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GNU Typist

GNU Typist is a free typing tutor for learning accurate typing and developing skills through practice.

Place
#28 of 35
Score
5.9
GNU Typist's website

What GNU Typist is

GNU Typist is a free typing tutor for learning accurate typing and developing skills through practice. It runs on Linux and Windows and includes tutorials for English QWERTY, Dvorak, and Colemak keyboards. Other lesson material covers Czech, Russian, and Spanish, with simpler exercises in German, French, and Norwegian. Practice includes drills and speed tests, with results available in words per minute or characters per minute. The interface is text-based, with a menu navigated by arrow keys; vi movement keys are supported too. Users can adapt tutorials or create lessons using the program’s scripting language. The manual also describes lesson-editing support for Emacs and Vim, plus typefortune, a utility for practicing with text from the fortune program. GNU Typist is released under the GNU General Public License. The project invites bug reports, suggestions, patches, and lessons by email and offers a mailing list. Its page notes that available precompiled Windows binaries may have a multi-byte input issue that was expected to be addressed in a later release.

Good

  • Includes QWERTY, Dvorak, and Colemak tutorials
  • Offers drills and speed tests
  • Results can show words or characters per minute
  • Users can modify or create lessons

Watch out

  • Uses a text-mode interface
  • Precompiled Windows binaries may have a multi-byte input problem

Who it suits

GNU Typist suits individuals or schools looking for structured typing practice across several keyboard layouts and languages. It may also suit users who want to modify existing lessons or write their own.

Verdict

GNU Typist combines guided practice with tools for customizing lesson material. Its text-based interface and the noted issue with some precompiled Windows binaries are considerations for prospective users.

Plans and prices

From GNU Typist's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2001.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
GNU TypistFreeGNU General Public License · No paid plans listed

The facts

Each one read from GNU Typist's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

Audience
The stated project goal is to help individuals and schools learn or teach typing.checked 11 Oct 2001
Custom lessons
Users can modify tutorials or create new ones using the program’s scripting language.checked 11 Oct 2001
Download note
The project page says available precompiled Windows binaries may have a multi-byte input problem that was expected to be addressed in a later release.checked 11 Oct 2001
Editor support
The manual documents an Emacs major mode with syntax highlighting and commands for editing lessons, and Vim syntax highlighting for lesson files.checked 11 Oct 2001
Integrations
The manual describes typefortune, a utility that lets users practice with text from the fortune program.checked 11 Oct 2001
Interface
The program uses a text mode interface with an arrow key based menu, and also supports vi movement keys.checked 11 Oct 2001
Lessons
It includes tutorials for English QWERTY, Dvorak and Colemak keyboards, plus lessons in Czech, Russian and Spanish and simpler exercises in German, French and Norwegian.checked 11 Oct 2001
License
The project page describes GNU Typist as free software released under the GNU General Public License.checked 11 Oct 2001
Purpose
GNU Typist is a typing tutor for learning correct typing and improving typing skills through practice.checked 11 Oct 2001
Scoring
Typing exercises include drills and speed tests, and the manual says results can be displayed in words per minute or characters per minute.checked 11 Oct 2001
Support
The project invites bug reports, suggestions, patches and new lessons at [email protected] and offers a mailing list at that address.checked 11 Oct 2001

Where it runs

Platforms
The project page says GNU Typist can be compiled and used on GNU/Linux, GNU/Hurd, Unix variants, and Windows with PDCurses and MinGW.checked 11 Oct 2001

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