. This features allows it to use the Simulator even in theses cases.
  • NEW: GSB popup menu showing all defined labels. This is especially useful for larger programs with multiple sub-functions.
  • NEW: Enhanced "Usage" field in the Program Documentation dialogue:
    • Toolbar for HTML tags.
    • Preview mode for HTML tags.
    • Stored as multiple lines in a ".15c"" files.
      This makes it easier to edit program files in an external editor. Existing programs are automatically converted into the new format when they are saved.

  • The simulator now uses the same algorithm for RAN# as the real HP-15C.
  • The HP-15C Simulator Font was updated. If you do not install the new version, the logo will be corrupted.
  • macOS: Native popup menus are used where possible. See the "Menus" section in the documentation for details.
  • Windows: The memory file is now in a subdirectory "HP-15C" in "%APPDATA%".
  • The memory file extension was changed to ".mme" (Matrix MEmory) to avoid conflicts with older Simulator versions without matrix support. The file is now encoded in Unicode. At the first start, an existing ".mem" file is automatically copied to a new version with extension ".mme". Thus all settings are preserved and old and new Simulator versions can coexist on the same computer.
  • In Complex mode Ctrl–C and Ctrl–Shift–C now copy the whole number to the clipboard and not only the real part. The format is a+bi.
  • In User mode, the behaviour of the computer keyboard keys for the HP-15C keys A through E has changed. The keyboard keys now always call the current main function of the HP-15C keys. See the keyboard section in the online help for more details.
  • New keyboard mappings and short-cuts:
    B : GSB, as alternative to F3.
    O : GTO, as alternative to F2.
    V : R / S, as alternative to F5.
    Z : CHS.
    Alt–ENTER  (Mac OS X: ⌥–ENTER): Σ+. This was added because some Mac keyboards do not have an INS key.

  • "Extended Unicode chars for key faces" is now activated by default. Existing settings are not overwritten.
  • A "Key sequence indicator", like on the SwissMicros DM15 and DM15L, has been added.
  • "HP-15C" icons and logos have been revised and versions with 512x512 pixels were added.
  • Executables are now packed using a tclkit based on Tcl/Tk 8.6.8 for Windows and macOS HighSierra and 8.6.7 for Linux and macOS prior to macOS HighSierra (was: 8.6.4 on all systems).
  • The oldest supported Tcl version is 8.5.12 (was: 8.5.9), but version 8.6.0 or higher is recommended.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux, Mac OS X:
    The behaviour described on page 144 of the Owner's Handbook when a letter key is 'held down for longer than about 3 seconds', works on all systems when you use the mouse. When you use the keyboard, it works on Windows, but not on Mac OS X and Linux.
  • Mac OS X:
    Some users got errors when they installed the new HP-15C Simulator Font version under macOS El Capitan and newer. Font validation under macOS Sierra reports no warnings or errors. It is recommended to deinstall any older version before installing the new version. Despite the errors, the font should be installed and can be used.
  • Mac OS X:
    A user reported that the Simulator does not run on Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard". It seems that at least Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" is needed.

ÿul

---

Version 3.4.01, Build 5544

• Bug fixes
  • Fixed error when run under Windows 10.
  
  

Version 3.4.00, Build 5544

• Bug fixes
  • EEX did not work for real numbers with 10 digits, e.g. 1.234567890.
  • Implemented that CHS doesn't enable the stack lift if the value in the X-register is 0.
  • Ctrl–R did not reset everything when the Simulator was in PRGM mode.
  • g MEM: Some commands were counted as two-bytes codes but are only one-byte codes.
  • DM-15 interface: The functions RCL ÷ . 0…9, RCL × I and RCL − I were not correctly encoded/decoded.
  • DM-15 interface: Writing to the DM-15 while it was switched off, then switching it on and trying to write again, resulted in an error.
  • DM-15 interface: When reading a storage registers from the DM-15, the register on the simulator was not always set, when the register was zero.
  
