Chapter 2 corrections

006/006 time.csv

@@ -27,3 +27,7 @@ Date,Topic,Minutes
 ,,55
 ,ch. 2 edits, 20
 2025.02.09,barcodes,60
+,(coda),25
+,aside on memorization,30
+,(ch. 1 - supporting open source),50
+2025.02.10,ch. 2 edits & corrections,30

006/include/chap02.tex

@@ -8,29 +8,11 @@ I was a biology major in college (the first time around, that is) and so I had t
 A sidebar debate of the usefulness of memorizing anything.
 \kdive{3}
 
-One of the best ways I've found to memorize information is to use flash cards. As I see it, flash cards have three main advantages. First, you have to write this information onto the flash cards, so you have yet another opportunity to review the information. (I tend to learn better by reading and writing than by listening.) Second, because you to fit the information on an index card, you have to edit the information, which is yet another opportunity to process the information. Third, because each bit of information is on a separate card, you can easily sort these cards as you study them, gradually setting aside the cards you know, so that you can focus on the material you still need to learn. 
+One of the best ways I've found to memorize information is to use flash cards. As I see it, flash cards have three main advantages. First, you have to write this information onto the flash cards, so you have yet another opportunity to review the information. (I tend to learn better by reading and writing than by listening.) Second, because you have to fit the information on an index card, you have to edit the information, which is yet another opportunity to process the information. Third, because each bit of information is on a separate card, you can easily sort these cards as you study them, gradually setting aside the cards you know, so that you can focus on the material you still need to learn. 
 
 Unfortunately, flash cards are a lot of work to make. (You can buy commercial versions, but they are expensive and may not suit your exact purposes.) Because you have to make them by hand, you're essentially a medieval scribe, copying a text very laboriously by hand. It's not a fun process for most people.\footnote{I will admit to being an exception here.}
 
-Fortunately, \LaTeX{} has a number of packages that make the production of flash cards a fairly simple process.  
-
-\subsection{Online Examples}
-
-I had a lot of fun playing around with these packages, and have created a number of example documents for you to download and play around with. I've posted these to both my personal git repository and Codeberg. You can see them here: 
-
-\label{online-examples}
-\begin{itemize}
-\item \textbf{Personal:} \kref{https://git.kjodle.net/kjodle/flashcard-examples}{https://git.kjodle.net/kjodle/flashcard-examples}
-\item \textbf{Codeberg:} \kref{https://codeberg.org/kjodle/flashcard-examples}{https://codeberg.org/kjodle/flashcard-examples}
-\end{itemize}
-
-\section{The \textsf{FlashCards} Package}
-
-The \textsf{FlashCards}\footnote{Available at \kref{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flashcards}{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flashcards}.} package (and note that it is written in CamelCase) allows you to easily create flashcards and then print them on standard sheet-fed business-card stock which is equivalent to Avery 5371.\footnote{This is for North American business-card stock, which is 8.5 $\times$ 11 inches.} (Avery products are pretty expensive, but I can usually find a less expensive off-brand version elsewhere.)
-
-\textsf{FlashCards} offers you a limited set of options, which is just fine, since it's more about the information on these cards, rather than how they look. Flash cards don't need to be fancy, but you can do a certain amount of customization with this package. 
-
-The truly nice thing about the \textsf{FlashCards} package is that it automatically sets up the cards for two-sided printing. That is, if the front of your document looks like this:
+Fortunately, \LaTeX{} has a number of packages that make the production of flash cards a fairly simple process. The main issue with creating flash cards in a word processing program is that you have to remember that the back side of the pages have to be written up in the reverse order of the front sides. This is what \LaTeX{} makes easy, because it can automatically set up the cards for two-sided printing. That is, if the front of your document looks like this:
 
 \label{cards}
 \begin{center}
@@ -57,6 +39,22 @@ The truly nice thing about the \textsf{FlashCards} package is that it automatica
 
