diff -ur sparsersb-1.0.5.orig/src/sparsersb.cc sparsersb-1.0.5/src/sparsersb.cc
--- sparsersb-1.0.5.orig/src/sparsersb.cc	2017-04-08 17:49:45.120506400 -0400
+++ sparsersb-1.0.5/src/sparsersb.cc	2017-04-08 17:50:04.244313729 -0400
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@
 	// assumes tacitly that rsboi_idx_overflow(IA[i],JA[i])==false for i in 0..nnzA-1.
 	rsb_err_t errval = RSB_ERR_NO_ERROR;
 
-	errval = rsb_mtx_get_coo(mtxAp, VA, (rsb_coo_idx_t *)IA, (rsb_coo_idx_ t*)JA, flags );
+	errval = rsb_mtx_get_coo(mtxAp, VA, (rsb_coo_idx_t *)IA, (rsb_coo_idx_t*)JA, flags );
 	rsb_nnz_idx_t nnzA = 0;
 	rsb_mtx_get_info(mtxAp,RSB_MIF_MATRIX_NNZ__TO__RSB_NNZ_INDEX_T,&nnzA); // FIXME: make this a member and use nnz()
 	rsboi_ri2oi((rsb_coo_idx_t *)IA,nnzA);
diff -r e6017808f88d src/configure.ac
--- a/src/configure.ac	Fri Jul 21 12:04:41 2017 -0400
+++ b/src/configure.ac	Fri Jul 21 13:25:48 2017 -0400
@@ -107,11 +107,7 @@
 	fi
 fi
 
-if test -x `which $OCTAVE-cli` ; then
-	OCTAVE_CLI="$OCTAVE-cli";
-else
-	OCTAVE_CLI="$OCTAVE";
-fi
+OCTAVE_CLI="$OCTAVE --no-gui --no-window-system";
 
 SPARSERSB_USE_64BIT_IDX=`$OCTAVE_CLI --no-line-editing -qf --eval 'printf ("%i", sizemax() > intmax ("int32"))'`
 if [test x"$SPARSERSB_USE_64BIT_IDX" = x"1" ]; then
diff -r 105149bc4206 src/Makeconf.in
--- a/src/Makeconf.in	Fri Jul 21 13:47:46 2017 -0400
+++ b/src/Makeconf.in	Fri Jul 21 14:52:25 2017 -0400
@@ -4,3 +4,4 @@
 SPARSERSB_CXXFLAGS = @SPARSERSB_CXXFLAGS@
 SPARSERSB_LDFLAGS = @SPARSERSB_LDFLAGS@
 SPARSERSB_CXX11= @SPARSERSB_CXX11@
+OCTAVE_FUNC_DEFINES = @HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX@
diff -r 105149bc4206 src/Makefile
--- a/src/Makefile	Fri Jul 21 13:47:46 2017 -0400
+++ b/src/Makefile	Fri Jul 21 14:52:25 2017 -0400
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 sinclude Makeconf
 # Makeconf is created by the configure script.
 # You can also not use it but set explicitly the following:
-CXXFLAGS=$(SPARSERSB_CXXFLAGS)
+CXXFLAGS=$(SPARSERSB_CXXFLAGS) $(OCTAVE_FUNC_DEFINES)
 LFLAGS=$(shell $(MKOCTFILE) -p LFLAGS) $(SPARSERSB_LDFLAGS)
 CXXFLAGS_CXX11=$(SPARSERSB_CXX11)
 
diff -r 105149bc4206 src/configure.ac
--- a/src/configure.ac	Fri Jul 21 13:47:46 2017 -0400
+++ b/src/configure.ac	Fri Jul 21 14:52:25 2017 -0400
@@ -154,6 +154,40 @@
 	AC_MSG_ERROR([$PACKAGE_NAME requires librsb library])
 fi
 