  
• Changes
  • NEW: 64bit version for Windows.
  • Executables are now packed using tclkit 8.6.4 (was: 8.5.9).
    This change leads to significantly larger executables, because current tclkit versions are no longer upx-compressed. On the other hand, the new Tcl/Tk version increases the program execution performance up to 30%.
  • DM-15 support: Highest allowed COM-port changed from 16 to 255; the limit under Windows.
  • DM-15 support: The timeout for the serial interface can be set between 1 and 5 seconds.
  • DM-15 support: In modes with more then 64 registers, g MEM inserts a period after the pool registers to separate them from the used registers, e.g.  19. 60.151-5.
  • Documentation dialogue: If there are unsaved changes, a warning appears when closing the dialogue.
  • Documentation dialogue: The "Usage" field now has an undo/redo feature.
  • Preferences: Added language "Portuguese (brazilian)". Graças Renato Bezerra da Silva e Mauro Nacif Rocha.
  • Preferences: New option to control how the addresses of storage registers and labels between 10 and 19 are displayed.
  • Preferences: New options for the HTML export:
    • Single-column program listing.
    • Print keys in black and white.

    These features are helpful if you use a printout to review programs. Both features are disbled by default.
  • Mac OS X: With Tcl/Tk 8.6.4 the Mac OS X implementation has undergone significant internal changes. As a visible result, the simulator UI is rendered smaller, with the same font set, compared to previous Tcl/Tk versions.
  • Mac OS X: Font sets are now separated from those for Linux/X11 to achieve better rendering results.
  • Larger font sets for all operating systems. This was requested by many users using high resolution displays.
  • All dialogues now have a standard button and a default behaviour for Enter and Esc.
  • When saving a new program, the file name is now preset.
  • New short-cuts
    
    Shift–Ctrl–C (Mac OS X: Shift–⌘–C): The contents of the X register is copied using the current display format.
    Ctrl–E (Mac OS X: ⌘–E): Export Program to HTML.
    Control–↑ / ↓ (Mac OS X: ⌘–↑ / ↓): Read from / Write to DM-15.
    Ctrl–+ / - (Mac OS X: ⌘–+ / -): Cycle forwards (+) or backwards (-) through the available font sets.
    
  • The program examples are now provided in a separate download package.
  • Justin B. Alms has contributed programs to convert decimal numbers into binary numbers and vice versa.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Mac OS X:
    Some system related buttons and menu entries are always in English. This is a bug in Tcl/Tk where these entries are hardcoded and not localised.
    Older OS X version seem to have done the localisation on their own, but recent versions do not overrule the application.
  • Fedora:
    You may need to install "libXss.so" or a package containing this library, e.g. "libXScrnSaver", to run the Simulator.
  
  
• Acknowledgements

  Thanks to Uli Hornstein for finding an error in the DM-15 communication; to John Patterson for improving the documentation functions and macOS integration; to Gustavo J. Vilches, Mauro Rocha Nacif, Zoltan Hubert, René Franquinet and Marco Vedovato Franquinet for their help with the translations.




Version 3.3.00, Build 5403

• Bug fixes
  • EEX did not work when you entered a real number, that uses all 10 digits, e.g. 1.234567890.
  • Deleting a positive exponent larger than 9 with ← led to an internal error.
  • The ranges for Py,x and Cy,x not resulting in an overflow were smaller than on the real HP-15C.
  • SF, CF and F? reported an error when I contained a negative value.
  • If an error occured while reading a program file, the file was locked for other applications until the Simulator was closed.
  • In same cases, it was still possible to load a program that required more program registers than are available.
  • In some cases, the simulator refused erroneously to read from the DM-15 because of "too many storage registers" on the DM-15.
  • The DM-15 firmware versions DM15CC_MEM1B/DM15_M1B have actually 229 registers and not 228.
  
  
• Changes
  • The Mnemonic Converter understands more Unicode characters and transcriptions; e.g. ÷, ×, ↑, ↓, Σ.
  • Loading a program after an error occured, i.e. the display show   ERROR  N , now resets the status and the X-register is shown.
  • Programs run around 20% faster.
  • Small layout improvements in the HTML export of programs.
  • Accept "KP_Separator" for the decimal point on the numeric keypad. This fixes a problem with some (non English) Xmodmaps on Linux.
  • A double click on the display with the left mouse button ( B1 ) copies the contents of the X-register to the operating systems clipboard.
  • The user interface and the help files use now the exact program file encoding "UTF-16 (LE)" instead of the generic "Unicode".
  • Updated Dutch translation. Met dank aan René Franquinet.
  • Thanks to Rich Messeder for the review and the improvement of the online help.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux:
    If keyboard-repeat is enabled in your window manager, and one of the functions f PREFIX, g MEM or f i is invoked via the keyboard, the pause after releasing the last key is longer than it should be, if the key was held longer than 5 seconds. This doesn't happen when the functions are invoked using the mouse.
  • Fedora:
    You may need to install "libXss.so" or a package containing this library, e.g. "libXScrnSaver", to run the Simulator.
  
