The next demo is being delayed a few weeks due to adding Unicode support to newRPL. In order to properly exchange information, this was a necessary step. All strings in newRPL, including variable names will be UTF-8 encoded. This addition means several things for the project:

  • Users will be able to open and edit RPL source code with any UTF-8 compatible text editor (which nowadays means almost any of them), and pass it directly to newRPL without any conversion, as long as the proper Unicode characters are used. On the other hand, programs written on the calculator can be edited on a different device and even shared on the web with all symbols looking (and working) properly.
  • The user interface will no longer be limited to a character set with 256 symbols. More symbols will be available for use. For example, a variable named A₁ will be a valid name, where the 1 is the subscript number 1 (Unicode 0x2018).
  • Due to screen and font limitations, not all Unicode symbols will be available, but fonts can add more symbols over time, as the project matures.

The only negative consequence is the delay in the release of the next demo.