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  SuperMemo 5.8 Shareware
  by SuperMemo World
                                             
SuperMemo is a program designed to help you  
in your education, whatever it might be.     
It implements an extremely effective method  
of learning based on repetition scheduling.  
If you want to be successful in your studies,
scientific work or business activities,      
you will have to learn many things that by   
no means want to stick to your memory.       
SuperMemo solves the problem of forgetting   
and allows you to be truly successful.       
   Try and see! You have much to win!        
               GOOD LUCK                     

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SuperMemo will let you store a collection    
of question-answer pairs on a disk.          
These pairs are later referred to as items,  
and the collection of items is later called  
a database.                                  
SuperMemo will let you memorize items stored 
in the database and minimize the time        
necessary for learning and retention of      
knowledge in your memory.                    
All you have to do is to create (buy, borrow)
a database and test yourself systematically. 
Later you should also learn a bit about the  
database maintenance.                        
 That's all! Everything else is optional.    

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To create a new database you should:         
  1. initialize a database using the         
     INITIALIZE option from the MISCELLS     
     menu (press ESC, M and I to get there), 
  2. create and store new items using the    
     APPEND option (you can later modify     
     items using FIND, SELECT etc.).         
                                             
Instead of creating your own database you    
can take or buy a database created by        
somebody else even if it has already been    
used. The only thing you will have to do in  
such a case is to transform this database to 
an unused form.                              

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The TEST option allows to master and retain  
the knowledge stored in the database. You    
must only ensure that you start your work    
having the date set, so that the program     
knows what day it is, and what it should ask 
you about.                                   
As you can find by yourself, you will be     
asked questions selected by the program.     
You will have to assess the quality of your  
answers in a 0-5 grade scale.                
On the base of this quality, the program will
decide when the item should be asked next.   
You can alternate testing with creation and  
modification of the database.                

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To guarantee the safety of your databases
you should remember about the following:     
  - use QUIT to end your work,               
  - always keep back-up copies of your       
    database files,                          
  - never work on original files (create     
    temporary files and work with them),     
  - do not create too large databases        
    (say over 3000 items or over 200 kB),    
  - compress your databases every month,     
  - keep the date setting accurate.          
                                             
    YOUR DATABASES ARE TOO PRECIOUS TO       
        DISREGARD THESE PRINCIPLES!          

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In this help you can also find:              
 - general hints and tips for the user,      
 - advice what to do in case of any problems,
 - description of remaining options,         
 - theoretical explanations regarding the    
   optimization technique used in SuperMemo, 
 - description of the distribution disk files
 - discussion of possible configurations in  
   which SuperMemo can work,                 
 - organization of  the SuperMemo database.  

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Here is a list of common mistakes made by    
SUPER-MEMO beginners. In most cases, one or  
more of them is responsible for unsatis-     
factory progress of the user:                
 - having too difficult items,               
 - working unsystematically,                 
 - not being concentrated,                   
 - judging answers inadequately,             
 - memorizing too many items at once,        
 - disregarding safety principles.

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If you cannot run SUPER-MEMO then check if   
the CONFIG.SYS file allows to open at least  
12 files (you can use CONFIG.SYS from the    
distribution disk).                          
If your CONFIG.SYS is OK and you still cannot
run then check if all database files are     
present in the current directory.            
In other cases check if you have enough disk 
space for storing the database files.        
If your SUPER-MEMO reports errors when you   
use TEST or DAILY BURDEN or COMPRESSion then 
you will have to repair the damage or ask    
the distributor for latest recovery tools.   

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  Apart from APPEND and TEST SUPER-MEMO      
  provides the following options:            
OPEN - allows to open a new database,        
FIND - allows to search for items containing 
   a given substring,                        
STATISTICS - provides statistical information
   about the process,                        
MISCELLANEOUS - allows to select less often  
   used options of the SUPER-MEMO,           
PARAMETERS - allows to define some configu-  
   ration parameters and to save or restore  
   the configuration,                        
HELP - describes functions of SUPER-MEMO,    
QUIT - terminates and updates the database.  

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The SUPER-MEMO method is a tremendously      
effective technique allowing you to memorize 
large quantities of data in the shortest     
possible time.                               
It was developed in Poland, in the years     
1982-1987 by a biologist Piotr Wozniak.      
The SUPER-MEMO method, if it is to reveal    
all its advantages, requires application of  
a computer, although a paper based variant   
is also much more effective than traditional 
techniques used in learning.                 
Several computer programs are available that 
apply the SUPER-MEMO method, and the design  
of others is underway.                       

