4.3BSD-UWisc/man/cat1/learn.1

LEARN(1)            UNIX Programmer's Manual             LEARN(1)



NAME
     learn - computer aided instruction about UNIX

SYNOPSIS
     learn [ -directory ] [ subject [ lesson ] ]

DESCRIPTION
     _L_e_a_r_n gives Computer Aided Instruction courses and practice
     in the use of UNIX, the C Shell, and the Berkeley text edi-
     tors.  To get started simply type learn.  If you had used
     _l_e_a_r_n before and left your last session without completing a
     subject, the program will use information in $HOME/.learnrc
     to start you up in the same place you left off.  Your first
     time through, _l_e_a_r_n will ask questions to find out what you
     want to do.  Some questions may be bypassed by naming a _s_u_b_-
     _j_e_c_t, and more yet by naming a _l_e_s_s_o_n.  You may enter the
     _l_e_s_s_o_n as a number that _l_e_a_r_n gave you in a previous ses-
     sion.  If you do not know the lesson number, you may enter
     the _l_e_s_s_o_n as a word, and _l_e_a_r_n will look for the first les-
     son containing it.  If the _l_e_s_s_o_n is `-', _l_e_a_r_n prompts for
     each lesson; this is useful for debugging.

     The _s_u_b_j_e_c_t's presently handled are

          files
          editor
          vi
          morefiles
          macros
          eqn
          C

     There are a few special commands.  The command `bye' ter-
     minates a _l_e_a_r_n session and `where' tells you of your pro-
     gress, with `where m' telling you more.  The command `again'
     re-displays the text of the lesson and `again _l_e_s_s_o_n' lets
     you review _l_e_s_s_o_n.  There is no way for _l_e_a_r_n to tell you
     the answers it expects in English, however, the command
     `hint' prints the last part of the lesson script used to
     evaluate a response, while `hint m' prints the whole lesson
     script.  This is useful for debugging lessons and might pos-
     sibly give you an idea about what it expects.

     The -_d_i_r_e_c_t_o_r_y option allows one to exercise a script in a
     nonstandard place.

FILES
     /usr/lib/learn subtree for all dependent directories and
     files
     /usr/tmp/pl*   playpen directories
     $HOME/.learnrc startup information




Printed 12/27/86          May 15, 1986                          1






LEARN(1)            UNIX Programmer's Manual             LEARN(1)



SEE ALSO
     csh(1), ex(1)
     B. W. Kernighan and M. E. Lesk, _L_E_A_R_N - _C_o_m_p_u_t_e_r-_A_i_d_e_d
     _I_n_s_t_r_u_c_t_i_o_n _o_n _U_N_I_X

BUGS
     The main strength of _l_e_a_r_n, that it asks the student to use
     the real UNIX, also makes possible baffling mistakes.  It is
     helpful, especially for nonprogrammers, to have a UNIX ini-
     tiate near at hand during the first sessions.

     Occasionally lessons are incorrect, sometimes because the
     local version of a command operates in a non-standard way.
     Occasionally a lesson script does not recognize all the dif-
     ferent correct responses, in which case the `hint' command
     may be useful.  Such lessons may be skipped with the `skip'
     command, but it takes some sophistication to recognize the
     situation.

     To find a _l_e_s_s_o_n given as a word, _l_e_a_r_n does a simple
     _f_g_r_e_p(1) through the lessons.  It is unclear whether this
     sort of subject indexing is better than none.

     Spawning a new shell is required for each of many user and
     internal functions.

     The `vi' lessons are provided separately from the others.
     To use them see your system administrator.



























Printed 12/27/86          May 15, 1986                          2