 This way, the back of card A and front of card A will appear on opposite sides of the same card.\footnote{This is an incredibly difficult concept for some people to understand. (If you don't beleive me, just ask anyone who's ever worked in a copy shop.) Some people just have a lot of trouble re-orienting three-dimensional ojbects in their mind. I have a funny feeling that these are the people who just never got to build anything when they were children, or who never got to play with building toys like Lego or Tinker Toys.}
 
+\subsection{Online Examples}
+
+I had a lot of fun playing around with these packages, and have created a number of example documents for you to download and play around with. I've posted these to both my personal git repository and Codeberg. You can see them here: 
+
+\label{online-examples}
+\begin{itemize}
+\item \textbf{Personal:} \kref{https://git.kjodle.net/kjodle/flashcard-examples}{https://git.kjodle.net/kjodle/flashcard-examples}
+\item \textbf{Codeberg:} \kref{https://codeberg.org/kjodle/flashcard-examples}{https://codeberg.org/kjodle/flashcard-examples}
+\end{itemize}
+
+\section{The \textsf{FlashCards} Package}
+
+The \textsf{FlashCards}\footnote{Available at \kref{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flashcards}{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flashcards}.} package (and note that it is written in CamelCase) allows you to easily create flashcards and then print them on standard sheet-fed business-card stock which is equivalent to Avery 5371.\footnote{This is for North American business-card stock, which is 8.5 $\times$ 11 inches.} (Avery products are pretty expensive, but I can usually find a less expensive off-brand version elsewhere.)
+
+\textsf{FlashCards} offers you a limited set of options, which is just fine, since it's more about the information on these cards, rather than how they look. Flash cards don't need to be fancy, but you can do a certain amount of customization with this package. 
+
 \subsection{Using the \textsf{FlashCards} Package}
 
 The \textsf{FlashCards} package defines a new document class (called, natch, ``\texttt{flashcards}'') with one required option and a few non-required options. The first option is the type of Avery cardstock you will be printing your cards on. Out of the box, it only supports business cards (Avery 5371) and index cards (Avery 5388) but it is easy enough to configure your own, which we'll see in a bit. 
@@ -94,12 +92,12 @@ The first thing to do was to add a new font. I looked around and liked the ``Rom
 %\cardfrontfoot{Rules of Acquisition}
 \end{Verbatim}
 
-Lines 3 and 4 add our font\footnote{Notice that I also added comments on lines 1 and 2 regarding what this was and how to use them. I am not going to remember this next week, much less a year from now. Comments are free. Use them often.} and line 5 applies it to the card front. That line also says that we are going to use the \texttt{headings} option, although I decided not to when wetting up the actual cards. 
+Lines 3 and 4 add our font\footnote{Notice that I also added comments on lines 1 and 2 regarding what this was and how to use them. I am not going to remember this next week, much less a year from now. Comments are free. Use them.} and line 5 applies it to the card front. That line also says that we are going to use the \texttt{headings} option, although I decided not to when setting up the actual cards. 
 
 I experimented with various fonts, and some of them contained a hash character (\#) and some of them did not. So I added a macro that would allow me to easily change that, based on the font. 
 
 \begin{Verbatim}[frame=lines, numbers=left, xleftmargin=5mm, framesep=3mm, breaklines=true, ]
-% A new command in case we want to separate what we use to indicate 'number'
+% A new command in case we want to change what we use to indicate 'number'
 % May need to change this based on the font
 \newcommand{\ksep}{\\ \vspace{5mm} No.}
 \end{Verbatim}
@@ -128,13 +126,13 @@ Compiling that document gave me these beautiful flash cards:
 \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{roa-card-front} \hspace{10mm} \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{roa-card-back}
 \end{center}
 
-You can see the full file in either the repos I mentioned earlier.
+You can see the full file in either of the repos I mentioned earlier.
 