  

Version 3.2.00, Build 5319

• Bug fixes
  • In Complex mode with X = 0 and iX > 1, g TAN^-1 computed the wrong sign for the imaginary part.
  • In Complex mode with X = 0 and iX = 1 or -1, g TAN^-1 resulted in an   ERROR  4  instead of an overflow.
  • In Complex mode with X > 0 and iX = 0, g HYP^-1 TAN computed the wrong sign for the imaginary part.
  • In Complex mode results of f →R are more accurate for even multiples of 90° (π).
  • When single stepping through a program in Complex mode, the imaginary X-register was not reset to zero when it should.
  • When a RCL +, −, × or ÷ command immediately followed an ENTER command in a program, the imaginary X-register was wrongly set to zero.
  • When single stepping through a program some stack lifts were suppressed, thus the content of the X-register was overwritten.
  • Using g F?, g TEST, f DSE or f ISG in Run mode could result in an invalid program status.
  • After interrupting a running program with a key or mouse click, restarting the program with R/S sometimes failed.
  • It was possible to open a program that required more program registers than were available. Now this gives   ERROR  4 .
  • In Run mode R/S did not look pressed when pressed and did not show the current program line.
  • Rolling the stack up and down with the mouse was broken in version 3.1.00.
  • Numbers were not rounded correctly to the decimal places. For example with f FIX 2 the number 2.005 was displayed as 2.00 but the correct form is 2.01. Please note that the rounding applies to the display, but not to the value of the number itself.
  • In USER mode the keys A…E did not work correctly. Whether pressed directly or prefixed.
  • After ∫xy ran into in error (  ERROR  N ) you had to restart the simulator to use the function again.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux:
    If keyboard-repeat is enabled in your window manager, and one of the functions f PREFIX, g MEM or f i is invoked via the keyboard, the pause after releasing the last key is longer than it should be, if the key was held longer than 5 seconds. This doesn't happen when the functions are invoked using the mouse.
  • Fedora:
    You may need to install "libXss.so" or a package containing this library, e.g. "libXScrnSaver", to run the Simulator.
  
  
• Changes
  • NEW: Support for Michael's and David's DM-15/DM-15CC.
    If you order a DM-15 because of my simulator please mention that in your order at SwissMicros. For "How did you find us?" select "hp-15c-simulator@arcor.de".
  • In DM-15 modes with more then 64 registers, g MEM adds a period between storage and pool registers:  19.110  0-0
  • In the DM-15 mode with 229 registers, the number of program steps is limited to 999.
  • When changing the interface language while the program documentation window is open, the documentation window is automatically updated.
  • Subroutines in the HTML export can be indented to show the program structure.
  • When copying numbers from the clipboard, all characters at the beginning and the end of the clipboard data that can not be part of a number are removed. Examples: ##1.234## becomes 1.234 , "1.6" becomes 1.6 and -123+ becomes -123.
  • New preferences setting: "Copy program when in PRGM mode".
  • Linux: A native 64bit version is available because most 64bit distributions do not support 32bit applications by default.
  • Added language "Dutch (flemish)". Met dank aan Ronny Verbeek.
  • Additions and corrections to the language files by Gonzalo Balerdi for Spanish, by Zoltan Hubert for French and by Marco Vedovato for Italian.
  
