A lot of time lately I'm waiting around in doctor waiting rooms.

Everyone else, 'specially the kids, is on their phone.
But I don't know what to do with the phone.

No way am I playing useless games or reading teeeeeeny tiny print.
And I'm not about to watch my phone using it as a tiny YouTube TV.
Nor do I have enough people to text & call to keep me busy enough.

Maybe the Windows newsgroup spelling app has been ported to Android?

With the Windows spelling app (Herbert Kleebauer), every time you see a
redsquiggle, you copy the fixed-spelling & type "Win+R spell" to paste the
corrected spelling into your list of test words to practice later.

Later, when you have time (which you never do when you're at home), you
would type "Win+R spellit" which would randomly speak the words and give
you three chances to fix them.

If you fix them, it removes the word from the list.
If you still get it wrong, it adds the word in the list (which means the
word pops up even more frequently as it's in there twice or three times).

Does a port of this Herbert Kleebauer Windows app yet exist for Android?

On 9/17/2023 1:51 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
> alt.msdos.batch

What I'm asking for is whether anyone has ported the alt.msdos.batch
program that quizzes you on words that you misspell - to the Android OS.

> Not a related newsgroup to your inquiry. It was removed in my reply.

It was written _by_ people on alt.msdos.batch in the first place.
There were multiple contributors - also from the Windows 10 newsgroup.
Mostly by Herbert Kleebauer who posted from the alt.msdos.batch ng.

>> Maybe the Windows newsgroup spelling app has been ported to Android?
>
> I take it the spell checker on the Android phone is not to your liking.

Thanks for trying to help but you may have misunderstood the question.
That's my fault for not being clear because the need is universal.

So it's definitely worth coming up with an answer so everyone can use it.

I'm not asking for a spell checker.
I'm asking for a port of the existing Windows alt.msdos.bat spell program.

On Windows, it works like this:
1. You misspell a word anywhere on Windows & it gets redsquiggled.
2. You fix that word (generally via the existing Windows spellcheckers).
3. You immediately copy the fixed word to your Windows clipboard.

Then... hours, days, weeks or months later:
4. You type Win+R spell which opens up your spell.txt text file.
5. That spell.txt file contains _all_ the words you habitually misspell.
6. You paste the newly misspelled word into that spell.txt text file.

When you have a spare moment on Windows (which you never have at home!):
7. You type Win+R sayit which randomly speaks a word in the spell.txt file.
8. The sayit.bat program gives you three chances to spell the word right.
9. If you spell it right, it's removed - otherwise it's added again.

The logic is you don't get any visual cues other than what you type.
The Windows narrator speaks the word properly - you just have to spell it.
The words you misspell the most are randomly presented to you the most.

The more you misspell a word - the more it randomly queries you on it.
The word only gets removed if you consistently spell it correctly.

The only problem is that you never have a spare moment when you're at home.
But you often have a spare moment when you're in a doctor's waiting room.

Lot's of spare moments, in fact.

What I'm asking for is whether anyone has ported the alt.msdos.batch
program that quizzes you on words that you misspell - to the Android OS.

On 9/17/2023 4:31 PM, AJL wrote:
>>No way am I playing useless games or reading teeeeeeny tiny print.
>>And I'm not about to watch my phone using it as a tiny YouTube TV.
>>Nor do I have enough people to text & call to keep me busy enough.
>
> How about Usenet?

I have a web link to http://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android
but the text is really too small to make reading Usenet news fun.

> When I'm out killing time I often read/post from my phone
> as I'm doing now. Great time killer...

Sometimes I organize my photo album - but how many times can you do that?

>>Does a port of this Herbert Kleebauer Windows app yet exist for Android?
>
> I see you're using Tbird. It has a built in spell checker. I use it often.
> Unfortunately this Android newsreader I'm using doesn't so it let's me hang
> out.

It's not the spell checker.
It's a spell tester.

It was written for Windows on the alt.msdos.batch newsgroup years ago.
> Butt sorrry i don't hav a clu abut ur reel queery...

