changes in upcoming IOS update
I understand that it is apparently the cloud syncing issues that is holding up the update. That said, have the other discrepancies with between the IOS and the desktop version already been resolved so that they will be part of the new update, once you solve the sync issue? Namely:
1) the advantage of the advanced spaced repetition scheduling that the desktop provides
2) the advantage of each facet of the slide being scheduled independently of the other(s) that the desktop is said to provide (but IOS does not)
3) ability to have Non-reversible notes within the same stack as reversible notes and remain so when syncing mac with IOS
Seems like I might be forgetting one. But the above are important to me because, for the first two, there is no work around and they are important to the effectiveness of the app as a learning tool. Personally, I never study on the mac. I just use it for editing and because scheduling designs oblige me to. I guess the mac is more important for people studying notes for which a large screen is needed. Otherwise, even when I'm at home I want the greater freedom of movement the IOS provides. So my question is, will the above issues be solved, or am will be just be facing the same IOS limitations described above, but with cloud syncing?
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1 Posted by support on 02 Jun, 2013 06:41 PM
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us. We are not able to comment on future updates at this time. We will definitely make sure your concerns are passed on tot he developer team.
Thank you for choosing The Mental Faculty!
Best,
Jason W. -- The Mental Faculty Support
support closed this discussion on 02 Jun, 2013 06:41 PM.
zeppo re-opened this discussion on 04 Jul, 2013 03:30 PM
2 Posted by zeppo on 04 Jul, 2013 03:33 PM
Now that the new app has been released, can someone please comment on the questions I asked above concerning points 1, 2, and 3?
In my case, I don't see a point in switching if the only change is iCloud sync, since I am doing fine with wifi sync and there's no point in fixing what "ain't broke" for me.
However, if the issues I name in the above points, I will gladly buy the app and switch to iCloud sync.
Congrats on the new release. Please comment.
Thanks!
Support Staff 3 Posted by drewmccormack on 04 Jul, 2013 03:49 PM
You certainly don't have to switch if you don't want to. We deliberately released a new app so that customers could try the new app, but also return to the old one if they wished.
Your questions:
1) the advantage of the advanced spaced repetition scheduling that the desktop provides
Mental Case 2 includes several goal-oriented schedules. One is spaced-repetition (long-term schedule), but there are also schedules for targeting a date, and cramming (Leitner).
The spaced-repetition algorithm is a bit more advanced. It adapts dynamically to how you answer, so if you answer several times wrong in a row, it will assume the note is difficult, and make the intervals shorter.
Another big change is that every combination of prompt-response is scheduled separately. So if you are learning Spanish, the English-Spanish combination would appear and be scheduled separately to the Spanish-English. In the old app, it just randomly picked the order. Now if you struggle with one of the combinations, that combination will appear more often.
2) the advantage of each facet of the slide being scheduled independently of the other(s) that the desktop is said to provide (but IOS does not)
Answered at end of 1)
3) ability to have Non-reversible notes within the same stack as reversible notes and remain so when syncing mac with IOS
You can argue whether it is much of an advantage. I guess it is possible to have a stack of general stuff that includes different styles of notes. I agree this isn't that common, and having 'homogeneous' notes would also have been fine.
Hope that helps. You can try Mental Case 2 for free, and some of these things are explained in the in-app help pages.
Kind regards,
Drew
drewmccormack closed this discussion on 04 Jul, 2013 03:49 PM.
zeppo re-opened this discussion on 04 Jul, 2013 04:33 PM
4 Posted by zeppo on 04 Jul, 2013 04:33 PM
Thanks, Drew. The change in # 2 in particular I think is huge. So for that alone I will upgrade. Of course, any advances in the space-repetion algorithm are always great.
As far as point #3, it really would be a great advantage. My method is to create notes in Google Docs, import those to Flashcard Exchange, and then download to Mental Case. As of now, I have to do this twice for each new area of study I am adding. For instance, I am indeed studying Spanish. I add vocabulary from a frequency dictionary, with entries in the order of most used words. I concentrate on 50 entries from the dictionary, and then move on to the next set of 50. Some words can be addressed with reversible cards, and others require non-reversible. It would be much simpler if I could just do a single Google spreadsheet, import that to a single Flashcard Exchange deck, and import it to a single Mental Case stack, to which I could then set the cards accordingly, rather than have to do the process twice.
Furthermore, sometimes I realize, while in the process of studying a stack, an inadequacy with a reversible flashcard, and rather than have to address it by creating a whole new non-reversible stack, it would be easier to mark it as non-reversible and add couple of other non-reversible cards to that same stack. When I am typing the original Google doc to be imported to Flashcard Exchange, I am often just flying through it, and so I miss the problem with the card. For example, I created a stack with the following reversible card:
facet one > asistir
facet two > to attend (an event) ; to assist
not a problem in this order, but when reversed, it becomes
to attend (an event) ; to assist >>> asistir
The inadequacy in this order is that "to assist" acts as an obvious crutch that triggers my memory that the answer is "asistir". But without that aid, would I have known that "to attend" = "asistir"??
So the solution to the above is to change the original card to a non-reversible card and then add two more non-reversible cards:
to attend (an event) > asistir
to assist > asistir
Realization of such inadequacies happens quite often. It would be nice to deal with this on the fly within the same stack, rather than having to go through the process of creating a new one.
I hope the above example gives you an idea why this feature would be a significant advantage.
That said, I am unclear about the response you gave me. Are you saying I can now in the new version (wouldn't work in the old) designate reversible and non-reversible cards within the same stack?
Support Staff 5 Posted by drewmccormack on 04 Jul, 2013 04:44 PM
Yes, that is what I am saying. You can mix all card types in a stack. You can also have multisided cards, as many as you like.
Each stack has a 'template'. This is just used to setup new notes, but you are free to change each note separately, for example, making one note non-reversible.
One more thing that may interest you: the new app supports import of CSV files. If you can find a way to get google docs to export a CSV file in an app on your phone, you should be able to select and import it directly, avoiding flashcard exchange.
Kind regards,
Drew
6 Posted by zeppo on 04 Jul, 2013 05:03 PM
Great news. I have one more important question before I switch, which I will ask in a separate thread.
drewmccormack closed this discussion on 04 Jul, 2013 06:11 PM.