HP-15C Documentation Project.

[Chris W]

HP-15C Documentation Project.

I have finally got the motivation to start a project I have been wanting to do for a while. I want to create a better electronic copy of the manual for the HP-15C, and the advanced functions hand book (I don't have a hard copy of the advanced functions hand book though).

My first thought was to do it in some publishing software, and provide a much better pdf file than the scanned version that is out there now. Since I will need lots of help with this I thought it was better to use html and css to make it easier for more people to help. If you would like to help please email me directly. You don't need to be familiar with css but you should know html reasonably well and then can just follow the methods I have already started. You can see what I have done so far on the hp15c.org site. . . HP-15C Manual. There are 21 pages there right now. Six of them are contents pages with nothing in them, and page 14 and 15 both need tweaking. I would love to get input on the ways to improve the css that I am using. I plan to get a high quality scan of anything in the manual that I can not reproduce with html and css. I have a spiral bound version of the manual in good condition, I should be able to get quality scans of the graphics from it.

If you want to help don't start till you talk to me and get more details. I am using php to automate things like the navigation links at the bottom and the page headers. You will need a copy of the php files I have before you start. However, you don't need to know php at all just leave the php parts at the top and bottom alone and just edit the html in the middle.

I look forward to your input.

Chris W

[hugh steers]

hi chris,

are you sure you won't run into copyright problems if you are, essentially, reproducting the existing manuals?
i don't want to sound negative, because i very much like your idea. however, if hp decide to re-release the 15c, your project could be redundant.
as a big 15c fan i always wanted more than what was in even the advanced function handbook. so a supplementary documentation project might be an interesting idea. there's a lot of 15c stuff discovered and written since the original manuals that would make great reading if it were all brought together.

?

[John]

HP gave the museum permission to distribute the old manuals in PDF format.

Did you receive such permission? Karl wondered below if you bought a museum DVD and put the manual online from it.

So, this new project might not be legit either. Unless you have HP's permission, of course.

[Namir]

Chris,

I concur with the other messages about possible copyright violation. You can avoid the entire issue by simply writing a new manual in your very own words and using your own examples and graphics. You and only you will be the copyright holder of your own manual. No one will bother you then. If you are a true HP-15C admirer, then writing a new manual should be a true labor of love and a wonderful project to execute.

Namir

Edited: 9 Apr 2007, 9:57 a.m.

[Geir Isene]

... and releasing that new manual into the Public Domain would be a Good Thing (tm).

[Eric Smith]

...and releasing that manual with a Creative Commons license would be an Even Better Thing (tm). :-)

[Hugh Evans]

Sounds like a fun project. You should consider doing it with a wiki since the learning curve for markup is almost negligible and you can export the finished product as a pdf or other document format.