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Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afraid

We are not Duolingo, we cannot solve any problems directly, but we can provide community-based advice.


User avatar
Corinnebelle

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Corinnebelle »

@dochawk I merged this with some other comments on this problem. We all wondering what is the merit of this word bank change.

🇺🇸 L1 🇮🇱 Advanced beginner Duolingo levels

Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

User avatar
JudieLC
United States of America

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by JudieLC »

I'm getting some typing and some word bank on the website, same as has been the case recently.
Not seeing any hearts unless I'm on the app.

User avatar
Gottogetout
France

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Gottogetout »

Good morning,
For those who haven't noticed it yet, it is now possible to reason, to think of the sentence you would like to type as before, to some extend, and to just type the first letter of a word. The word is then selected and placed in the sentence. Except when there are several words with the same initial, in this case the letter changes color. If anyone else has mentioned this above I apologize for the repetition, I read and didn't see that but I can have missed it.
That way, it's less painful than looking for th
e words in this unbearable line of jumbled words.
This word bank system has nothing to do with "speaking a language". Like you, I 'm fed up with their thing.

Let's all of us complain about this directly to the boss, the link has been given above by Corinnebelle
The page is :

There's something that could surprise you : once posted, your message seems to vanish, to be removed. Actually it's not, it goes to the bottom end of the thread. Let's hope that the man reads the posts as he says. Go and tell him what you think!

🇪🇸 Español 🇫🇷 Français (Bilingual) - 🇺🇸 English (Fluent) - 🇩🇪 Deutsch 🇮🇹 Italiano, 🇧🇷 Português (Exposing to, acquiring) 🇷🇺 русский Image عربي (initiated, very interested)

User avatar
L-profile
Russia

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by L-profile »

I noticed the ability to input by the first letter, but that doesn't make things any better for me. On the contrary, when Duolingo enters the wrong word and I didn't notice his mistake, the answer is not counted. For example: you (instead of 'your') - red colour - do it again. In many cases, for a single typo, the website simply gives a comment, underlining the typo, lights the colour green and moves on. With the word bank this will not go, there will be an error. Some courses are in great need of improvement because of the limited translation. For example, only 'she' works, and 'he' is considered a typo. Grammatically, both options are correct. This is the case in the Swahili course. But I am used to the website accepting it as a typo rather than an error, and I take it more or less as normal. But now a nightmare has arrived. Typing from the keyboard by the first letter doesn't work when a valid word is missing from the word bank. I realize I know the translation, but Duolingo scoffs and forbids saying 'he' instead of 'she' and this happens in many sentences. This is a real psychological attack when it happens often. Besides, I Want to make beneficial mistakes. If I memorized the translation wrong, do not show me the correct words! I'm learning! In general, I accept difficulties that are good for me, and I get resolutely angry when I have to overcome silly difficulties because of a poor learning mechanism.

Image Image Image Image Image :tonga:

User avatar
Gottogetout
France

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Gottogetout »

Yes, it is really painful.
I invite you all to go to the Reddit thread indicated above (initially by Corinnebelle) and to speak about that. I did it yesterday. Really a shame.

🇪🇸 Español 🇫🇷 Français (Bilingual) - 🇺🇸 English (Fluent) - 🇩🇪 Deutsch 🇮🇹 Italiano, 🇧🇷 Português (Exposing to, acquiring) 🇷🇺 русский Image عربي (initiated, very interested)

User avatar
Gottogetout
France

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Gottogetout »

Well, friends, after almost two months, I'm now definitely tired of clicking on mixed words on one or two lines! I have decided to stop training with this new shitty system!

I would only come back if I can use my PC keyboard again, otherwise I WON'T. NEVER.
Voila.
I've been using Duo daily for FIVE YEARS.
Duolingo is not an end in itself.
I want to be clear : I have absolutely no problem with the new course, not at all, that's not the problem. But with the impossibility to use the keyboard. I imagine that it can be less work for the developers with that new crappy system.
Click on words : No way ! It's over.
They do not listen to our requests? Not very clever, because we speak several languages, then we can speak about this in several languages on the web.
Duo was a wonderful tool. Not anymore in my view. It's sad.