  

Version 3.1.00, Build 5215

• Bug fixes
  • Reducing the number of available data storage registers erroneously reduced the numeric labels addressable with GSB and GTO.
  • The simulator crashed when pasting from the clipboard and if the content contained a new line character. Now only the characters up to the first new line character are analysed.
  • If a program used a data storage register only in a STO or RCL command followed by +, −, × or ÷, that register was not added to the list of used registers in the documentation.
  • Results of y^x were wrong in Complex mode. This was due to an incorrect code change in version 3.0.00.
  • When using register I with GSB or GTO to address a program step, it was possible to address a step one greater than the highest defined program step.
  • When single stepping trough a program with SST in Run mode, pressing R/S while the program was entering a number, the number became corrupted leading to wrong results.
  • f DSE and f ISG sometimes failed due to rounding errors.
  • When the simulator was closed while entering a number, the memory file could contain invalid numbers.
  • Windows executable: After starting the Simulator, the user interface did not have the focus.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux:
    If keyboard-repeat is enabled in your window manager, and one of the functions f PREFIX, g MEM or f i is invoked via the keyboard, the pause after releasing the last key is longer than it should be, if the key was held longer than 5 seconds. This doesn't happen when the functions are invoked using the mouse.
  • Fedora:
    You may need to install "libXss.so" or a package containing this library, e.g. "libXScrnSaver", to run the Simulator.
  
  
• Changes
  • NEW: An Mnemonic Converter written by Nina Scholz.
    This tool accepts various mnemonic formats and converts them into valid HP-15C key sequences. HP-15C programs are often shown in mnemonic format only and the converter saves the manual typing of the program.
    It is written in JavaScript and you can find it in the simulator help under "Programs / Mnemonic Converter".
  • Programs run up to 75% faster, depending on the functions they use.
  • Edward Shore contributed several programs from his calculator blog. You can find them in the directory "progs/Eddie's".
  • The highlighting of the blue functions becomes deactivated when the mouse is moved away, even if the key is still pressed.
  • In the preferences, the default for the "Delay value" is now 0 ms instead of 100 ms.
  • The labels A…E are now included in the documentation even if they are only used in a GSB or GTO command.
  • g MEM now returns the correct values for used registers and free bytes. In previous versions it was only an approximation, because it was assumed that all commands allocate one byte, but on the real HP-15C some allocate two bytes.
  • Like on the real HP-15C, Complex mode now reduces the number of free registers by 5.
  • After pasting a number from the clipboard, the stack is not locked anymore. The next input (a digit or a clipboard paste operation) performs a stack lift before writing to the X-register. Without the stack lift, the pasted value was overwritten. This new behaviour is the same as when you press e.g. g π.
  • When loading a program while the program documentation window is open, the documentation window is automatically updated.
  • Added Italian language for popup menus and dialogues. Grazie a Marco Vedovato.
  
  

Version 3.0.00, Build 5207

• Bug fixes
  • When the X-register was zero, some operations could still have a minus sign in the result.
  • Operations on stack and data storage registers could result in invalid values beeing stored in the storage register. This was not detected until the registers content was moved to the X-register.
  • The functions y^x, ⅟x, Δ%, ÷, STO ÷ and RCL ÷ sometimes threw an overflow error where they should throw an   ERROR  N .
  • Improved accuracy of the inverse complex trigonometric functions. This was contributed by Barry Mead.
  • Improved accuracy and speed of the Gamma function. This was contributed by Barry Mead.
  • The X-register of the imaginary stack was not reset correctly in some cases.
  • Integration (∫^x_y) and root finding (SOLVE) did not work inside a program. Solved with support from Barry Mead.
  • In USER mode, pressing the prefix key f followed by one of the five user definable function keys did not invoke the exchanged function.
  • When leaving the "Save program" dialogue box with the "Cancel" button, the program directory path was reset to the default value.
  • Corrected mnemonics:
    • STO (i) was displayed as STO COS
    • STO I was displayed as STO TAN
    • STO and RCL RAN # was displayed as STO and RCL ENTER
    • SOLVE and ∫^x_y using a label A…E were displayed using the basic key faces √x̅…⅟x
    • f x↔ (i) was displayed as f x↔ COS
    • f x↔ I was displayed as f x↔ TAN
    • f SCI I was displayed as f SCI TAN
    • f ENG I was displayed as f ENG TAN
    
    
  • Windows: The path to the memory file could contain invalid characters.
  
  
• Known issues
  • Linux:
    If keyboard-repeat is enabled in your window manager, and one of the functions f PREFIX, g MEM or f i is invoked via the keyboard, the pause after releasing the last key is longer than it should be, if the key was held longer than 5 seconds. This doesn't happen when the functions are invoked using the mouse.
  • Fedora:
    You may need to install "libXss.so" or a package containing this library, e.g. "libXScrnSaver", to run the Simulator.
  