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Majority of human abilities, as they are seen
by an observer, is acquired in the process of
learning.                                    
A baby is a superb learning automaton that is
provided with  an extensive storage of infor-
mation, the cerebral cortex of the brain,    
and amazingly effective mechanisms for       
acquisition of knowledge.                    
Efficient learning is therefore one of basic 
factors determining knowledge, skills and    
intelligence of an individual.               
The knowledge acquired in the process of     
learning is stored in the form of long-term  
molecular changes in neuronal synapses,      

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but these changes tend to decline persistent-
ly, independent of the importance of the     
knowledge stored.                            
The mechanism of forgetting is the best      
protection against running out of the storage
space, and it is practically impossible to   
fill up the memory so that new information   
cannot be stored.                            
There is also a mechanism that protects the  
most important data against complete decline 
- the mechanism of fixation, in which the    
the most often used information is amplified.
Hence  the importance  of repetitions  of    
acquired knowledge or skills.                

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The optimal repetitory process is such a     
process that satisfies two contradictory     
criteria:                                    
- repetitions are frequent enough to ensure  
  that the knowledge will not be forgotten,  
- repetitions are rare enough to ensure that 
  the time spent on learning will be minimal.
The SUPER-MEMO method applies simple mathe-  
matical optimization technique to calculate  
the optimal frequency of repetitions, or more
exactly, to calculate optimal intervals      
between repetitions, which depend on:        
- capacity of a given individual,            
- difficulty of a given piece of knowledge,  

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- retention strength of a given piece of     
  knowledge (i.e. how well it is remembered  
  at the moment).                            
SUPER-MEMO programs are responsible for the  
following:                                   
- creation and maintenance of the database   
  consisting of question-answer pairs,       
- control of knowledge repetitions based on  
  the calculation of optimal intervals,      
- providing the user with mechanisms for     
  supervising the memorization process.      
Computer applications of the SUPER-MEMO      
method have been investigated since December 
1987 revealing its sensational effectiveness 

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in such areas as learning languages and      
natural sciences.                            
Although the present versions of SUPER-MEMO  
require knowledge to be represented in the   
form of text, the SUPER-MEMO method was      
also successfuly employed in learning type-  
writing, playing drums, playing bass,        
learning anatomy etc.                        
                                             
There is no doubt that sooner or later,      
SuperMemo techniques will permeate all forms 
of modern education.                         
SuperMemo World is committed to make this    
happen faster.                               

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You will certainly try to make your work with
SuperMemo as smooth and convenient as        
possible. To do so, you will have to         
consider the optimum work algorithm which    
will depend on your configuration.           
The most likely options are as follows:      
 - no RAM-disk and no hard disk,             
 - with a RAM-disk,                          
 - with a hard disk.                         
The installation program, which will help you
to adjust to each of these configurations,   
is present on the distribution disk.         


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The database of SUPER-MEMO consists of the   
following files:                             
 <name>.IFN - contains basic information
   about the database (number of items,      
   number of items memorized, date of        
   creation, date of the last reference,     
   factor distribution array etc.),          
 <name>.ITM - contains the text of items,    
 <name>.ITI - contains info about items      
   (factor, last interval, number of repeats)
 <name>.DAT - list of pointers to *.FDT file,
 <name>.FTD - list of lists containing items 
  which are to be repeated on a given day,   
 <name>.PRI - the priority queue.            

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  For explanation of such concepts as:       
     - current directory,                    
     - batch file,                           
     - RAM-disk, battery backed RAM,         
     - kB,                                   
     - back-up copy,                         
     - CONFIG.SYS, COMMAND.COM               
     - setting the system date               
     - using COPY to create temporary files, 
  refer to your MS DOS manual or ask one of  
  your colleagues who is fluent in handling  
  IBM PC's.                                  
                                             

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The INITIALIZE option is used to create new  
database files which make up a new, empty    
database containing no items.                
You will use INITIALIZAE whenever your       
database grows too large and it is no longer 
advisable to append new items to it.         
Each newly created database has its unique   
name and its particular files are identified 
by the file extensions.                      
These files will be stored on the drive and  
directory specified by PATH in the PARAMS    
menu.                                        
                                             

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The COMPRESS option is used to set the       
database files in order and to perform a     
general garbage collection.                  
Compression of files is done in two stages:  
 A.compression of *.DAT and *.FTD files in   
   order to get rid of outdated info about   
   the process,                              
 B.compression of *.ITM and *.ITI files.     
Compression of the *.PRI file is done automa-
tically whenever the priority queue is empty.
The *.IFN file is never compressed.
The first stage of compression is faster and 
should be done every month to avoid excessive
growth of *.DAT and *.FTD files.             

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The second stage of compression is necessary 
only then when a large number of items has   
been deleted or edited (changed).            
This stage lasts pretty long (even if it is  
done on a hard disk or RAM-disk).            
Be sure, that you have made back-up copies   
of your files before compression.            
If you cannot compress your files because    
SUPER-MEMO stops reporting the error, then   
your database must have been damaged.        
In such a case, you can compress the database
using RECOV5.EXE (it applies extensive
compression and enables elimination of a     
large class of errors).                      