BYE DUO!
:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

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User avatar
Corinnebelle

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Corinnebelle »

Is that why you picked your user name as @Gottogetout? You are always welcome here, whether you use Duolingo or not. Feel free to drop in, leave a comment, ask language questions etc..

I am unable to get the shortcut to work by hitting the first letter of each key for the word I want.

It occurs to me that the word bank may be handy in some ways for people who are learning languages in other writing systems. In Hebrew I can hit caps locks and it switches to English but other languages you have to switch keyboards, then if you are learning more than writing system and you need English and then that languages, you have to switch through all the other writing systems you are learning before you hit that writing system again.

🇺🇸 L1 🇮🇱 Advanced beginner Duolingo levels

Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

User avatar
Gottogetout
France

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Gottogetout »

Hi,
"Gottogetout" a way to tell to myself "Spend more time outside and less in front of a computer :)"
I should have typed "Gottagetout" but not enough knowledge of English at the time.

Sunny days are back here in the Paris area, in France, the sun and also nice temperatures (abnormally high by the way, already) since yesterday. Everyone is a little euphoric and smiling since yesterday to be precise. it's nice.
Frankly this story really pissed me off and I'm angry even that these people prevent me from using my keyboard.
that is what is happening since two months. I've said STOP.

I don't give a damn about days streaks. My daily training no, it was important for me.
TOO BAD.
I've done in full the German course for French speakers a long time ago. I have lots of knowledge now.
I have decided to go to a more intensive daily immersion stage now. Voila.
Es-tu française, Corinne?
Ras le bol des banques de mots ! Y'en a marre, ça suffit, maintenant.

🇪🇸 Español 🇫🇷 Français (Bilingual) - 🇺🇸 English (Fluent) - 🇩🇪 Deutsch 🇮🇹 Italiano, 🇧🇷 Português (Exposing to, acquiring) 🇷🇺 русский Image عربي (initiated, very interested)

David680268
Germany

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by David680268 »

Are they going to remove the keyboard in both directions? So far, I can still type answers in my target language, but not in English. Without the keyboard, Duolingo is going to be all but useless.

b05aplmun.ca
United States of America

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by b05aplmun.ca »

David680268 wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:33 am

Are they going to remove the keyboard in both directions? So far, I can still type answers in my target language, but not in English. Without the keyboard, Duolingo is going to be all but useless.

My experience is that I have a mix of word bank and keyboard with both and occasionally the option to choose.

back4morelater
Great Britain

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by back4morelater »

David680268 wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:33 am

Are they going to remove the keyboard in both directions? So far, I can still type answers in my target language, but not in English. Without the keyboard, Duolingo is going to be all but useless.

I was wondering why the change and at least for me it seems to be that I can't type in English which happens to be my native language.
Several things I came up with: Duo making it easier since most of the errors in my native language are likely to be me knowing the answer but not typing it correctly - errors of execution rather than errors in my language knowledge. So if I can't make these errors maybe the thinking goes that I feel better and less discouraged

But also wondered whether this reduced the number of other possible answers that could be generated and hence reduce the overload on whatever system Duo have for deciding what of those submitted answers should be added to the database (after all they no longer have all the volunteers to do this)

Hopefully they don't dumb things down so that you can't type in the target language but but given how much else has been removed or simplified, anything is possible

tj_q8

Picking words from Word Bank

Post by tj_q8 »

Hello,
As probably known to many already, Duolingo "forced" the Word Bank in courses, and specifically in translating from the target language into English. I've tried to reach out to them but no response.
I suffer from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic eye disease that limits my field of vision (beside other things), and the word bank has been a real burden for me in learning and doing the courses. I've been trying to find a way to skip those specific questions that use the word bank but no use.
Anyway, I'm not here to ask for some way to skip the questions. I've noticed here that the Irish course, which I've been doing since 2017, is the only course in which I can pick the words by pressing (typing) the words on the keyboard. All I have to do is type the first 1 or 2 letters and the word would be picked up. This makes it easier for me to do the exercises.
Last time I tried to get along with that word bank, in the Russian course, I've spent 10 minutes trying to solve one question only (literally, not figuratively).
Now, I'm wondering why picking the words from the word bank is possible in the Irish course but not in other courses that I do (like the Russian course). Is there something I can do? Something to enable or some settings to change? I've gone through the settings many, many, many times. Nothing is there!

