Calculator Coding

Once upon a time, long time ago, an exquisite-yet-useful object came into life, called the HP-15C. Millennials will not remember, even can likely not imagine that there was such a time as the pre-internet era, and a bit further back, even a pre-personal-computer era. The HP-15C was born in those years, 1982 to be exact. I got mine on September 23rd 1987, exactly the time I needed a more advanced scientific calculator, because that’s what it was.

I had been the almost-as-proud owner of a HP-11C already for 3 years, but my dad — who, being an electronics engineer, went over such household-logistics decisions as calculator distribution — made the wise decision that my 2 years younger brother, should inherit from me the 11C (to replace his TI) and I instead should get a brand new 15C, a bit like clothes are passed on to younger siblings, but then infinitely more interesting. I am still grateful for that, because amongst other things, the 15C had more memory for programming: a total of 448 bytes! That surely should be enough for anyone! :)

I loved the 15C for many reasons.

I guess that, back in 1987, there was a 5% to 95% split between people with HPs and people with the omnipresent TIs. At least, in each class of about 20 to 30 people there was only one or max two students with a HP-11C or HP-15C. It made me feel quite special already. :)

But it ran deeper than that. Starting with …

RPN? Anyone?…

Read on on Medium, about the wonders, pleasures and frustrations of assembly coding on this calculator…