+# check for octave functions
+save_CXX="$CXX"
+save_CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS"
+CXX=`${MKOCTFILE} -p CXX`
+CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS -I`$MKOCTFILE -p OCTINCLUDEDIR`"
+
+# need to use interpreter->get_load_path in dev version of octave,
+# prior to that methods of load_path were static
+AC_CACHE_CHECK(
+  [for octave_value function iscomplex],
+  [octave_value_cv_iscomplex],
+  [AC_COMPILE_IFELSE(
+    [AC_LANG_PROGRAM([
+      #include <oct.h>
+      #include <octave.h>
+      ],
+      [
+        octave_value().iscomplex();
+      ])],
+    [octave_value_cv_iscomplex=yes],
+    [octave_value_cv_iscomplex=no])
+  ])
+if test "$octave_value_cv_iscomplex" = "yes" ; then
+  HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX=-DHAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+else
+  HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX=
+fi
+AC_SUBST(HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX)
+
+CC=$save_CXX
+CXXFLAGS=$save_CXXFLAGS
+
+
+
 AC_SUBST(OCTAVE)
 AC_SUBST(TARGETS)
 AC_SUBST(SPARSERSB_CXXFLAGS)
@@ -163,6 +197,7 @@
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makeconf])
 AC_OUTPUT
 
+
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([
 
 $PACKAGE_NAME is configured with:
diff -r 105149bc4206 src/sparsersb.cc
--- a/src/sparsersb.cc	Fri Jul 21 13:47:46 2017 -0400
+++ b/src/sparsersb.cc	Fri Jul 21 14:52:25 2017 -0400
@@ -177,7 +177,11 @@
 
