Message-Id: <199606071321.JAA03298@locke.ccil.org>
Date:         Fri, 7 Jun 1996 09:07:39 -0400
Reply-To: "Robert J. Chassell" <bob@GNU.AI.MIT.EDU>
Sender: Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From: "Robert J. Chassell" <bob@GNU.AI.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Newcomer's questions
To: John Cowan <cowan@LOCKE.CCIL.ORG>
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.LNX.3.91.960607075731.16348A-100000@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi>
              (veion@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi)
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If you cannot get Logflash to work, try GNU Emacs Flashcard mode.

As far as I know, Flashcard mode has fewer features than
Logflash; but I have never used Logflash.

(Because of an illness in the family, I have not spent any time on
Lojban recently, not even working with vocabulary.)


I can send you my bug fixes.  The program's author is currently in
Kazakstan with a very expensive net connection (i.e., please don't
write him); he will release a new version, merging these fixes, when
he gets back this summer.

Here is what I put into my .emacs file:

;;; Flashcard mode
;; from Lars Huttar, June 1994
;; Lojban-English words are in `~bob/flashcard/'

(autoload 'flashcard "flashcard"
   "Use Flashcard package to drill on flashcards." t)

;; Limit drill to cards that have been guessed right this many times
(setq fc-limit-num-right 3)

;; Drill in multiple-choice mode
(setq fc-multiple-choice t)

;; Delimiters for multiline Lojban records.
(setq fc-field-delimiter "/=/")
(setq fc-record-delimiter "^\*\\|^%")

; Entries look like this:
;
; * bond (sibling),
;     x1 is a sibling of x2 by bond/tie/standard/parent(s) x3
;     /:/
;     /=/ tunba (tub)
; * bond (sororal),
;     x1 is a sister of/sororal to x2 by bond/tie/standard/parent(s) x3; [not
;     necessarily biological]
;     /:/
;     /=/ mensi (mes me'i)


;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

;;; flashcard.el -- a package for drilling on questions and answers.
;;; Copyright (c) 1994 by Lars Huttar <huttar@cs.oberlin.edu>
;;; Freely distributable under the GNU GPL.

;;; Version: 0.95 (beta)
;;; Release date: Wed Jun  8 09:50:13 1994

;;; The author welcomes suggestions and bug reports.
;;; However, the author offers NO WARRANTY, express or implied.

;;; The purpose of `flashcard' is to drill the user over a
;;; user-created database of questions and answers.  It records
;;; scores, and can tailor the drill according to the user's past
;;; performance.  To quickly summarize its features, I'll describe an
;;; example.

;;; I create a vocabulary file; the top line indicates that there are
;;; two fields in this file, called `dutch' and `english'.  (But I
;;; could have three or more fields if desired.)  I then enter a bunch
;;; of pairs of Dutch and English words, one pair on a line.  E.g.:

;;;     !% Fields: dutch        english
;;;
;;;     wie     who
;;;     huis    house
;;;     straat  street

;;; etc.  Then I can use `flashcard' to drill me on this file, either
;;; presenting me with the `dutch' field and letting me think of the
;;; `english' field, or vice versa.  `flashcard' will not check my
;;; answers (unless I'm in multiple-choice mode); I must judge if I
;;; got the answer right or wrong, and hit `r' or `w' accordingly.
;;; `flashcard' keeps score for each field and each record: how many
;;; times I've gotten it right, how many times I've gotten it wrong,
;;; and when was the last time I got it right.  This information is
;;; stored in a separate score file.

;;; At some later date I can come back to the same vocabulary
;;; file, and have `flashcard' drill me on selected cards, based
;;; on criteria such as "all cards which I haven't gotten right
;;; in a month" or "all cards which I've gotten right less than
;;; 75% of the time."
;;; Multiple vocabulary files can be loaded, mixed together, and
;;; drilled on simultaneously.  When the drilling is done, scores will
;;; be saved to the appropriate separate score files.

;;; Someday perhaps there will be info documentation with all the
;;; information organized, and a nice tutorial.

;;; Some sample Japanese vocabulary files can be obtained by anonymous
;;; ftp from:
;;;     crl.nmsu.edu:CLR/multiling/japanese/vocabulary
;;;     kuso.shef.ac.uk:pub/japanese/larstango
;;;     ftp.cc.monash.edu.au:pub/nihongo/mangajin-vocab
;;; However, you need Mule (Multilingual Emacs) or Nemacs (Japanese
;;; Emacs) to display the characters.

;;; Installation:
;;; Copy flashcard.el into a directory in your load-path.  Byte-compile
;;; it if desired.  Put the following in your .emacs file:
;;;    (autoload 'flashcard "flashcard"
;;;       "Use Flashcard package to drill on flashcards." t)

;;; LCD Archive Entry:
;;; flashcard.el|Lars Huttar|huttar@cs.oberlin.edu
;;; |Selective drilling on flashcards, tailored to your past performance
;;; |1994/06/08 09:50:13|0.95|