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The APPEND option is used to add new question
-answer pairs (items) into your database.    
These pairs do not enter the process at once,
but are pending in the priority queue.       
The priority queue is being emptied only then
when you wish to memorize items stored in it.
Thus you can append more items that you can  
let into the process at the same time.       
Later you can gradually memorize pending     
items from the priority queue using TEST.    
You will see, that each item added to the    
database increases the TOTAL number of items.
                                             

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You can also find that while appending items 
you will change the INTACT parameter that    
indicates the number of items waiting for    
memorization in the priority queue.          
On the other hand, the MEMORIZED parameter   
(the number of items that have been learned) 
will remain unchanged.                       
Note that TOTAL=MEMORIZED+INTACT.            
                                             

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The TEST option is used to repeat these items
which are the most likely to be forgotten.   
If you have not tested yourself for few days,
all outstanding items assigned to these days 
will also be repeated.                       
After all outstanding items for a given day  
have been repeated, all of them that have not
been remembered well enough are repeated     
again (until they score at least 4 points in 
the quality assessment scale).               
When there is nothing to repeat, TEST is used
to memorize  new items  (these which are pen-
ding in the priority queue).                 

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FACTOR DISTRIBUTION is used to present the   
distribution of items with respect to their  
difficulty factors.                          
The easiest items have their factors equal   
to 3.2 and the most difficult items have     
factors equal to 1.3.                        
FACTOR DISTRIBUTION presents a histogram     
which illustrates how many items belong to   
a given class of difficulty and what is the  
percentage they make up in the whole data-   
base.                                        
At the beginning, factors of all items are   
assumed to be 2.5 and they are later modified
on the base of quality of answers in the TEST

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DAILY BURDEN allows you to check how many    
items you will have to repeat on a given     
day and eventually what these items are.     
Items are repeated then when they are most   
likely to be forgotten and it is the program 
which determines when a given item is to be  
repeated.                                    
                                             
All items that are to be repeated on a given 
day are stored on the disk in the form of    
a list and it takes some time until the      
program can find out their number.           
Thus it seems unlikely that you will like    
using this options with a floppy disk system.

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The 0-5 grade scale used in assessment of    
quality of answers given to questions during 
execution of TEST:                           
                                             
   5 - perfect response,                     
   4 - correct response with hesitation,     
   3 - correct response given after longer   
       consideration,                        
   2 - wrong response, very close to the     
       correct one,                          
   1 - wrong response; the correct answer    
       seems to be familiar,                 
   0 - complete blackout.                    
                                             

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 Do not forget that you should always leave  
 SUPER-MEMO by selecting the QUIT option.    
 Do not just remove the disk nor switch off  
 the computer before saving the data.        
 If you fail to do so,the database files     
 will not be closed and their content may    
 become inconsistent.                        
 It is possible that in such a case you will 
 have to use recovery tools to make the      
 database consistent and, as you suspect,    
 the recovery will unevitably cause partial  
 loss of data.                               
                                             

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The difficulty factor determines how hard it 
is to remember a given item.                 
It usually belongs to the range <1.3,3.5>    
and the greater it is the less difficult is  
the item.                                    
All items have their factors assumed to be   
equal to 2.5 initially, and this value is    
modified on the base of appropriate answer   
qualities, i.e. when an item is remembered   
well its factor remains unchanged or even may
increase, otherwise the factor decreases.    
                                             

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 RANDOM TEST selects randomly items from     
 the database and presents them.             
 You can use this test for:                  
  - testing your colleages or students,      
  - checking what is the percentage of       
    items that you remember (normally, you   
    should not score below 90%!),            
  - calculating of the distribution of       
    particular topics in the database or     
    distribution of various item parameters  
    such as repetition number, number of     
    memory lapses etc.                       
                                             

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The TRANSFRM.EXE program may be used to      
adapt a database created by another person   
(e.g. your colleague), so that it can be     
reused.                                      
To transform the database files to an unused 
form run the TRANSFRM.EXE from within the    
directory where the database files are stored
(e.g. type TRANSFRM if the program and the   
database are in the current directory).      
After execution of TRANSFRM you can see the  
following changes in the database:           
 -  INTACT=TOTAL  (i.e. MEMORIZED=0),        
 -  all items have factors equal to 2.5      
 -  the DAY parameter equals to 1 etc.       

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The RECOV5.EXE program is used to compress
the database files so that possible errors   
in *.DAT and *.FTD can be repaired.          
Damage to these files is especially dangerous
considering the list structure of the *.FTD. 
Other kinds or errors are less likely and    
easier to correct.                           
To compress files with RECOV5.EXE you must
execute this program from within the direc-  
tory containing the database files (e.g. type
RECOV5 if the program and the database files
are in the current directory).               
All items lost because of the damage will be 
appended to the priority queue.              

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 It is quite a funny picture, when a zealous 
 SUPER-MEMO user persistently strains every  
 nerve in his efforts to remember strenuously
 constructed monster items consisting of     
 innumerable indigestible terms, definitions,
 descriptions, symbols, constants, formulas..
 The idea of SUPER-MEMO is based on dividing 
 the knowledge into smallest possible grains 
 so that the optimization procedure can be   
 applied to each.                            
 If it were not necessary, we could have     
 an answer in the form of a book and I am    
 sure that there are few persons on this     
 globe that are able to remember whole books.