The way it works with Windows (and the way it would work with Android) is

1. Every time you misspell a word on Windows, you save it to a file.
2. You copy that file over to Android as a simple normal text file.
3. You run the desired Android program which speaks the word three times.
4. Each time you get a chance to type in the correct spelling (or not).

If you type the correct spelling within three attempts, it's removed.
If you don't - it's added back (so the worst offenders get repeated).

This already exists on Windows.
The question is whether it's ported to Android.

On 9/17/2023 10:56 PM, AJL wrote:
>> I have a web link to http://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android
>
> Google Groups seems to have a bad reputation on Usenet. And personally I
> prefer to use a more anonymous server anyway. (I use the paid version of
> the PhoNews Usenet newsreader on my phone.)

It has nothing whatsoever to do with Google Groups.
It's a web page just like any other web page.

Only it's a read-only searchable site for the Android newsgroup archives.
Nothing more than that.

Again - it has absolutely nothing to do with Google Groups (AFAIK).

>> but the text is really too small to make reading Usenet news fun.
>
> My phone has a 6.4" screen so my text is small too. But I have a good
> set of trifocals and fortunately have no problem with the text.

That's why I want the phone to SPEAK to me the words over the headset.
I'd plug my headset into the phone so it wouldn't bother anyone else.

>> Sometimes I organize my photo album - but how many times can you do
>> that?
>
> I also read the regular news as a time killer. And sometimes my ebooks.

Do you know of an ebook reader that will SPEAK the ebooks for me?
Maybe from a PDF or a Mobi or an EPUB file?

Speaking an ebook would be useful as I wouldn't need to see anything.

>> It's not the spell checker. It's a spell tester.
>
> Ah. Had never heard of that before.

Yeah. It contains a list of words you have misspelled in the past.
Then it quizzes you on those words, verbally - so you can't cheat.

> You're going to have your phone speaking spelling words to you while
> you're waiting in your doctor's office??

Sure. Headphones have been around for years.
You plug them in and they just work.

>> 4. Each time you get a chance to type in the correct spelling (or
>> not).
>
> So then you do have to see the phone's keyboard...

Yes. There's no way around typing the word into the app.
Although I guess a "fancy" app would accept you saying the letters.
>> If you type the correct spelling within three attempts, it's
>> removed. If you don't - it's added back (so the worst offenders get
>> repeated).
>
> Think I'll just stick to a spell checker... :-\

This is a spell learner. Not a spell checker.
You practice spelling only the words you need to spell.

Everyone would have a different list of words _they_ often misspell.
>> This already exists on Windows. The question is whether it's ported
>> to Android.
>
> Good luck on finding it.

It was written on the alt.msdos.batch newsgroup so maybe it can be written
on the android newsgroup too. It doesn't hurt to ask if it has been done.

On 9/17/23 23:41, Bradley wrote:
> Do you know of an ebook reader that will SPEAK the ebooks for me?
> Maybe from a PDF or a Mobi or an EPUB file?
>
> Speaking an ebook would be useful as I wouldn't need to see anything.

Try audiobooks?

--
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On Sun, 17 Sep 2023 20:48:22 -0400, Bradley wrote:

> What I'm asking for is whether anyone has ported the alt.msdos.batch
> program that quizzes you on words that you misspell - to the Android OS.

Maybe port to Linux & then run a native Linux on an unrooted Android?
[https://andronix.app/]

The Andronix description says
"Run full-fledged Linux Distros right on your Android device
without rooting."
"Run distributions like Ubuntu, Manjaro, Kali and a lot more with
all major desktop environments."

On Tue, 19 Sep 2023 04:40:21 -0400
Mickey D <mickeydavis078XX@ptd.net> wrote:

> On Sun, 17 Sep 2023 20:48:22 -0400, Bradley wrote:
>
> > What I'm asking for is whether anyone has ported the alt.msdos.batch
> > program that quizzes you on words that you misspell - to the Android OS.
>
> Maybe port to Linux & then run a native Linux on an unrooted Android?
> [https://andronix.app/]
>
> The Andronix description says
> "Run full-fledged Linux Distros right on your Android device
> without rooting."
> "Run distributions like Ubuntu, Manjaro, Kali and a lot more with
> all major desktop environments."

