HW60
状元
Let me once more ask for a solution for the backlog problem. I think that it is important to accept, that this problem exists, as it is a natural result of SRS. With only a moderate amount of flashcards it is not too difficult to catch up. With lots of flashcards and a backlog of 2 or 3 weeks it is impossible. Therefore I think it is important to accept users who want to review flashcards on a more or less regular basis, but who do not care - because they cannot care - if there is a backlog. I think it is no solution to eliminate some cards from further reviews: if you write a test at school or university and fail because just the flashcards you needed were eliminated by Pleco, you could not convince your teacher.
So let me repeat the solution I use for my considerable backlog now for almost one year: SRS with an upper score limit as it was first described by Gato. That also temporarily eliminates flashcards from further testing - all cards with a score above the actual upper limit. But the upper score limit can be increased every day, and the eliminated cards are thereby reduced every day. There are many cards I still remember though they are 20 or 100 days overdue, because I spent time to learn them in the past, and SRS is not such an exact system that it always finds the right time for a review. And if I fail with a card, I do not need to learn the card completely from the beginning, but easily remember the card in the future. If you would remove a whole category from further testing, you will certainly forget most of those cards, at any rate those cards with a low score which are not yet burnt in your memory.
This system works with the actual Pleco system, but it is too difficult to use for normal users. There are many ways to support the system: Let the user determine the number of cards he is willing to test, and let Pleco set the upper score limit to reach this number of cards - that would be one way of easy support. If you fear the user does not find out that his backlog is still increasing, let Pleco tell him for instance the dayly development of the upper score limit and the backlog.
The important point is to accept and support a SRS with a backlog as one possible system besides the standard SRS with the dayly review of all due cards - the latter I use for new cards.
So let me repeat the solution I use for my considerable backlog now for almost one year: SRS with an upper score limit as it was first described by Gato. That also temporarily eliminates flashcards from further testing - all cards with a score above the actual upper limit. But the upper score limit can be increased every day, and the eliminated cards are thereby reduced every day. There are many cards I still remember though they are 20 or 100 days overdue, because I spent time to learn them in the past, and SRS is not such an exact system that it always finds the right time for a review. And if I fail with a card, I do not need to learn the card completely from the beginning, but easily remember the card in the future. If you would remove a whole category from further testing, you will certainly forget most of those cards, at any rate those cards with a low score which are not yet burnt in your memory.
This system works with the actual Pleco system, but it is too difficult to use for normal users. There are many ways to support the system: Let the user determine the number of cards he is willing to test, and let Pleco set the upper score limit to reach this number of cards - that would be one way of easy support. If you fear the user does not find out that his backlog is still increasing, let Pleco tell him for instance the dayly development of the upper score limit and the backlog.
The important point is to accept and support a SRS with a backlog as one possible system besides the standard SRS with the dayly review of all due cards - the latter I use for new cards.