Spaced repetition software (SRS) and flash cards maintenance

Technology and Computers
1

I am deciding which Spaced repetition software (SRS) to use.
I rely on notes far too much and want put some of those notes into memory.
SRS seems like a good way to memorize notes.

I am considering Emacs org-drill as my SRS.

  • Emacs is a text editor that includes features for writing programming/markup languages http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/tour/
  • Org-mode is distributed as part of the Emacs text editor http://orgmode.org/worg/
  • Org-drill is an extension of org-mode http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-drill.html

The main reason for me choosing org-drill is my concern for maintaining SRS question-answer “flash cards”.
Emacs org-drill allows a user to place notes and flash cards together in the same file.
That way notes and flash cards can be updated together as the user’s knowledge of a subject evolves.
I don’t want to memorize all my notes, just the parts I reference most often.
I have not tried any spaced repetition yet, so maybe I am imagining flash cards maintenance all wrong.
What was your experience with maintaining notes and flash cards?

Are there other SRSs that integrate notes and spaced repetition?
I use Linux, so the SRS must run on Linux.

Learning Emacs is a big investment, so I appreciate your opinion before I decide to learn Emacs.

Thank you.

Emacs' Org Mode and Productivity Systems
2

If you’re just starting with Emacs, you might be interested in checking out a version called Spacemacs:

I’ve only used it a little, but it seemed great. If you get Emacs working for SRS, I’d be interested in hearing how you did it. :slight_smile:

Another option is Anki.

3

Thanks for the quick response Josh.

Do Anki flash cards integrate with notes, or are flash cards and notes separate?
In practice, does it even matter?

4

You can add fields to your cards and put your notes in a field on the back.
http://ankisrs.net/docs/manual.html

5

I have used SuperMemo for about 10 years to remember stuff, but regardless of which program you use, making sure that you do your daily repetitions is what will save you in the long run. Remembering foreign language vocabulary words, medical facts, etc. is fairly easy, but it can be harder when you are dealing with more abstract materials. For this reason, this page is extremely helpful at learning how to make good flashcards: https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/20rules