  
• Changes
  • New and improved user interface.
  • If "Access "f" and "g" functions directly" is activated, the labels can be highlighted when the mouse is moved over them.
  • More and improved usage of Unicode characters on the key faces.
  • Changes to the preference settings become active immediately.
  • Improved mouse and keyboard handling. Simulator buttons remain pressed as long as the key or mouse button is pressed. In previous Simulator versions this worked only for some keyboard keys.
  • New function to "Reset memory". This is in the "Memory…" submenu of the context popup menu.
  • Addes missing function RCL DIM (i).
  • A documentation can be stored together with HP-15C programs. Menu entry "Program description…".
  • The program documentation and the program code can be exported as HTML.
  • The Preferences dialogue now opens always centered on the screen.
  • Improved documentation (excessive use of CSS3).
  • Windows 95/98/NT4/2000 are no longer supported.
  • New short-cuts
    
    Shift–F1 : Display the help file for the current program (if available).
    F12 : Opens the program description dialogue box.
    Ctrl–R : Reset the memory to the default value.
    
  
  

---

Version 2.0.03, build 5119

• Bug fixes
  • The function PSE did not really pause a program.
  • The function →R calculated wrong results for the right angles π and 1.5×π in RAD mode, respectively 180° (200°) and 270° (300°) in DEG (GRAD) mode.
  • Enabling "Strict HP-15 behaviour" caused an internal error in some calculations.
  • The function ŷ,r lifted the stack twice instead of once, if stack lift was enabled.
  • The flashing of the word "running" during program execution was unsteady.
  
  
• Changes
  • Added an FAQ page to the online help and the home page.
  • Calculation of TAN for odd multiples of 45° now always results in an integer.
  
  

Version 2.0.02, build 5106

• Bug fixes
  • Language settings of the operating system for British and US English were not always recognized correctly.
  • The fallback to British English language settings failed on some systems.
  • Numbers with more than ten digits could be entered.
  • Pressing EEX more than once while entering a number corrupted the input.
  • Mac OS: Storage menus were corrupted when all 9 digits of the mantissa were used.
  • Mac OS: Clicking with the right mouse button when the application didn't have the focus caused an internal Tcl/Tk error.
  • Mac OS: Clicking the application menu bar while a simulator popup menu is open no longer disables the menu bar permanently.
  • Mac OS: System menu entries in the HP-15C menu are now always in the system language.
  • Mac OS: Menu entries not valid while a popup menu is open are disabled.
  
  
• Changes
  • The language for menus and dialogue boxes can now be set independent from the system setting.
  • Mac OS: Executables is now also packed using tclkit 8.5.9. This results also in a significant smaller installation file.
  • More native operating system GUI elements are used if available.
  
  

Version 2.0.01, build 5037

• Bug fixes
  • Back side wasn't displayed when "Stay on top" was on.
  • After back side was turned off keyboard was inactive.
  • If "Extended Unicode chars for key faces" was not checked some keyboard keys, e.g. period and decimal point on the keypad, were bound to the wrong function.
  • Linux: When X-register was zero, ABS and PREFIX had "-0" as result (Tcl/Tk internal error).
  
  
• Known issues
  • Mac OS:
    Clicking the application menu bar while a simulator popup menu is open disables the menu bar permanently.
    This is a Cocoa related problem of the Tcl/Tk Mac OS X port.
  • Mac OS:
    Some menu entries in the HP-15C menu are always in English.
  
  
• Changes
  • Windows and Linux executables are now packed using tclkit 8.5.9.
  • The simulator source code and the various icons are no longer included in the platform specific packages. Please download the source package if you want these files.
  • Linux: More modern behaviour of menus: Active item follows the mouse motion. Help menu entry is not longer right aligned in a menu bar (Tcl/Tk internal improvements).
  • Linux: Icons are now packed directly into in the executable.
  
  

Version 2.0.00, build 5034

• Bug fixes
  • Help file couldn't be displayed if path contained a space.
    
