LEARN(1)                                                              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 editors.   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 session.  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  lesson  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’ terminates a _l_e_a_r_n
       session  and ‘where’ tells you of your progress, 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  possibly 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

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 initiate 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 different 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.


7th Edition                      May 15, 1986                         LEARN(1)