 #ifdef RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE_COMPLEX
 #define RSBOI_WANT_DOUBLE_COMPLEX 1
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+#define ORSB_RSB_TYPE_FLAG(OBJ) (((OBJ).iscomplex())?RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE:RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE_COMPLEX)
+#else
 #define ORSB_RSB_TYPE_FLAG(OBJ) (((OBJ).is_complex_type())?RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE:RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE_COMPLEX)
+#endif
 #else
 #define RSBOI_WANT_DOUBLE_COMPLEX 0
 #define ORSB_RSB_TYPE_FLAG(OBJ) RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE
@@ -228,7 +232,11 @@
 }
 #endif
 #if RSBOI_WANT_DOUBLE_COMPLEX
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+#define RSBOI_BINOP_PREVAILING_TYPE(V1,V2) (((V1).iscomplex()||(V2).iscomplex())?RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE_COMPLEX:RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE)
+#else
 #define RSBOI_BINOP_PREVAILING_TYPE(V1,V2) (((V1).is_complex_type()||(V2).is_complex_type())?RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE_COMPLEX:RSB_NUMERICAL_TYPE_DOUBLE)
+#endif
 #else
 #define RSBOI_BINOP_PREVAILING_TYPE(V1,V2) RSBOI_TYPECODE
 #endif
@@ -863,7 +871,11 @@
 		bool is_diagonal (void) const { RSBOI_0_EMCHECK(this->mtxAp); RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE(RSBOI_D_EMPTY_MSG);return RSB_DO_FLAG_HAS(this->rsbflags(),RSB_FLAG_DIAGONAL)?true:false; }/* FIXME: new: not sure whether this is ever called */
 		bool is_lower_triangular (void) const { RSBOI_0_EMCHECK(this->mtxAp); RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE(RSBOI_D_EMPTY_MSG);return RSB_DO_FLAG_HAS(this->rsbflags(),RSB_FLAG_LOWER_TRIANGULAR)?true:false; }/* FIXME: new: not sure whether this is ever called */
 		bool is_upper_triangular (void) const { RSBOI_0_EMCHECK(this->mtxAp); RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE(RSBOI_D_EMPTY_MSG);return RSB_DO_FLAG_HAS(this->rsbflags(),RSB_FLAG_UPPER_TRIANGULAR)?true:false; }/* FIXME: new: not sure whether this is ever called */
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+		bool iscomplex (void) const { RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE(RSBOI_D_EMPTY_MSG); return !is_real_type(); }
+#else
 		bool is_complex_type (void) const { RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE(RSBOI_D_EMPTY_MSG); return !is_real_type(); }
+#endif
 		bool is_bool_type (void) const { return false; }
 		bool is_integer_type (void) const { return false; }
 		bool is_square (void) const { return this->rows()==this->cols(); }
@@ -1534,7 +1546,11 @@
 	rsb_err_t errval = RSB_ERR_NO_ERROR;
 	RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE(RSBOI_D_EMPTY_MSG);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+	if(v1.iscomplex())
+#else
 	if(v1.is_complex_type())
+#endif
 	{
 		ComplexMatrix retval = v2.complex_matrix_value();
 		octave_idx_type b_nc = retval.cols ();
@@ -1640,7 +1656,11 @@
 	if(v1.is__triangular()) 
 		return rsboi_spsm(v1,v2,RSB_TRANSPOSITION_N);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+	if(v1.iscomplex() || v2.iscomplex())
+#else
 	if(v1.is_complex_type() || v2.is_complex_type())
+#endif
 		return (v1.sparse_complex_matrix_value()).solve(v2.sparse_complex_matrix_value());
 	else
 		return (v1.sparse_matrix_value()).solve(v2.matrix_value());
@@ -1655,7 +1675,11 @@
 	if(v1.is__triangular()) 
 		return rsboi_spsm(v1,v2,RSB_TRANSPOSITION_T);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+	if(v1.iscomplex() || v2.iscomplex())
+#else
 	if(v1.is_complex_type() || v2.is_complex_type())
+#endif
 		return (v1.sparse_complex_matrix_value().transpose()).solve(v2.sparse_complex_matrix_value());
 	else
 		return (v1.sparse_matrix_value().transpose()).solve(v2.matrix_value());
@@ -1671,7 +1695,11 @@
 	if(v1.is__triangular()) 
 		return rsboi_spsm(v1,v2,RSB_TRANSPOSITION_N);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+	if(v1.iscomplex() || v2.iscomplex())
+#else
 	if(v1.is_complex_type() || v2.is_complex_type())
+#endif
 		return (v1.sparse_complex_matrix_value()).solve(v2.sparse_complex_matrix_value());
 	else
 		return (v1.sparse_matrix_value()).solve(v2.matrix_value());
@@ -1685,7 +1713,11 @@
 	if(v1.is__triangular()) 
 		return rsboi_spsm(v1,v2,RSB_TRANSPOSITION_T);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+	if(v1.iscomplex() || v2.iscomplex())
+#else
 	if(v1.is_complex_type() || v2.is_complex_type())
+#endif
 		return (v1.sparse_complex_matrix_value().transpose()).solve(v2.sparse_complex_matrix_value());
 	else
 		return (v1.sparse_matrix_value().transpose()).solve(v2.matrix_value());
@@ -2199,8 +2231,13 @@
 	int nargin = args.length ();
 	octave_value_list retval;
 	octave_sparsersb_mtx*osmp = RSBOI_NULL;
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+	bool ic0 = nargin>0?(args(0).iscomplex()):false;
+	bool ic3 = nargin>2?(args(2).iscomplex()):false;
+#else
 	bool ic0 = nargin>0?(args(0).is_complex_type()):false;
 	bool ic3 = nargin>2?(args(2).is_complex_type()):false;
+#endif
 	bool isr = (nargin>0 && args(0).type_name()==RSB_OI_TYPEINFO_STRING);
 
 	RSBOI_DEBUG_NOTICE("in sparsersb()\n");
@@ -2522,7 +2559,11 @@
 				if(nargout) retval.append(osmp->cols()),--nargout;
 				if(nargout) retval.append(osmp->nnz()),--nargout;
 				if(nargout) retval.append(osmp->get_info_string()),--nargout;
+#ifdef HAVE_OCTAVE_VALUE_ISCOMPLEX
+				if(nargout) retval.append((!osmp->iscomplex())?"real":"complex"),--nargout;
+#else
 				if(nargout) retval.append((!osmp->is_complex_type())?"real":"complex"),--nargout;
+#endif
 				if(nargout) retval.append(osmp->get_symmetry()),--nargout;
 			}
 		}