Any help or tips would be appreciated.
Thank you.

P.S. I use Duolingo on PC only.

User avatar
GrahamW
Canada

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by GrahamW »

@tj_q8 I tried some exercises using the word bank on a PC in my languages that use the latin alphabet (French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish). In each one I was able to type on a keyboard to identify the word in the word bank that started uniquely with the letter or letters (usually only 2 were required) that I'd typed.

However, I then tried my two languages that don't use the latin alphabet (Arabic, Chinese), and I was unable to use the keyboard to type letters to select English words from the word bank. How odd. Just as you have found for Russian.

Duolingo must have assumed that anyone learning a language with a non-latin alphabet would use the word bank, even when the exercise requires English to be entered. That seems a flaw IMHO, and one which, in your case, is serious for you. Sadly, Duolingo imposing things on its users is not new :-( Equally sadly, contacting Duolingo about things such as this is the equivalent of contacting a black hole :-( I hope that someone else can provide you with a workaround. All the best!

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tj_q8

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by tj_q8 »

GrahamW wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:09 pm

@tj_q8 I tried some exercises using the word bank on a PC in my languages that use the latin alphabet (French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish). In each one I was able to type on a keyboard to identify the word in the word bank that started uniquely with the letter or letters (usually only 2 were required) that I'd typed.

However, I then tried my two languages that don't use the latin alphabet (Arabic, Chinese), and I was unable to use the keyboard to type letters to select English words from the word bank. How odd. Just as you have found for Russian.

Duolingo must have assumed that anyone learning a language with a non-latin alphabet would use the word bank, even when the exercise requires English to be entered. That seems a flaw IMHO, and one which, in your case, is serious for you. Sadly, Duolingo imposing things on its users is not new :-( Equally sadly, contacting Duolingo about things such as this is the equivalent of contacting a black hole :-( I hope that someone else can provide you with a workaround. All the best!

Unfortunately, yes. Duolingo is getting screwed up by the day. Even the forums are gone and I don't know whom to ask to get info about the language. Makes me wonder, do really people pay for such services? I know I've been using the free Duolingo but it was fine with me (I could pay but let's say I'm just on my pace).
It is probably as you've said - maybe it is not active for languages that are based on non-Latin keyboard (and if this is true it would be extremely "stupid" to say the least).

I've encountered some add-ons for the browser to skip questions but unfortunately they are not working anymore; the latest update for some of them was back in January and they don't work anymore when I want to skip a question. I've posted a request in some website to see if anyone can solve such a problem but nothing so far.
If all fails, I guess I need to take other measures to learn the languages I want.

User avatar
Thomas.Heiss
Germany

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by Thomas.Heiss »

tj_q8 wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:49 pm

I've encountered some add-ons for the browser to skip questions but unfortunately they are not working anymore; the latest update for some of them was back in January and they don't work anymore when I want to skip a question.

Which ones do you mean?

I)

There was MatchBlocker userscript which modified the XmlHttpRequest and changed/removed challengeTypes.
Had discussed script changes with the developer and Fierycat before on the Duolingo community forum.
Only works for direct access to the "/sessions" Url but now a different Fetch Api is suddenly being used, not normal Xhr, so this script now doesn't see that specific lesson session and Request header anymore :-(
I tried to debug through it several days ago (Firefox developer tools).
Debugger only stops for "/batch" and 1-2 other requests (e.g MP3 download), but not "/sessions".

It probably needs to be rewritten for the Fetch Api and different header types as I still see this particular Api request in the network monitor (Firefox debugging), but initiated with a fetch.

Before I successfully used it as a template to remove all random challenge types (match madness) and replaced it with just one full translation statement... but not this year, not on the path.
The guys discussed it and told me/us how it can be used last year.
There were only 2-3 fitting challengeTypes not related to word banks and others.
Sometimes no questions popped up on lower crown levels on a reverse tree when Duolingo expected other challengeTypes for use but I restricted to typing.