First you'd need to get someone (I guess he should ask HK) to change his
assembler to output ARM code, and change the source program to scrape words
from an android GUI, rather than use Windows API. Bit of a big ask, IME.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:48:12 +0100
"Kerr-Mudd, John" <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

> On Tue, 19 Sep 2023 04:40:21 -0400
> Mickey D <mickeydavis078XX@ptd.net> wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 17 Sep 2023 20:48:22 -0400, Bradley wrote:
> >
> > > What I'm asking for is whether anyone has ported the alt.msdos.batch
> > > program that quizzes you on words that you misspell - to the Android OS.
> >
> > Maybe port to Linux & then run a native Linux on an unrooted Android?
> > [https://andronix.app/]
> >
> > The Andronix description says
> > "Run full-fledged Linux Distros right on your Android device
> > without rooting."
> > "Run distributions like Ubuntu, Manjaro, Kali and a lot more with
> > all major desktop environments."
>
> First you'd need to get someone (I guess he should ask HK) to change his
> assembler to output ARM code, and change the source program to scrape words
> from an android GUI, rather than use Windows API. Bit of a big ask, IME.
>
Oh, I just re-read how the app works - it calls Windows Narrator to say
the word; you'd need an equivalent linux/android module.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On 19.09.2023 12:48, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

>> > What I'm asking for is whether anyone has ported the alt.msdos.batch
>> > program that quizzes you on words that you misspell - to the Android OS.

> First you'd need to get someone (I guess he should ask HK) to change his
> assembler to output ARM code, and change the source program to scrape words
> from an android GUI, rather than use Windows API. Bit of a big ask, IME.

That was no program which can be ported to Android. It was
just a few lines of batch code. And such a program doesn't
make much sense on a phone. If the spell checker for the
Android keyboard is enabled, any spelling error you make
is automatically corrected by the spell checker. And if
the spell checker is disabled, then most errors are due
to the tiny keyboard and not because you don't know how
to spell the word.

That was the whole program:

@echo off
chcp 65001>nul
MODE CON: COLS=50 LINES=10
color f0
cls
echo createobject("sapi.spvoice").speak wsh.arguments(0)>speak.vbs

for /f "tokens=*" %%i in (spell.txt) do call echo %%random%% %%i>>spellerr.txt
sort /o spelltmp.txt spellerr.txt
del spellerr.txt
set /a ok=0
set /a not_ok=0

for /f "tokens=1*" %%i in (spelltmp.txt) do call :sub %%j
:end
del speak.vbs
del spelltmp.txt
echo.
echo %ok% Wörter richtig, %not_ok% Wörter falsch
echo.
pause
exit

:sub
echo.
set /a n=0
:sub1
set /a n=n+1
if %n%==3 goto :sub2
cscript //nologo speak.vbs "%*"
set a=
set /p a=
if /i "%a%"=="x" goto :end
if /i not "%*"=="%a%" goto :sub1
set /a ok=ok+1
goto :eof

:sub2
echo 0 %*>>spellerr.txt
echo ---------- %*
set /a not_ok=not_ok+1
timeout /t 2 >nul

"Kerr-Mudd, John" <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> Oh, I just re-read how the app works - it calls Windows Narrator to say
> the word; you'd need an equivalent linux/android module.

You don't need to port anything as you can ad hoc create & play wav files.

There are Android text to speech engines which create individual wav files.
People use them for custom notifications such as "aunt sue texted you.wav".
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplycomplexapps.ASTellme]

I'm not sure how to randomize lists but Android is linux so it's possible.
[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11600001/how-to-get-a-random-value-from-a-string-array-in-android]

There must be controllable Android string editors that can remove words.
[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4590957/how-to-set-text-in-an-edittext]