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ITEMS SHOULD ALWAYS BE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE!
Instead of asking:                           
"What are the systems of the human organism?"
and providing the answer:                    
"alimentary, lymphoid, immune, endocrine...."
we should rather construct few items so that 
the answer could be:                         
"regulatory systems and executive systems"   
and another item could read:                 
"What are the regulatory systems" with the   
answer "nervous and endocrine".              
   REDUNDANCY CAN DECREASE YOUR WORKLOAD!    
PS. I  do not  claim  that  my division of   
    systems of the organism is best possible.

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 All calculations on which the SUPER-MEMO    
 method was based assume that the learner    
 allocates time for learning everyday!       
                                             
 So it should be clear that:                 
 ALL PAUSES IN LEARNING WITH SUPER-MEMO      
 WHICH ARE LONGER THAN ONE DAY DECREASE      
 THE EFFECTIVENESS!!!                        
 It means that having breaks in your process 
 you will have to spend more time for memo-  
 rizing a given number of items!             
 There are mechanisms in the SUPER-MEMO pro- 
 gram that allow you to catch up if neces-   
 sary, but you should never abuse it.        

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SUPER-MEMO forces your brain to work with    
an extreme intensity (you can find that it   
is hard to work with it for longer than an   
hour). This may cause a self-defense reaction
consisting in negligent repetitions.         
But negligence is one of the worst habits of 
SUPER-MEMO users that inevitably leads to    
results that compare poorly with that of the 
most strenuous and highly motivated learners.
IT IS BETTER TO LOOSE SOME TIME WHILE TRYING 
TO RECALL A GIVEN ANSWER, THAN TO REPEAT THE 
ITEM AD INFINITUM!                           
Do not give up to early, and if you have to  
then think a bit why the item is so hard.    

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It can often be observed that users of       
SUPER-MEMO tend to forget about the impor-   
tance of proper assessment of answer quali-  
ties.                                        
In extreme cases they use only two grade     
scale: 5 - OK and 0 - I do not remember!     
The optimization method is based on calcu-   
lation of difficulties of items, so that     
judging answers is tremendously important!   
You are even allowed to input fractional     
values to make estimations more accurate.    
Read exactly the rules for quality assess-   
ment and obey them. Otherwise you stand a    
lesser chance to live up to your expectations

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Whenever somebody wants to use SUPER-MEMO it 
is usually after he has learnt that some of  
his colleagues is using it and memorizes     
thousands of items in an amazingly short time
No wonder, that when he finally loads SUPER- 
MEMO on his own PC he vigorously begins ex-  
panding his database with intention to double
the feat he has heard of.                    
In such cases, the zealous user will soon be 
flooded with an overwhelming stream of items 
and if his motivation to work hard is not    
sound, he is likely to get discouraged and   
give up.                                     
  DO NOT RUSH, CHECK YOUR CAPACITY FIRST!    

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The best way to avoid the aforementioned     
problems is to allocate no more that 5-10    
minutes a day to work with SUPER-MEMO.       
Only then when the mechanisms of SUPER-MEMO  
will become more familiar, one can decide if 
he is consequent enough to work longer.      
Relatively best results where achieved by    
user who worked 30-45 minutes a day.         
Even for the strongest learners 60 minutes   
of SUPER-MEMO a day may be too much!         
Obviously if you are sure that you can       
persist working harder in a long run, there  
are no contrrecommendations, on condition    
that your work will really be regular.       

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The MISCELLANEOUS menu provides additional   
options of the SUPER-MEMO program:           
 - SELECT - allows to select an item of a    
     given number. After selecting it the    
     edition mode is entered,                
 - DATE - allows to change the system date,  
 - RANDOM - allows to perform a random test, 
 - COMPRESS - allows to compress SUPER-MEMO  
     databases,                              
 - INITIALIZE - allows to create a new, empty
     SUPER-MEMO database,                    
 - OS SHELL - allows to leave the SUPER-MEMO 
     program temporarily and to execute      
     commands of the DOS operating system.   

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The most important files on your SM disk:    
 - SM5.EXE - SUPER-MEMO 5 shareware program,
 - SM5.HLP - help for the version 5.0 of the 
     program,                                
 - TECHENG5.* - exemplary SUPER-MEMO database,
 - TRANSF5.EXE - program to transform the
     database files into an unused form,     
 - UP2_5.EXE - program upgrading database
     files of previous versions of SUPER-MEMO
 - RECOV5.EXE - program for recovery of
     damaged database files,                 
 - README - file containing information about
     the latest modifications to the program.

