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- USING WAK
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-
- WAK, the Word Acquisition Kinescope, is a "flash card" / tachistoscope word
- list displayer. WAK allows the user to select the word list file to display,
- the display rate, and to set a time and or word limit on the display round.
-
- WAK comes with a sample word list, named LIST. This list is the one that
- displays as the default if no other file name is specified. LIST is actually
- a compilation of 5000+ unusual words legal in Scrabble (tm) play that has
- been lifted intact from the author's SCRABL38 package. However, WAK will
- also accept other appropriate word lists (see below).
-
- WAK displays word lists in standard DOS format, that is, all ASCII (letters
- only, no "control codes"), one word only per line terminated by a CR/LF
- pair. The word lists generated by the author's WORDY system may be used with
- WAK if the "header" and "footer" are deleted, so only the words in the list
- remain. The word lists in the author's SCRABL38 program set may be used with
- no changes at all. Note that WAK accepts word lists in the format described
- in either lower or upper case, or even mixed, and automatically converts "on
- the fly" to display in upper case and in approximate Scrabble (tm) tile size
- on screen.
-
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-
- Example of changes made to WORDY generated list for compatibility with WAK:
-
- DELETE {===================================================================}
- DELETE { Word(s) containing: KZB }
- DELETE {===================================================================}
- bazooka
- bazookas
- bouzouki
- .
- .
- <more words here>
- .
- .
- zwieback
- zwiebacks
- DELETE {-------------------------------------------------------------------}
- DELETE { 28 words contain KZB. }
- DELETE { }
- DELETE {EXTRACT tool by M\Cooper, PO Box 237, St. David, AZ 85630-0237 }
-
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-
- Invoke the program by typing WAK. The opening screen will give way to
- the set up screen after a key press. You may then specify the word file
- to display (or choose the default file named LIST by pressing RETURN),
- set a maximum time limit and / or word count limit, and choose to skip
- the "clever" countdown display if desired. Pressing RETURN at the prompts
- automatically selects the default values.
-
- After having used WAK a few times, you may wish to skip the set up and
- "countdown" screens. This may be done by typing WAK D, or by typing WAKD.
- This will take you directly to the tachistoscope display after the opening
- screen, but with all options set to the default values.
-
- Even while WAK is displaying words, the display rate may be adjusted
- by pressing the <f> key for slightly faster, the <F> key for much
- faster, the <s> key for slightly slower, and the <S> key for much
- slower. The <ESC> key ends the round. Note that at very slow display
- rates, 1.5 "speed units" or slower, the program may not be very
- responsive to key presses.
-
- Now WAK has a "Fast Forward" function. While WAK is displaying words, press-
- ing either the SPACE BAR or the . or the > leapfrogs over approximately
- 500 words forward. This provides a way of advancing past portions of a word
- file previously studied. Of course word files may also be selectively edited
- or "pruned" as they are studied using a word processor or text editor.
-
- The display rate "speed units" correspond roughly to words / second at
- slower rates of display only. It is not possible to closely calibrate
- "speed units" to measured display rate since this will vary according
- to the speed of the computer CPU and display hardware.
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-
- WAK requires a 386 or better machine [Pentium (tm) 100 or faster recommended
- if you plan to experiment with higher display rates]. A VGA display card and
- monitor are also necessary. An "accelerated" video card would also help at
- higher display rates.
-
- WAK is *not* Windows (tm) compatible. It should be run from the DOS prompt
- after exiting from Windows (tm).
-
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- FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS
-
- The author is all too well aware that WAK, in this preliminary release, has
- much room for improvement. Some possible enhancements include "random file
- access" (being able to flash words at random from a file, rather than in
- sequence), fast forward and rewind in the file while displaying, and a
- permanent on-disk record of study and/or progress. Users may suggest other
- improvements that may not even occur to the author.
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- Scrabble is a trademark of the Milton Bradley, Co., Inc.
- Pentium is a trademark of Intel, Inc.
- Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft Corp.
- WAK is not a trademark.
- WORDY is not a trademark.
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-
- WAK is shareware with a suggested $1.00 contribution. Registration puts you
- on my update / support mailing list.
-
- M\Cooper
- PO Box 237
- St. David, AZ 85630-0237
- -------------------------------
- E-mail: thegrendel@theriver.com
-