Explore the World of Software 2: Kids, Adults, Educational

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Text File | 1991-10-23 | 17.7 KB | 461 lines

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ TOUCH TYPE TUTOR ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Copyright 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, David P. Gray, Gray Design Associates All Rights Reserved Member, Association of Shareware Professionals ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ C O N T E N T S ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 1. Specification 2. System requirements 3. Files distributed 4. USER GUIDE 4.1 Starting program 4.2 Menu selection 4.3 Main menu 4.4 Speed menu 4.5 Tutorial menu 4.6 Utilities menu 4.7 Game menu 4.8 Options menu 4.9 Calculating your mistakes 5. Revision history 6. Program self-check 7. Comments to the author 8. Association of Shareware Professionals ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 1. SPECIFICATION ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ TUTORIAL MODE Has eight graduated lessons and adapts itself automatically to the users skill level. Bar graphs showing progress are automatically available after each set of lessons. SPEED MODE Is designed for typists and companies to measure typing speeds. GAME MODE Adapts itself to the typists skill, forcing the user to type faster and faster throughout the five skill levels. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ TOUCH TYPE TUTOR is designed for minimal system requirements and should be runable on just about any IBM PC type or compatible. Although the program includes several graphical type screens, they are all constructed using the standard IBM graphical character set and so no graphics adapter card is required. TOUCH TYPE TUTOR will run in multiple colors on a color screen and will also run in monochrome on a monochrome adaptor. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 3. FILES DISTRIBUTED ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ CUSTOM.TTX .......... Custom speed test file GENERAL.TTX ......... General style speed test file LEGAL.TTX ........... Legal style speed test file MANUAL.DOC .......... This file MEDICAL.TTX ......... Medical style speed test file README.DOC .......... Important information TECHNO.TTX .......... Computer style speed test file TTT.000 ............. Overlay TTT.COM ............. Program file *.HLP ............... Various text files used for online help CONFIG.SAV .......... Saved options produced by TOUCH TYPE TUTOR RESULTS ............. User's speed test results produced by TOUCH TYPE TUTOR <NAME>.TTT .......... User's history file produced by TOUCH TYPE TUTOR ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 4. U S E R G U I D E ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.1 STARTING PROGRAM ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ To start TOUCH TYPE TUTOR from the DOS prompt type: TTT There is an alternative method of starting TOUCH TYPE TUTOR which supplies the name of the user from the command line. This is the same name you would use when running the tutor in teach-mode and allows an automatic way of starting e.g. from a batch file, so that you do not need to type in your name every time you run the program. For example if the name you use is "Fred" start the program by typing: "ttt -nFred" or "ttt -n Fred" (The "-n" is a standard UNIX way of specifying switches). ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.2 MENU SELECTION ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ The program features menu boxes for ease of use. Select the desired option using the up and down arrow keys and then hit enter. Select the QUIT option to return one menu level back and finally to quit the program from the top level. Alternatively, you can type the first highlighted character of each selection to choose that selection or if you have a mouse connected to your computer, click the left mouse button over the selection. Remember to use the online help provided if you are not sure which option to select. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.3 MAIN MENU ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ SPEED ............... an easy way of measuring the speed of a typist using selectable styles of text in various categories. This mode does assume some basic proficiency at touch typing. The typist is allowed to practice with a few lines of text before the proper measurement takes place. TUTORIAL ............ a graduated series of lessons to enable anyone to learn to touch type. It does not assume any prior skill but will adapt itself to the proficiency of the user. GAME ................ designed to help you familiarize with finger placement as well as provide some light hearted relief. OPTIONS ............. you can change screen colors, wpm threshold, number of screens and enable or disable the mouse. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.4 SPEED MENU ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ The clock will not start timing your responses until you type the first character. At the end of the real test (as opposed to the warm up) your results will be written to a file called RESULTS.TTX. The results of the speed test are stored in the file RESULTS. This file is overwritten after every completed speed test. It provides a copy of the results for reference purposes after the test has been completed. While typing you can optionally switch the beeper ON or OFF with the ! key. You may abort a session early by hitting the ESC key at any time but if you do this your speed will not be calculated. GENERAL ............. general style of text on which your speed can be tested. LEGAL ............... legal style of text on which your speed can be tested. MEDICAL ............. medical style of text on which your speed can be tested. TECHNO .............. computer style of text on which your speed can be tested. CUSTOM .............. by editing this file you can add a totally new style of text to the list. To edit this speed test file use either the EDLIN command which is described in your MS-DOS manual, or use any editor or word processor you may have on your system. Remember to save as ASCII if you are using a word processor and remember NOT to use special word processing commands. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.5 TUTORIAL MENU ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ The first time you enter this menu you will be asked for your name. Your name is used to create a file to save your results at the end of each session. If more than one person uses TOUCH TYPE TUTOR on one computer then please make sure you do not use the same names and so avoid confusion. You may use spaces, numbers and underlines in your name. START NEXT SCREEN ....... you will be presented with a series of lessons which gradually introduce more keys from the keyboard. The computer assesses your progress at the end of each session and decides whether it is time to promote you to the next lesson. The SHIFT key is not introduced until lesson 8. Until then all characters are presented in lower case. After lesson 8 you must use the SHIFT key as needed. The clock will not start timing your responses until you type the first character. TOUCH TYPE TUTOR adapts to your level of skill giving you more practice with the characters you find hardest. The results of the tutorial lessons, referred to as "history files" are available from the Utilities Menu. A bargraph is shown after each screen showing your relative performance on each key. Only keys which take part in the lesson are highlighted. One block is shown for each mistake made for a key, and also as a measure of the time taken to press the key. At the end of a lesson a chart is drawn showing your performance in words per minute throughout each screen of the lesson. The mistakes and timings for each key are averaged out since most keys will be used more than once in a screen. The blocks used to show relative timing among the keys are normalized and do not indicate any specific time value. KEYS INTRODUCED IN THIS LESSON .......... this shows a picture of the keyboard with the new keys for this lesson highlighted. A list of keys with finger positions is also presented. FINGER PLACEMENT FOR ANY KEY ............. this provides a handy reminder for which finger should be used to press which key. Again, a picture of the keyboard is shown with keys and instructions highlighted as you press a key. UTILITIES ............... this takes you to the Utilities Menu. BEEPER ON/OFF ........... this toggles the state of the beeper used to signal when you make a mistake. The current state of the beeper is shown here and also in each typing screen in the top right corner. While typing a screen, you may hit ! to toggle the beeper. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.6 UTILITIES MENU ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ This menu is available from within the Tutorial Menu and has the following selectors:- FORCE LESSON NUMBER ..... allows you to change the lesson number currently set for you in the TUTORIAL mode. Forcing the lesson number will disrupt your learning progression but is provided for completeness. If you are unable to reach the required speed to progress through the lessons, a better way is to change the speed required for promotion to the next lesson. You can change this from the Options Menu in the Main Menu level. If you change the lesson number here, it will revert to the lesson found in your history file the next time you start TOUCH TYPE TUTOR unless you complete a lesson and save the results to disk. SHOW HISTORY FILE ....... prints your history file on the screen. The history file is written every time you complete all the screens of a lesson and request the results be saved to disk. It shows the lesson number, the speed you attained and the date for each completed lesson. These history files are stored in files whose name is of the form NAME.TTT, where NAME is the name you typed in when prompted at the beginning of the tutorial. These files are updated only at the completion of all the screens of a lesson. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.7 GAME MENU ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ This simple game is designed to teach both familiarity with the positions of keys and also to encourage consistency of typing speed. The key to winning this game is to type consistently while gradually increasing your speed. The object of the game is to move the person who seems to be trapped on a moving conveyor belt heading toward a rather fearsome looking spear. You notice a white letter appear above the person and that typing the letter allows the person to jump away from the spear. As more letters take its place, you can type them until the person makes it all the way to the left end of the belt and thus to safety. You may also notice, however that the belt seems to get faster too, and the spear gets closer and closer. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.8 OPTIONS MENU ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ This menu is available from the Main Menu and has the following selectors:- COLORS .............. you can select a color scheme from one of the predefined sets. Your selection will be remembered next time you start TOUCH TYPE TUTOR. WPM THRESHOLD ....... this option allows you to change the speed needed to progress to the next lesson in the tutorial. If your speed matches or exceeds this value after completing all the screens of a lesson then you will be promoted to the next lesson. A value of 30 words per minute has been found appropriate to provide a challenging goal for a fast learner, however you may select a higher or a lower value to suit your own pace. The lower the value, the faster you will progress. If you set the value too high, you may become frustrated by not seeming to progress fast enough. On the other hand, setting the value too low may give you a false sense of achievement and cause you to complete the course without actually learning to touch type properly. Your selection will be remembered next time you start TOUCH TYPE TUTOR. NUMBER OF SCREENS ... changes the number of screens that make up a lesson in the Tutorial Menu (note that this is effectively "cheating" and it is left to individual users to decide whether this is more beneficial to their progress than the normal operation of the program). When you have completed all the screens for a lesson, the results will be written to your history file on the disk. Your selection will be remembered next time you start TOUCH TYPE TUTOR. ENABLE MOUSE ........ if TOUCH TYPE TUTOR detects that a mouse is present then the mouse interface will be available automatically. This should work with any mouse that uses the standard MicroSoft mouse device interface (the INT 33H standard which includes all MicroSoft and Logitech mice). DISABLE MOUSE ....... the mouse can be disabled while in TOUCH TYPE TUTOR by selecting "disable mouse" in the Options Menu. The disable mouse is provided for those who prefer the keyboard interface for menus and find the mouse cursor distracting. You can re-enable it by toggling the same selector which now reads "enable mouse". ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 4.9 CALCULATING YOUR MISTAKES ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ There are several ways to check your typing against the sentences generated. One is to simply match letter for letter what you type versus what you should have typed. This can prove disastrous if you get "out of sync" with the sentence. For example if you type an extra letter such as in "commputer" when you should have typed "computer", your text will appear wrong for every letter typed after that until you happen to notice what happened and get back in sync. The same thing can happen if you type too few letters. Other computer typing tutors adopt this approach which proves annoying and less than satisfactory. Another way is to try to automatically re-synchronize the matching up of letters and words that you typed after you make a mistake. This would be the ideal, however it is not foolproof and can just as easily go wrong, especially if characters, a whole word or even a whole sentence were accidently missed. This is one area where a human operator will be able to spot where the mistake was made far more easily than a computer program. The method TOUCH TYPE TUTOR adopts is to force the synchronization. In other words, you can't continue after a mistake until you type the correct letter. Only one mistake is counted for each occurrence however, so the total number of mistakes will be correct. Although the flow of typing is interrupted by this approach, this was felt to be preferable to presenting possibly incorrect statistics by method two above, and the annoying run-on problem of method one. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 5. REVISION HISTORY ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 2.0 Nov 22 1988 ....... Baseline version. 2.1 Jul 28 1989 ....... Include demo time-out and delay screen. 2.2 Sep 11 1989 ....... ASP membership, new colors, name entry. 2.3 Nov 18 1989 ....... Flush files when saving. 2.4 Apr 29 1990 ....... Added self-check protection. 3.0 Sep 01 1990 ....... Removed delay screen (hurrah!), added more lesson sentences, allowed space to terminate sentences, added shortcuts to menu selection boxes. 3.1 Feb 10 1991 ....... Upgrade for DOS 4 (fixes problem saving history files), fixed some spelling mistakes and other minor updates. 3.2 Feb 27 1991 ....... Fixed sentences for ; and o which contained characters inappropriate for the current lessons. 3.3 Apr 16 1991 ....... Replaced offensive "h" sentence. 3.4 May 14 1991 ....... Added 1-800 telephone number. 4.0 Oct 21 1991 ....... Added options menu, mouse interface, extra tutorial stats, configurable lesson number, lesson length, colors, lesson threshold speed, utilities menu, show history file, record mistakes in tutorial and speed tests, removed -b (non-bios) parameter. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 6. PROGRAM SELF-CHECK ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ TOUCH TYPE TUTOR provides a measure of protection for itself against accidental corruption during downloads from bulletin boards. A self-check is performed when the program starts up and will notify the user upon failure. Note that the program must be run from the directory where it resides or the self-check will fail. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 7. COMMENTS TO THE AUTHOR ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please direct any comments to the author personally via mail to David P. Gray, Gray Design Associates, P.O. Box 333, Northboro, MA 01532, USA. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 8. ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ This software is produced by David P. Gray who is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442, USA or send a CompuServe message via Easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ END OF MANUAL.DOC ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