  • PSE paused execution when called from outside a program which it shouldn't
    
  • Clx and ← followed by some functions caused an invalid stack lift
    
  • Pressing EEX didn't work when entering numbers with more than 7 digits in the mantissa but mantissa had comma
  
  
• Known issues
  • Mac OS:
    Clicking the application menu bar while a simulator popup menu is open disables the menu bar permanently.
    This is a Cocoa related problem of the Tcl/Tk Mac OS X port.
  • Mac OS:
    Some menu entries in the HP-15C menu are always in English.
  
  
• Changes
  • Added support for Mac OS X. This includes:
    • Special popup menus for the stack, the data storage register menus and the program menu. Pop-ups are closed by pressing Esc.
    • ON popup menu can be invoked via <Command>-<B1>
    • Multi-touch touchpad gestures to emulate the right mouse button are supported
    • Adapted keyboard modifiers:
      
      Ctrl key is mapped to Command (⌘) key
      Alt key is mapped to Option (⌥) key
      
    • Integration in the Apple menu bar
    
    
  • New preferences setting: Direct access to "f" and "g" can be switched On/Off
  • New preferences setting: Toggle menu bar On/Off
  • Added function "Stay on top"
  • Extended ON popup menu: "Stay on top", "Show back side"
  • Renamed ON popup menu entry "1.000,00 -> 1,000.00" to "Swap comma and period"
  • Removed key accelerators from all menus. Each function can be access via a short-cut.
  • Menus for the stack, the data storage registers and the program now always use the fixed width font specified by the windowing system.
  • Menu entries in the stack and the data storage register menus are now right aligned.
  • New short-cuts
    
    Ctrl–, : Show Preferences dialogue (inspired by Mac OS)
    Ctrl–T : Simulator stays on top of all other windows on the screen
    Ctrl–Q : Exit the HP-15C Simulator
    Shift–Esc : Clear all - set all registers to zero
    
  • In two column mode storage menus show the same number of registers in each column.
  • Added multi language support for popup menus and dialogue boxes. Currently English, French, German and Spanish are supported. The default and fallback language is British English (en_GB).
  • Added HP-15C back side
  • "About" dialogue box now appears always in the middle of the screen
  • "URW Fonts" are no longer supported.
  • Changed licence to GPL version 3
  • HP-15C Simulator now requires Tcl/Tk 8.5.0 or later.
  • Linux: Font Sets are now independent of the screen resolution
  • All dialogues and menus now use the native operating system GUI elements (switched to ttk widget set).
  • Removed a workaround for Tcl/Tk 8.4.x:
    A decimal point was appended to a number as soon as you typed in the 10th digit make it a real number thus avoiding an integer overflow.
  • When copying data from the operating system's clipboard the number's format is now detected automatically
  
  

---

Version 1.2.13, build 5001

• Bug fixes
  • When using CHS on the exponent, the minus sign didn't appear while the exponent was zero, i.e. 00. This was a difference to the real HP-15C (Thanks to Mark W).
  • Function →P calculated wrong angles for data outside of the first quadrant (Thanks to Manfred B.).
  • Function →P always calculated the resulting angle in DEG. Now the angle is given in the current mode, i.e. DEG, RAD or GRAD (Thanks to Manfred B.).
  • Function →R calculates more accurate results for multiples of π/2.
  • USER mode didn't switch key ⅟x (label E) (Thanks to Roman K.).
  
  
• Changes
  • Windows and Linux executables are now both packed using tclkit 8.5.7.
  
  

Version 1.2.12, build 4929

• Changes
  • Highest supported screen resolution set to 200 dpi for all operating systems (user request).
  
  

Version 1.2.11, build 4909

• Bug fixes
  • Fixed errors due to switch from Tcl/Tk 8.4.13 to 8.5.6 in functions →H and →H.MS.
  • Function Σ (clear statistics registers) did not clear register 7.
  • Fixed missing variables in function ŷ,r (linear expolation).
  • Copy/paste using Ctrl–C / Ctrl–V was broken since version 1.2.09.
  • RCL RAN # did not return the last seed.
  • RAN # did not reset the seed properly. The same seed therefore not always produced the same sequence of random numbers.
  • Mac OS X: Problem preventing starting the simulator on Mac OS X solved.
    Please note that Mac OS X is still not officially supported!
  