***** Page 41 ***************************************

After having introduced some items into the  
database and before memorizing them, they are
stored in so called priority queue, which    
defines the order in which items are to be   
memorized.                                   
Unless you use a special program to modify   
the priority queue (e.g. older versions of   
the SUPER-MEMO) the sequence of memorizing is
the same as the sequence of adding new items 
with the use of the APPEND option.           
The priority queue allows you to enter much  
more items into the database than you can    
memorize at once or to use complete databases
created by your colleagues (see TRANSFRM.EXE)

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In the PROCESS WINDOW you can find the       
following parameters describing your database
and the state of the memorization process:   
 - NAME - the name of the database in use,   
 - STARTED - the date of creation of the     
     database in use,                        
 - DATE - the current date (as indicated by  
     the system date),                       
 - DAY - the day number of the process,      
 - MEMORIZED - the number of items that have 
     already been memorized,                 
 - INTACT - the number of items pending in   
     the priority queue,                     
 - TOTAL - the total number of items,        

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 - OUTSTANDING - the number of items that    
     should be repeated on that given day,   
 - REMAINS - the number of items that have   
     been repeated on that day, but the      
     quality of the answer was lower than    
     four,                                   
 - BURDEN (+/-) - the increment (decrement)  
     of the BURDEN parameter (see below) in  
     that given SUPER-MEMO session,          
 - BURDEN - the average number of items per  
     day that you have to repeat,            
 - QUALITY - the average quality of your     
     answers in a given SUPER-MEMO session,  
 - TIME - the repetition time of a session.  

***** Page 44 ***************************************

The FIND option allows you to search for     
items that contain a given subsequence of    
characters.                                  
After finding an item you are interested in  
you can enter the edition mode that allows   
you to edit the item, scan the adjacent      
items, delete items, select items by their   
numbers etc.                                 

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The SELECT command can be issued from within 
the MISCELLANEOUS menu or while being in the 
edition mode.                                
It allows to input an item number, displays  
the indicated item and then enters the       
edition mode that allows to edit or delete   
the item, scan, edit or delete adjacent items
     The edition mode also allows to select  
another item with the use of SELECT itself.  

***** Page 46 ***************************************

The DATE option in the MISCELLANEOUS menu    
allows you to set a system date in your PC.  
In majority of modern PC's the date will be  
stored in the battery backed RAM so that you 
will not have to set it before starting your 
work with SUPER-MEMO.                        
The program can discover that the date is    
earlier than the beginning of the process or 
the last day the SUPER-MEMO has been used.   
In both cases it will react appropriately and
display a message for you.                   
Anyway, be very carful and make sure that you
always work with the proper date setting,    
otherwise you can mess the process.          

***** Page 47 ***************************************

The edition mode alows you to modify your    
SUPER-MEMO databases off hand.               
It is entered automatically when you use such
options as TEST, FIND, SELECT and RANDOM.    
In the edition mode you can issue the        
following commands:                          
 - E - edit the displayed item,              
 - D - delete the displayed item,            
 - S - select another item,                  
 - Ctrl-P - print the displayed item,        
 - cursor keys, PgUp/PgDn - scan through     
   the database in smaller or larger steps,  
 - ESC - exit the edition mode.              
                                             

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The QUIT option is present in the main menu  
of the SUPER-MEMO program.                   
It performs the following:                   
 - asks for the confirmation that you want   
   to leave the program,                     
 - closes all database files,                
 - deletes all temporary files,              
 - restores the screen image as it was left  
   before entering the SUPER-MEMO program.   
                                             
You should always terminate your work using  
the QUIT option to ensure that all database  
files are updated and closed!                

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The OPEN option allows you to open a new     
database for use.                            
If any database has already been open it will
be closed automatically.                     
OPEN displays the names of the databases     
in the current SUPER-MEMO directory, which   
is defined by the PATH command in the        
MISCELLANEOUS menu.                          
You can select one of these databases using  
cursor keys and it will be opened.           
If the date setting is wrong the database    
will not be opened and the proper message    
will be displayed.                           

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The STATISTICS menu:                         
 - FACTOR DISTRIBUTION - displays the        
     distribution of difficulty factors,     
 - INTERVAL DISTRIBUTION - displays the      
     distribution of intervals,              
 - DAILY BURDEN - number of items that are to
     be repeated in particular days,         
 - OPTIMAL FACTORS - displays the current    
     state of the optimal factor table,      
 - PROSPECTS - displays the current approxi- 
     mation of optimal intervals based on    
     the OPTIMAL FACTORS table,              
 - SUPPORT FOR OF - number of instances used 
     to calculate OF.                        

***** Page 51 ***************************************


 The PARAMETERS menu provides the following  
 options:                                    
 - SOUND - switches on and off generation    
     of sounds by the SUPER-MEMO program,    
 - PATH - defines the path in which the      
     SUPER-MEMO databases are stored,        
 - LOAD PARAMETERS - loads a SUPER-MEMO      
     parameter set from the disk,            
 - WRITE PARAMETERS - stores the current     
     parameter set on the disk.              
                                             
                                             

***** Page 52 ***************************************

                                             
The OS SHELL option allows to exit to the    
DOS temporarily.                             
The operating system command interpreter     
(COMMAND.COM) is loaded to memory and        
executed.                                    
If the COMMAND.COM file is not present in    
the directory indicated by the current       
SUPER-MEMO parameter setting (the path may   
be different than the database directory     
path) then you are asked to input a new      
COMMAND.COM path.                            
Save the SUPER-MEMO parameters to make the   
new setting permanent (use WRITE PARAMETERS).

