HP35s Radix, bug

[Nenad (Croatia)]

In another thread Katie suggested RADIX. or RADIX, to be used for instructions whose line numbers are to be referred to from other instructions (GTO, XEQ or similar) to avoid these being deleted. This is a nice proposal, in Katie's brilliant style.

However, trying this revealed me a (stupid) bug that a user who uses dot as a radix could never figure out. However, the first thing I do when I receive a HPcalc is to change the radix dot (.) into radix comma (,) and to enable thousands separator (dots, not commas). This is how we write numbers here.

The BUG: if in RADIX. mode you switch to PRGM and select DISPLAY or MODE RADIX, everything is normal. The program step is RADIX. or RADIX,

If you do the same in RADIX, mode when you select 6, (meaning RADIX,) the program instruction entered becomes RADIX. instead of RADIX,

In preselected RADIX, mode when you select 5. (requiring RADIX.) you obtain RADIX, in program listing.

Yes, yes, I know that this is a completely useless information, but I really cannot think about this as a feature rather then a bug.

This would, hopefully, be my contribution to the bug hunting season.

[Katie Wasserman]

Nenad,

Interesting find, bug, whatever.

Another way to state this that would not qualify it as a bug is: the calculator is treating "RADIX" as a function of one argument, the radix point. It then shows the radix point in whatever notation you've selected.

But the manual presents them as separate commands (not functions) "RADIX," and "RADIX." so that's what you would expect to see on the display regardless of the display mode. I agree with you, it's a bug!

-Katie

Edited: 8 Aug 2007, 11:47 a.m.

[Miguel Toro]

Interesting. And it seems like it is just a display bug, the instruction does what it is intended to do: so if you entered "RADIX," even if it is displayed "RADIX." it executes a "RADIX," as expected.

I also use "," as decimal separator.