It's not clear at all if you can remove all tapping stuff and enable the 1-2 translate challengeTypes.
Maybe even that does not work anymore if staff FORCES tapping on their end (server side).
This probably means that a client can't customize/ overwrite the default behavior.

Sorry, I'm not a JavaScript or Tampermonkey programmer...

II)

Another older one (userscript again) used a different approach and simply removed all the non related questions from the response object (mainly for reverse trees): https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/23178 ... w-practice
Have not tested it for a while.
Hardly makes sense when now ALL 16-19 questions are based on FORCED tapping, with not a single typing option.
Probably also doesn't work smoothly with changed newer path html code.
This older one always meant that you lost several questions after the server sent over the html code / objects to the client.
It was a workaround a while ago, but only made sense because mixed question challenge types were included in the queue / progress bar, so removing some of them didn't meant the world goes under.
The much more elegant way is of course above point I) to modify the request object and set which challengeTypes you want to receive or which you want to specifically remove.

III)

There was a browser extension to add numbers (hot keys) to word banks: "More Duolingo hotkeys".
Edit: Still works on Firefox (PC, desktop), see below.
Also worked with Kiwi and Yandex Alpha browsers on Android (full free extension support) 1-2 years ago.
For Firefox Nightly@Android you need an addon.
There are some available, but it is up to the developer to support Firefox and rewriting his/her code and adding it to Firefox repository.
We can use several addons in debug mode with a custom collection_id on FF Nightly@Android (not the normal rewritten Firefox channel!!).

On a Pc you have full extension support incl. Chrome.

Won't help us to get typing back.
But at least we could get away from heavy mouse usage.

A dyslexic person confirmed 1-2 years ago that the he or his family member (son/daughter??) used MatchBlocker successfully with the replacement line I gave him for the test and individual customization. So yeah, those things helped to customize Duolingo for personal disabilities.

I'm still able to dump ALL the available challengeTypes if I try hard in the debugger
(console logging is broken too!!), if anyone is interested to have such a list (incl. newer added ones).

So I'm quite sad seeing compatibility is fully broken on the new html code since February 2023 and with the new path.

Btw: Camilo's TreeEnhancer userscript only partly works too.
FF Console is complaining very much for not reachable variables, shows bad stacktraces,....
I couldn't get console logging working anymore...

So, staff rewrote the whole thing for the new path/snake with different classes, moved logic, added other types, etc.
No surprise that "all old good stuff" is running against the wall and can't work anymore as it did before.

Feel free to add some links what you've tested.
And if you installed Chrome extensions and which ones.
I can retry stuff on Firefox Nightly @Pc if an addon existed before in the FF repository.
Otherwise I need to install Chrome@Pc.

Sorry for not having better news.

Hopefully Camilo finds a way at least to fix his wonderful "TreeEnhancer" userscript (for Tampermonkey).

Last edited by Thomas.Heiss on Tue Mar 21, 2023 12:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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User avatar
Thomas.Heiss
Germany

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by Thomas.Heiss »

@tj_q8
@GrahamW

viewtopic.php?t=3431-list-of-useful-duolingo-extensions

USERSCRIPTS and EXTENSIONS actual database for Duolingo [UPD_1.06.2021]: viewtopic.php?p=86

  • I found the above mentioned Tampermonkey userscript again called: "More Duolingo hotkeys".
    Works (on Firefox)!
    When you directly click on the "Install link" blue link from the forum repository it will open the .JS code in the RAW format.
    Tampermonkey browser addon will automatically detect it and offer to install it - which you need to conform to make it happen.

  • The other interesting browser extension is "Duolingo Word Bank Dnd" which allows you to rearrange word banks from the answer field simply by drag and drop.
    Also works for me on Firefox (using the mouse for drag and drop).

  • These two won't get you typing back or allow you to make your vision field smaller like you want it happening by only having to focus on a not so width typing field and not having to look from left to right for the whole PC monitor with mixed up words.