***** Page 53 ***************************************

The content of the help is stored in the     
SM5.HLP file.                                
If you want to access this file from the     
directory different than the database        
directory (see the PATH option) then:        
  - remove the help from the database        
    directory,                               
  - select the HELP option,                  
  - input the path to the help directory,    
  - use WRITE PARAMETERS to make the setting 
    permanent.                               
You can use the EXTRACT.EXE program to       
extract the content of the help into a       
printable *.DOC file.                        

***** Page 55 ***************************************

                                             
The UP_2_5.EXE program can be used to
upgrade SuperMemo 2.6 Public Domain databases
to SuperMemo 5.8 format.
To upgrade your database do the following:
  - copy the database to a separate
    directory (or separate disk),
  - copy the UP_2_5.EXE to the same
    directory (disk),
  - make this directory current,
  - type UP_2_5.
Make sure that you have a back-up copy of    
your database before upgrading.              
                                             

***** Page 56 ***************************************

       STRUCTURE OF *.IFN FILES
The IFN file is stored in a compressed form
therefore it is unlikely you will wish to    
introduce any changes to it.                 
Exemplary variables stored in the IFN file:
  item_quantity:word; {the highest number of 
     an item in the database}                
  TOTAL:word; {the number of items stored}   
  last_record:word; {the last record used in 
     the *.ITM file}                         
  last_position:word; {last character written
     in the *.ITM file}                      
  first_day:word; {first day of the process  
     counted relatively to 1 January 1980}   

***** Page 57 ***************************************

  last_day:word; {the last day the database  
     has been used; counted relatively to the
     first_day}                              
  MEMORIZED:word; {the number of items that  
     have already been memorized}            
  date_base:word; {the number of the day     
     is represented by the first word of the 
     *.DAT file; counted relatively to the   
     first_day}                              
  BURDEN:real; {number of items per day}     
  factor_distribution:array[1..20] of word;  
     {array of the numbers of items          
     falling into a given difficulty         
     category}                               

***** Page 58 ***************************************

  interval_distribution:array[1..13] of word;
    {array of the numbers of items having    
    an interval belonging to a given range}  
  OF_values:array[1..20,1..20] of word;      
    {array of the optimal factors for        
    given difficulty category and repetition 
    number. Factors are multiplied by 1000}  
  OF_support:array[1..20,1..20] of word;     
    {array of the number of instances used   
    to calculate a corresponding entry in the
    OF_values array}                         
  RES:array[1..?] of byte; {reserved for     
    future versions of SuperMemo}            
  end; {end of the info_record}              

***** Page 59 ***************************************

       STRUCTURE OF *.ITM FILES              
                                             
var items:file of string[250];               
                                             
The content of items is stored sequentialy   
in the *.ITM file. Questions and answers are 
separated by dollar signs.                   
Deleted items are replaced with dollar signs.
The record and the position where a given    
item starts are stored in the *.ITI file.    
To view the structure of an *.ITM file       
use the standard TYPE command.               
                                             
                                             

***** Page 60 ***************************************

        STRUCTURE OF *.ITI FILES             
                                             
var iteminfo:file of iteminfo_record;        
  {stores information about subsequent items}
type iteminfo_record=record                  
  rec:word; {the record of the *.ITM file    
    in which the first character of the      
    item is stored}                          
  position:byte; {the position in the record 
    of the *.ITM file where the first        
    character of the items is stored}        
  factor:word; {the difficulty factor multi- 
    plied by 1000; it is equal to zero if    
    the item has been deleted}               

***** Page 61 ***************************************

   factor_used:word; {value indicating how   
      many times the last interval was longer
      than the previous one. The value is    
      multiplied by 1000}                    
   repetition_no:byte; {the number of times  
      the item has been repeated}            
   resets:byte; {the number of times the item
      has been forgotten}                    
   last_interval:word; {the length of the    
      interval between the last and the next 
      repetition; it is counted in days}     
   last_repetition:word; {the day of the last
      repetition relative to the first day}  
   end; {end of the iteminfo_record}         

***** Page 62 ***************************************

      STRUCTURE OF *.DAT FILES               
                                             
var dates:file of word;                      
                                             
The subsequent words of the *.DAT file are   
pointers to the *.FTD file. Each word repre- 
sents one day. The first word represents the 
day that can be calculated from the formula: 
    first:=first_day+date_base-1             
The first_day and date_base values are stored
in the *.IFN file.
*.FTD file stores lists of items that are to 
be repeated on a given day. If there are no  
such items, the *.DAT word is equal to zero. 

