Perpetua Language Tools Flashcards FAQ

This is a list of commonly asked questions that are not support issues. If you have a support issue, please check the support section as the answer is probably in there.

There are lots of flashcard programs out there. Why should we use PLT?
1. Because PLT doesn't only do Greek. PLT also supports other languages as well, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Middle Egyptian, Akkadian, and German.
2. It's inexpensive. Many exhaustive flashcard programs cost hundreds of dollars.
3. PLT is has a large vocabulary set; words that appear in the New Testament 9 times or more.
4. PLT is has both forward and reverse flashcards mode (PC Version only).
5. PLT won't consume huge amounts of display geography, so it can be used discretely.
6. PLT remembers the words you get consistently correct, and slowly retracts them from your list, popping them back in on occasion so you won't completely forget a word.
Okay, I'm convinced that PLT is the best electronic flashcard out there. But are there any advantages over traditional paper cards?
1. You are getting two language flashcard sets for little more than the price of one set of paper cards. Paper card sets average around $18 per language. If you do both Hebrew and Greek, you are spending $32.
2. If you make your own paper cards, you are still not saving a lot of money. 3x5" recipe cards are $1/100. At nearly 2000 words, for both languages you are paying as much to make your own as buying PLT. Not to mention all the time you spent making the cards.
3. Managing a stack of cards also takes effort. You have to go through your old cards to see if you forgot any words. PLT can manage this automatically by occasionally re-inserting old card into the deck. The more you get a word right the less it is re-inserted.
4. We have textbook lesson profiles for several popular textbooks. With paper cards you have to sort these cards by hand.
5. Ever spilled a stack of cards on the bus? It is not pretty.
I want to buy Perpetua. Can I purchase a copy off your website?

Sorry, we sell primarily to bookstores and institutions. But the Trinity Bookstore would be happy to sell you a copy. Their phone number is 1-800-456-READ. However, the Android version will be available for purchase on Google Market.
Okay, I've convince my college/seminary/church bookstore to carry Perpetua Language Tools. Who do they contact?

David Falk at his email perpetua.flashcards@gmail.com.
I want to add words to a database, but there are no instructions as to how to do this. Which fields in the "Enter New Words" are valid?

The answer to this can now be found in the documentation (manual.pdf). The option to create or alter an existing database is only available for the PC version.
If I send a correction, when will it be worked on?

Dave does all the changes and only during the summer. He is a full-time graduate student. His wife would also like a slice of his time somewhere in all that copious free time.
If we switch between forward (fwd) and reverse (rev) modes, we can see the answer for any question. Can you fix this? We can't resist cheating.

We know about this "loophole". We have no intention of fixing this as it isn't worth our time. We expect you to be adults about this; you are only cheating yourselves.
What can I do to get a feature added?

Ask nicely. But even if you do, we make no promises that will result in any new feature being added. We are, however, open to suggestions that could result in new features. Of course, a healthy research grant wouldn't hurt either. :)
Are you a big, rich software company?

Definitely not! PLT is written by one developer (David Falk) who is lucky enough to have some good friends who give him free food every now and then.
If Dave was a seminary student, in what way is he qualified to write a software program?

Dave was a UNIX software developer for 15 years and has worked at Sun Microsystems, Oracle Corporation, Disney Internet Group, and IBM. The move into Divinity was a mid-life career change. A little .NET programming is in no way beyond his skill set.
The vocabulary of PLT is primarily from the New Testament. Are there any plans to include modern or classical Greek?

Not at this time. Because we are affiliated with theological educational establishments our focus is on teaching Koine Greek, particularly that of the New Testament. We are primarily focused on serving seminaries and Bible colleges.
Are you in any way officially connected with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School or Trinity International University?

This web site and software are not in any way endorsed by the TEDS or its colleges. Dave is a student at TEDS. But we do not mind giving TIU free publicity either. We are deeply indebted to the teaching excellence found at TEDS without which PLT would not have been possible.
Is PLT affiliated with the GRAMCORD Institute?

No.
Are there any plans to port PLT to either Mac, PocketPC, Linux, TRS-80, or Palm platforms?

While there are always plans within plans, porting an application to a new platform is hard miserable work. I really do not have the time or the hardware to do appreciable ammounts of cross-platform development. With that said, there has been a fair amount of interest in developing PLT for other operating systems, especially for the pda/phones.

UPDATE: We are very pleased to announce that PLT for the Google Android will be released in June 2011. This will be the second platform that PLT will be supported upon. PLT for Android was developed on the Archos 32 Internet Tablet hardware and the development effort has exceeded all our expectations and proposed release schedules.
Where do I send questions, inquiries, suggestions, complaints proving I'm petty, and solicitations from guys pretending to be sons of deposed Nigerian warlords? In short, do you have an email address or are you a Luddite?

Dave's email is perpetua.flashcards@gmail.com. He does accept questions (and even on occasion gives answers) and would even appreciate the occasional letter of encouragement.
How do you say, "How are you?" in Greek?

Pos este; There's always one wise guy in every crowd.
Okay, I know you are not making any money off PLT, but I can see you have put in a ton of work. How can I say thanks?

We're glad you noticed. PLT took thousands hours of programming and content creation. There is no way we could ever recoup our labor and development costs on this project. Sending us an email saying thank you is always appreciated. But if you want to say thankyou, restaurant gift certificates or free airplane ticket vouchers are always greatly appreciated.