 \subsection{Modifying the \textsf{FlashCards} Configuration Files}
 
-There's just one catch with the FlashCards package: it only includes support for business cards and $3\times5$ index cards. The documentation says that variants are easy to generate, so there has to be a way to do that, right? As it turns out, there is. The first step is to find those configuration files. 
+There's just one catch with the FlashCards package: it only includes support for business cards and $3\times5$ index cards.\footnote{In letter sized paper.} The documentation says that variants are easy to generate, so there has to be a way to do that, right? As it turns out, there is.  
 
-The first step is to find those configuration files. We have a couple of options here. The first is to look in the \texttt{.log} file of any project we've used the \texttt{flashcards} package. Looking at my ``Rules of Acquisition'' log file showed me this on line 9: 
+The first step is to find those configuration files. We have a couple of options here. One is to look in the \texttt{.log} file of any project we've used the \texttt{flashcards} package. Looking at my ``Rules of Acquisition'' log file showed me this on line 9: 
 
 \begin{Verbatim}[frame=lines, numbers=left, xleftmargin=5mm, framesep=3mm, breaklines=true, label=\fbox{Location of FlashCards class file}]
 (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/flashcards/flashca rds.cls
@@ -148,7 +146,7 @@ File: avery5371.cfg
 )
 \end{Verbatim}
 
-If we're on the command line, we could also the \texttt{kpsewhich} command to look for the package name \texttt{.cls} file, like this: 
+If we're on the command line, we could also use the \texttt{kpsewhich} command to look for the package name \texttt{.cls} file, like this: 
 
 \input{include/kpsewhich}
 
@@ -159,11 +157,11 @@ ls
 /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/flashcards/flashcar ds.cls
 \end{Verbatim}
 
-Since I don't want to poke around in my default \texttt{/usr} directory (which would require \texttt{sudo} and is not something that can be backed up easily), the solution is to use our own \texttt{texmf} directory, where we can install our own packages and make modifications to them easily.\footnote{See \S 7.1.2 ``Method \#2'' in issue \#3 for more information.}
+Since I don't want to edit files in my \texttt{/usr} directory (which would require \texttt{sudo} and is not something that can be backed up easily), the solution is to use our own \texttt{texmf} directory, where we can install our own packages and make modifications to them easily.\footnote{See \S 7.1.2 ``Method \#2'' in issue \#3 for more information.}
 
 I already had that folder, so I duplicated the file path (\texttt{/tex/latex/flas\\hcards}) there, copied over the \texttt{avery5371.cfg} file, and renamed it to \texttt{avery5389.cfg}, which is the format for a 2-up $4\times6$ index card, and opened it up for editing. 
 
-The first thing I did was to do a quick search and replace, swapping out ``5389'' for ``5371''. The second thing I did was to change the relevant lines in the config file to fit the $4\times6$ card format. So I changed all of these lines:
+I started with a quick search and replace, swapping out ``5389'' for ``5371''. Then I changed the relevant lines in the config file to fit the $4\times6$ card format. So I changed all of these lines:
 
 \begin{Verbatim}[frame=lines, numbers=left, xleftmargin=5mm, framesep=3mm, breaklines=true, label=\fbox{Configuration for Avery 5371 Stock}]
 \newcommand{\cardpapermode}{portrait}
@@ -205,7 +203,7 @@ I then changed the first line of my ``Rules of Acquistion'' flashcards project t
 
 I re-compiled the project, and indeed, I now had the Ferengi Rules of Acquistion on $4\times6$ index cards! Easy-peasy!
 
-\section{The flacards Package}
+\section{The \textsf{flacards} Package}
 
 Next is the \textsf{flacards}\footnote{Available at \kref{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flacards}{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/flacards}.} package, which is not quite as straighforward as \textsf{FlashCards} because you have to do more work up front to set up the page layout. But this package does offer more options for laying out each card, so if you need a more complex card layout, the trade-off is worth it. 
 