***** Page 63 ***************************************

For example:                                 
Let the *.DAT file contain 13,0,0,23.        
Let the first day be 5,000 and the date_base 
be 1000.                                     
All that means that the list of items for the
5,999-th day is stored in the *.FTD file in  
such a way that it begins at the 13-th record
of that file.                                
It also means that there are no items to be  
repeated on the 6,000-th and 6,001-st day.   
The list of items for the 6,002-nd day is    
stored in the *.FTD file beginning with the  
23-rd position.                              
                                             

***** Page 64 ***************************************

      STRUCTURE OF *.FTD FILES               
                                             
var futurdat:file of dword;                  
type dword=record                            
        item_no:word;                        
        next:word;                           
        end;                                 
The *.FTD file contains lists of items that  
are to be repeated on a given day.           
The item_no represents the number of the item
(or zero if the item has been deleted).      
The next indicates the record of the *.FTD   
file where the next item is stored (or it    
equals zero if there are no more items).     

***** Page 65 ***************************************

       STRUCTURE OF *.PRI FILES              
                                             
var prior:file of tword;                     
type tword=record                            
       predecessor:word;                     
       item_no:word;                         
       successor:word;                       
       end;                                  
                                             
The *.PRI defines the priority queue.        
The first record has the following function: 
  predecessor - the number of the record     
     that stores the first item of the queue,
  item_no - not used,                        

***** Page 66 ***************************************

  successor - the number of the record that  
     stores the last element in the queue.   
The following records of the *.PRI file      
represent elements of the priority queue:    
  predecessor - predecessor of that element  
     of the queue i.e. the number of the     
     record where the predecessor is stored  
     (it equals zero if the item occupies the
     first position in the queue),           
  item_no - the item that occupies that      
     position of the queue,                  
  successor - successor of that element of   
     the queue (or zero if the element       
     is the last in the queue).              

***** Page 67 ***************************************

If you neither have a hardisk nor a possibi- 
lity to install a RAM-disk then you can work 
in a floppy disk configuration.              
You will need the following disks:           
  - bottable disk with SM5.EXE (optionally   
    SM5.PAR and SM5.HLP),                    
  - disks with your database files.          
The algorithm is as follows:                 
  - load the DOS system,                     
  - load the SUPER-MEMO program,             
  - insert a disk with your databases,       
  - OPEN in turn the databases and work,     
  - QUIT the program and make back-ups       
    of all database files you have used.     

***** Page 68 ***************************************

If you do not have a hard disk but you can   
install a RAM-disk then you will need the    
following disks:                             
  - bootable disk with SM5.EXE (optionally   
    SM5.PAR and SM5.HLP),                    
  - disks with your databases.               
The algorithm of your work is:               
  - load DOS and install the RAM-disk,       
  - load the SUPER-MEMO program,             
  - exit to DOS,                             
  - copy databases on the RAM-disk,          
  - return to SUPER-MEMO (type EXIT) and work
  - exit to DOS again,                       
  - copy databases back to your disk.        

***** Page 69 ***************************************

                                             
If you have a hard disk then the following   
configuration of directories is recommended: 
 - SM directory (SM5.EXE, SM5.PAR, SM5.HLP), 
 - DB directory with your databases.         
The algorithm of your work is:               
 - turn on your PC and load the DOS,         
 - copy databases into a working directory   
   (preferably a RAM-disk),                  
 - load the SUPER-MEMO program,              
 - OPEN in turn your databases and work,     
 - QUIT SUPER-MEMO,                          
 - copy databases back to the DB directory.  
Every week copy the databases on a diskette. 

***** Page 70 ***************************************

                                             
                                             
INTERVAL DISTRIBUTION is used to present     
the distribution of items with respect to the
current value of the interval after which    
they are supposed to be repeated.            
The option presents a histogram which        
illustrates how many items belong to a given 
category of interval length and what their   
proportional participation in the database   
is.                                          

***** Page 71 ***************************************

                                             
The PROSPECTS option displays the approxi-   
mation of the optimal intervals used in      
the course of repetitions.                   
These intervals reflect the state of the     
optimal factor table in such a way that the  
first interval in a given category equals    
the first factor and the following intervals 
euqal to previous intervals multiplied by    
corresponding factors of the considered      
category.                                    
The top row of the diagram corresponds to    
difficulty factor categories and the left    
column indicates repetition numbers.         