  • But only using the mouse on a PC is much more of a burden or having to remove the whole answer, word by word, because you maybe switched two of them at the beginning or at the middle or you may have left out a single one at the wrong place.

Maybe we find another solution for translations with the programmer/scripting gods (html/JavaScript Fetch API developer) help.
Hope one of them comes back and visits the Duome forum.
I could be wrong, but probably the existing MatchBlocker userscript can be adjusted.
Would be interested to debug the XmlHttpRequest on the new Api.
Searched a bit for existing Fetch API code, but it is not so straight forward where to start or how to correctly catch the events and disassemble header packets, not to me.

Can't count how many times Camilo had to rewrite his script code when he released it only because of Duolingo staff is continously touching their html frontend code.

Last edited by Thomas.Heiss on Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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User avatar
Thomas.Heiss
Germany

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by Thomas.Heiss »

Found another interesting Tampermonkey userscript for the mobile: "Duolingo Improver".
Want to test the swiping and rearrangeable words on Firefox Nightly@Android. Have not tested yet, sorry.

Lesson review is availble on mobile too? This sounds nice.

But sometimes I truly miss the SKIP button which only shows up in landscape mode or when requesting the desktop site.

:de: Native | :us: Upper-B2 (BritishCouncil) | ImageL25 (Duo) / A2 (6+y, McGraw-Hill) - Learning (Busuu): :fr: (A1 McGraw-Hill) | :brazil: (interm.)

User avatar
Thomas.Heiss
Germany

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by Thomas.Heiss »

There is a Chrome extension called LipSurf for voice dictation on the PC: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... oaihlfglon

Has anybody tried it yet? You probably need to buy it.
The author had used it for Spanish learning and VTT/STT (voice to text, speech to text) 1-2 years ago.
Well, usually you need a free typing prompt to make this work on Android with Gboard.
LipSurf got an update on 28. February 2023.
Maybe the author could make it compatible and working with the newer word banks web code (as it has been already said: Portuguese e.g. supports 1-2 letter typing very well).

Now you only need a userscript or addon to blur the word bank texts and forget about all the on-screen English hints.
Maybe it's not possible that way to dictate your own answer very freely because of all the alternative answer solutions.
I can remember of 1-2 other Tampermonkey userscripts which are not listed right now on the repository link.
It would be enough if Duolingo allowed me for 10-30 seconds to come up with my own (English) translation solution and truly think about the Portuguese or French words.
If it then switches back to showing the word banks (if nothing other will be possible for a long time) but has hidden all the text for a while, it is much better working than right now (giving away the final answers).

:de: Native | :us: Upper-B2 (BritishCouncil) | ImageL25 (Duo) / A2 (6+y, McGraw-Hill) - Learning (Busuu): :fr: (A1 McGraw-Hill) | :brazil: (interm.)

tj_q8

Re: Picking words from Word Bank

Post by tj_q8 »

@Thomas.Heiss Thanks for the detailed reply. I can't remember the names of these add-ons except maybe for DuoHacker.
I really don't know what's wrong with this website as it seems it is getting worse by every day. My guess is that they forced the word bank to eliminate the need to report answers as "my answer should be correct" - For the time being, the word bank is only required for translating into English (in my case). However, translating into the target language can be done by keyboard normally (so far). This is my guess. They abandoned the forums, which makes me think that they are trying to "lower down" the problems they had in such forums (abuse reports and so on), but still, this was a bad move really.
Anyway, I will try to check the pages you've posted and see if any add-on works for me. For the time being, the least I'm asking for is to enable key pressing to pick up the words instead of clicking. It seems as Graham said, that such option is probably available only if the target language uses Latin-based alphabet. Match-making questions on Duo right now are arranged in 2 columns which makes it easier to follow up (and actually I often use the numbers on the keyboard to match words, and it works in all languages I'm learning). Makes me wonder, maybe if they arranged the words in columns like this for regular questions, probably it would be a bit easier for me to pick. Right now, I just hope they wouldn't convert everything to word bank questions because that would be a real put off. If that happens, I guess I will have to abandon my 2000+ days of streak and kiss it a goodbye.