@@ -234,7 +232,7 @@ The \textsf{flacards} packages include options for left, center, and right heade
 \renewcommand{\fcfoot}{Botany}
 \end{Verbatim}
 
-I set up a set of botany flashcards which you can see in either of the repos I mentioned on page \pageref{online-examples}, where I use this code to set up my cards:
+I created a set of botany flashcards which you can see in either of the repos I mentioned on page \pageref{online-examples}, where I use this code to set up my cards:
 
 \begin{Verbatim}[frame=lines, numbers=left, xleftmargin=5mm, framesep=3mm, breaklines=true, label=\fbox{Card options for Botany flash cards}]
 \renewcommand{\frfoot}{}
@@ -244,6 +242,8 @@ I set up a set of botany flashcards which you can see in either of the repos I m
 \fboxsep=10pt
 \end{Verbatim}
 
+I love the logic involved in naming these commands. ``\texttt{f}'' is for ``front,'' ``\texttt{c}'' is for ``center,'' ``\texttt{foot}'' is for, of course, ``footer.'' The documentation has a nice little table that explains this.
+
 Note that you can also renew any of these commands whenever you want. If you look at that example, you'll see that I threw in a geometry card at the very end.
 
 The \textsf{flacards} package also has a lot of other options for designing your cards, including color options. I could go into them here, since the package documentation doesn't really get into them very much. However, it does include this sentence, which I absolutely love: 
@@ -254,7 +254,8 @@ The \textsf{flacards} package also has a lot of other options for designing your
 
 In this case, I highly recommend it.\footnote{I actually need this on a t-shirt!} The source code includes a number of example files that you can examine and compile yourself to get an excellent understanding of how this package works. (This concept is so true of all things, not just software projects.) And of course, looking into the source code may cause a lot of confusion initially, but it is worth digging through that confusion to achieve a much deeper level of understanding than you ever could by just guessing at options. 
 
-\section{The elzcards Package}
+
+\section{The \textsf{elzcards} Package}
 
 If you are creating flash cards that you are going to send to a commercial printer, you might want to look into the \textsf{elzcards}\footnote{Available at \kref{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/elzcards}{https://www.ctan.org/pkg/elzcards}.} package because it offers a \textit{lot} of options for setting up crop marks that the printer will use to cut the cards apart.
 
@@ -297,14 +298,18 @@ To add some padding for the backs of the cards (where I don't necessarily want t
 
 Where this package really shines, however, is in its ability to make business cards. In this case, no macros are necessary, since you are only defining the business card content once. I've included samples of both flash cards and business cards online.
 
-\section{The eCards Package}
+\section{The \textsf{eCards} Package}
+
+This is a package for creating \textit{electronic} flash cards, such as the type you might project to a screen in front of an entire class. This one looks like a lot of fun, but I ran out of time (and space). If I get the chance, I'll write this up in a future issue.
 
 \section{Summary}
 
+Which of these packages is best? That depends upon what you need to accomplish and how much time you have to invest. To help you evaluate which package to use, I've summarized their characteristics as best I can in this table.
+
 \begin{longtblr}
 [
-	caption = {},
-	label   = {tb:},
+	caption = {A Comparison of the \textsf{FlashCards}, \textsf{flacards}, and \textsf{ezlcards} Packages},
+	label   = {tb: flashcards-summary},
 %	theme   = {custom1}
 ]{
 	width      = {\textwidth},
@@ -324,5 +329,6 @@ Card size & Only two options available, but others can be configured & Need to b
 Grid lines & {Can print on \\front or back} & {Can print on \\front or back} & {Can print on \\front only} \\
 Frame & Yes & & Yes, with either a macro or defining in each card \\
 Counter included? & No & Yes & Yes \\
-Define margin & Yes & & No \\
+Define card margin & Yes & & No \\
+Card header and footer options & Limited & Extensive & Available only through a macro \\
 \end{longtblr}