***** Page 72 ***************************************

                                             
                                             
                                             
The SUPPORT FOR OPTIMAL FACTORS option       
displays how many repetition instances have  
been used to calculate a given entry of the  
Optimal Factor table displayed by the        
OPTIMAL FACTORS option.                      
In the version 5.0 of the SUPER-MEMO program,
only 10000 first instances are used in       
calculations and their significance decreases
logarithmically with each instance.          
                                             
                                             

***** Page 73 ***************************************

                                             
                                             
An optimal interval is the maximum interval  
after which an item is still remembered.     
Intervals longer than that are not optimal   
because an item is forgotten.                
Shorter interval are not optimal because:    
  - they do not cause the maximum effort     
    to recall thus having lower fixation     
    effect,                                  
  - they cause that items are repeated more  
    frequently which increases workload of   
    the learner.                             
                                             

***** Page 74 ***************************************

The repetition number tells how many times a 
given item has been repeated since it was    
introduced into the process (memorized) or   
since it was last forgotten.                 
Memorization of an item is counted as the    
first repetition (despite the usual meaning  
of the word repetition).                     
    When an item has been forgotten, it is   
assumed that its repetition number equals 1. 
    You can see the repetition number in the 
item window together with the number of times
the item has been forgotten.                 
The format is like this:                     
REPETITION repetition_no:forgetting_instances

***** Page 75 ***************************************

The EDIT command issued in the edition mode  
allows to edit a given item.                 
When you enter an editor you can see (if you 
have a color display) that the background    
changes to cyan.                             
To edit an item you can use the following    
keys:                                        
 ESC - exit to the answer window if you are  
     in the question window or exit from the 
     editor if you are in the answer window, 
 PgUp/PgDn - change the current window,      
 Tab - exchange the question and the answer  
     (useful in vocabulary databases),       
 cursor keys - moving the cursor,            

***** Page 76 ***************************************

  Enter - go to the beginning of the next    
    line or add an empty line if the cursor  
    is at the beginning of a line,           
  Home/End - go the beginning or to the end  
    of the line,                             
  Backspace,Del - delete a character at or   
    before the cursor position,              
  Ctrl-Y - delete the line with the cursor.  
  Insert - change the mode from Insert to    
    Overwrite.                               
  Alt-code - entering special characters.    
                                             
Note that the dollar sign is reserved and you
cannot use it in creation of items.          

***** Page 77 ***************************************

                                             
  The PATH option in the PARAMETERS menu     
allows to change the directory in which the  
database files are searched for.             
If you want to OPEN a database in a given    
directory on a given drive then use this     
option to specify both the drive and the path
The new specification can be stored with the 
use of WRITE PARAMETERS and the old one can  
be restored by LOAD PARAMETERS.              
                                             
Note that changing the path will not affect  
the access to directories where the parameter
file, help file and COMMAND.COM are stored.  

***** Page 78 ***************************************

The parameters set consists of a collection  
of variables determining the behavior of the 
SUPER-MEMO program. This collection can be   
stored on the disk and read from the disk    
with the use of WRITE/LOAD PARAMETERS.       
The parameter set determines the following:  
 - if SUPER-MEMO generates sounds (the       
   default value is YES),                    
 - in what directories the following files   
   are stored (default - current directory): 
    database files,                         
    help file,                              
    COMMAND.COM,                            
    parameter file.                         

***** Page 79 ***************************************

                                             
The TEST WINDOW displays the following data: 
- PREVIOUS OF - previous optimal factor for  
  the corresponding item,                    
- MODIFIED OF - newly calculated OF,         
- +/- OF - the change of the OF (in %)       
- NEXT REPETITION - when the next repetition 
  of the item should take place,             
- NEW FACTOR - new difficulty factor for the 
  item whose value depends on the QUALITY.   
- OPTIMAL INTERVAL - optimal interval calcu- 
  lated for the item (last_interval*OF).     
- NEW INTERVAL - real interval used for the  
  item (close to the optimal interval).      

***** Page 80 ***************************************

                                             
The ITEM WINDOW displays the following data: 
- NUMBER - the number of the displayed item, 
- QUALITY - the quality of the answer,       
- REPETITION - repetition number separated   
  by a colon from number of memory lapses,   
- LAST REPETITION - last repetition date,    
- FACTOR - the current difficulty factor,    
- FACTOR USED - factor used to calculate     
  the last interval of the item,             
- INTERVAL - the current interval for the    
  item which determines how many days must   
  elapse between the last repetition and the 
  next repetition.                           

***** Page 81 ***************************************

The function used to calculate optimal       
intervals has the following form:            
  I(i)=I(i-1)*OF(i,DF)    I(1)=OF(1,DF)      
where:                                       
I(i) - optimal interval for i-th repetition, 
OF(i,DF) - optimal factor for i-th repetition
DF - difficulty factor of a given item.      
Optimal factors (OIs) can be seen with the   
use of the OPTIMAL FACTORS options of the    
STATISTICS menu. Optimal factors are modified
during repetition to adjust them to the      
given knowledge, capacity of the user and    
his grading standards (how he applies the    
self-assessment scale during testing).       

***** Page 82 ***************************************

The OPTIMAL FACTORS option allows to view    
the optimal factors used in calculations of  
optimal intervals.                           
The top row specifies difficulty factor      
categories and the left column the           
repetition numbers.                          
The first row of optimal factors corresponds 
to first intervals used during repetitions,  
while the factors of the following rows      
indicate how many times intervals increase   
between repetitions.                         