  
• Changes
  • Windows and Linux executables are now both packed using tclkit 8.5.6.
  • Linux: Ctrl–V could not be used to copy the HP-15C x-register to Gnome or Qt based applications. Only mouse button B2 (middle mouse button) worked as this is the standard under X Windows. Now both methods to access the clipboard content are supported.
  • New preferences setting: Precision can be set to strict HP-15C compliance or platform maximum. See online help for more details.
  • New preferences setting: Usage of extended Unicode characters for key faces can be switch On/Off. See online help for more details.
  
  

Version 1.2.10, build 4851

• Bug fixes
  • Octal number bug fix had problems with values between 0 and 1
  
  
• Changes
  • More Unicode characters used for interface and documentation to make them look more like the real HP-15C.
  
  

Version 1.2.09, build 4851

• Bug fixes
  • SIN, COS and TAN now return the correct values for right angles.
  • Input with a leading zero followed by either an "8" or a "9" led to an error
    (The Tcl interpreter treats numbers with a leading zero as octal numbers).
  
  
• Changes
  • Executables are now packed using tclkit 8.5.x (was: 8.4.13)
  • Font antialiasing is now available for UNIX/Linux with Tcl/Tk 8.5.x
  • New default font set (DejaVu Fonts) for UNIX/Linux for best effect of font antialiasing.
    If you have already installed an earlier version of the simulator you need to select this font set in the preferences manually!
  
  

Version 1.2.08, build 4730

• Changes
  • MS Windows Vista: Added support for Windows Vista.
  
  

Version 1.2.07, build 4717

• Bug fixes
  • MS Windows: Portuguese and some other regional settings caused error upon shut down.
  
  
• Changes
  • Changed time stamp format in memory file.
  
  

Version 1.2.06, build 4715

• Bug fixes
  • No font set was found when unsupported dpi settings were detected.
  • Linux: Correctly display Unicode characters in X11 titlebars.
  • Linux: Added encodings to tclkit to correctly display all special characters.
  
  
• Changes
  • Executables are now packed using tclkit based on Tcl/Tk 8.4.13 (was: 8.4.9).
  • Added information about operating system, platform, machine type, executable and Tcl/Tk version in the "About" dialogue box.
  • Linux: Popup menus are now "sticky".
  • MS Windows: Highest supported screen resolution changed from 140 dpi to 150 dpi (user request).
  
  

Version 1.2.05, build 4631

• Bug fixes
  • The handling of floating point numbers by the Tcl/Tk internal "int()" function caused wrong results in the time conversion functions →H and →H.MS in some cases.
  • Eliminated remaining HTML warnings in the online documentation.
  
  
• Changes
  • Unix: Made Firefox the default browser.
  
  

Version 1.2.04, build 4608

• Bug fixes
  • MS Windows: Comma was not fully visible when using large fonts (120 dpi).
  
  
• Changes
  • MS Windows: Added fonts sets for 120 dpi and higher
  • Improved appearance of HP logo at higher display resolutions.
  • Changes to the display resolution are detected automatically and an appropiate font set is beeing choosen.
  
  

Version 1.2.03, build 4604

• Bug fixes
  • Memory files saved manually could contain invalid simulator states.
  
  
• Changes
  • MS Windows: Icons are now packed directly into in the executable.
  • Linux: Icons for KDE are provided as PNG files.
  
  

Version 1.2.02, build 4603

• Bug fixes
  • After switching from "RAD" and "GRAD" mode back to "DEG" mode trigonometric functions did not work properly anymore.
  • In ENG mode numbers were displayed wrong in some cases.
  
  
• Changes
  • Display colour is now closer to that of the real HP-15C.
  • Default precision after initialisation changed from FIX(3) to FIX(4) like on the real HP-15C.
  • New short-cuts
    
    Alt–+ : Change the sign of the number in the display. Same as Alt–−
    l : Lower case L. LSTx
  • Overworked and extended keyboard section in the online help.
  
  

Version 1.2.01, build 4537

• Bug fixes
  • When closing the simulator by clicking the ON key, the status was not stored properly.
  • Clicking close to the f and g button caused the simulator to go into an infinite loop.
  
  

Version 1.2.00, build 4530

• First publicly available version.