i've used this, it's awkward and bumbly (yes i just made that word up but it's quite apt i think).

i prefer Interlex [www.vocab.co.uk]

or, for an open-source, multi-platform alternative (which i have not used but looks to be good), try Anki [ichi2.net]

garbanzo-bean

Oh, wow. I was -just- thinking of a good way to revise right now.
Thanks! ;D

Sanjo

I have excellent experiences with jMemorize (while studying Italian): a Java application that supports the use of images, and lets you choose predefined repetition intervals or define your own.
[jmemorize.org]

bgeenen

I have never used the aforementioned software, but I can recommend Memorylifter [www.memorylifter.com] I use it for studying German and it is quite good. It is also free.

shamalama

Whatever flashcard program you use, make sure that it utilizes some form of a spaced repetition algorithm to optimize your learning efficiency.

I have tried out several of these free flash card programs myself and settled on Anki ([ichi2.net]). The interface is very clean, it supports tagging of flash cards to ease sorting, and offers multiple statistics/graphs for that little extra added motivation. It is also under active development (updated at least once a month).

profknick

I use cueflash.com. You can share decks, and the learning algorithm is great. I've used it many times to do a last minute learning session for an exam the next morning.

afterefx

Anyone here learning chinese? I would like a good flashcard program for that. I think I will try Anki when I get home tonight.

whitefang2000

My 3.98 college average had a lot to do with a similar app I made in Visual Basic 6. It loads up a text file where each line is a question/answer pair delimited by "&&". Half of my studying was inputting the questions:

    the surface temperature of the sun is? && 6,000c
    the equatorial radius of the sun is? && 695,000km

Then the app would display the text in a small window at the bottom of my screen, and a text-to-voice dll would read it. The questions would play back in random order at either an adjustable delay or by hitting a button to go to the next question.

I'd leave it running on my computer at work and would spend a few seconds every minute or so to study.

iain010100

Do any of these allow you to not use the Leitner spaced repetition algorithm? I have relatively small decks of flashcards, and I want to study the whole deck when I study. I just want to be able to see my cards in random order, and it would be nice if I saw my missed cards a little more often. I've been using the very simple CueCard [www.wadeb.com] program, but its greatest shortcoming is it doesn't let me choose individual cards to study.

pschroeter

I love this program and have used it for a year now! It is a GREAT learning tool!

It wast the only reason I VMWared into windows but I got it working in wine and it works fine if you change a few settings in the displays preferences (in Darwine for OS X)

great app!

Luigi193

[www.mnemosyne-proj.org]

Open source, cross platform. Uses spaced timing so for those questions you can answer the first time every time, you won't see those questions for several days while those you miss more often are shown more often. Why waste your time seeing questions you know. Looks like the featured article does the same but everybody loves cross platform and open source software.

madigan82

I used SuperMemo during my studies and it worked like a charm. Its algorithms for scheduling repetitions of memorized knowledge attempt to hack your brain: they try to predict when you'll be about to forget a previously memorized "unit" of knowledge (= 1 question-answer). These predictions allow to maximize the efficiency of repetitions.

The story behind SuperMemo was covered in a lengthy article by [www.wired.com]
It's proprietary software, but available for free at [www.supermemo.eu]

tadeusz

Just had a quick run with Teach2000 and to me it's kind of unfriendly. What I like about it most is the multiple choice feature but even that, I can't change the lettering to number.

Anki seems like a very nice language learner, I like the GUI and ease of use but it's lacking multiple-choice feature. Anyone here know a better Teach2000? I need it to test my knowledge on the driving test.

widegong

Another useful flashcard management system is quisition.com -- For those not on windows or need flash cards on multiple computers, its fantastic!

HeathZeelula

Mnemosyne is wonderful. It saved my ass in college this year.

Blondgirl