David680268
Germany

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by David680268 »

back4morelater wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:56 pm

But also wondered whether this reduced the number of other possible answers that could be generated and hence reduce the overload on whatever system Duo have for deciding what of those submitted answers should be added to the database (after all they no longer have all the volunteers to do this)

It is quite possible that something like this is their motive. I just hope the keyboard stays at least for the target language ...

User avatar
Corinnebelle

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Corinnebelle »

@tj_q8 I am sorry the word bank is giving you such problems. I've merged your topic with another one on this subject. I hope a solution can be found for your problem, of course Duome can't change Duolingo, but we can offer moral support. Below is a link to the CEO of Duolingo, where you might have a better chance of being heard.

Corinnebelle wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:12 pm
L-profile wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:35 pm

Does anyone know Duolingo's contacts for users other than this https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new ?

Here's the boss

🇺🇸 L1 🇮🇱 Advanced beginner Duolingo levels

Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

tj_q8

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by tj_q8 »

Corinnebelle wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:22 pm

@tj_q8 I am sorry the word bank is giving you such problems. I've merged your topic with another one on this subject. I hope a solution can be found for your problem, of course Duome can't change Duolingo, but we can offer moral support. Below is a link to the CEO of Duolingo, where you might have a better chance of being heard.

Corinnebelle wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:12 pm
L-profile wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 6:35 pm

Does anyone know Duolingo's contacts for users other than this https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new ?

Here's the boss

Thank you. Greatly appreciated. Even though I honestly lost hope in this case and trying to go around it on my own terms but I'll give it a try :)

User avatar
Corinnebelle

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Corinnebelle »

@tj_q8 At least you can give him the input, it may help, I don't know.

🇺🇸 L1 🇮🇱 Advanced beginner Duolingo levels

Languages without borders, languages bridging gaps, the Red Cross are my heroes.

User avatar
L-profile
Russia

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by L-profile »

I just keep sending letters to tech support.
Someone, make a website with a copy of the old Duolingo, with a tree, grammar, keyboard typing, and no intrusive pictures. It will be a success.

Image Image Image Image Image :tonga:

tj_q8

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by tj_q8 »

L-profile wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:48 am

I just keep sending letters to tech support.
Someone, make a website with a copy of the old Duolingo, with a tree, grammar, keyboard typing, and no intrusive pictures. It will be a success.

Amen to that.

User avatar
Thomas.Heiss
Germany

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Thomas.Heiss »

It will be a success.

On the Web or standalone?

Not for your purse, probably not if you are not a millionaire already and can afford paying for a cloud server farm and heavy database load and thick dedicated servers.

There was an administrator trying to find companies paying for (business) ads and to cover server costs for his Rc Sim forum (discussing simulator Rc flying on a Pc, offering models for download), not with a userbase of millions.
He wrote he had a difficult time and most users didn't bother for paying for leeches either.

Maybe if someone realizes the features users are actually really searching for (and they got a lot of suggestions in the "What changes would you like to see" thread) you probably get more paying subscribers if you keep prices realistic.

Back in 2016-17 most useful functionality was provided by scripting gods.
Those Web enhancements looked very nice and provided useful information until Maxime stepped in with Duome statistics.
Most powerful scripts are gone.
Staff still has not incorporated Camilo's TreeEnhancer code to play the missing TTS audio or being able to hide text and pictures and boost reverse- and ladding trees, now it's partly broken but was not on www-internal in January (more web updates came in February).
A very basic functionality a learner expects to be working; at least I do.
I tried the placement and level up test on the Web portal (path) - without Camilo's script - and it definitely is NOT any fun having to put 1-2 French words into blanks and still not hearing any French (or Portuguese) audio when the full sentence is displayed.

Duolingo seems wanting to move backwards, takeing away nice old 2016/17 Web themes, useful features, not directly directing the learning experience and features to adult learners, making new code very incompatible with old userscripts.
Now I can't even customize the challengeTypes in the XmlHttpRequest because of new Fetch Api for the lessons Url, wtf.

In the current form staff IMHO is working against the community and learners, not taking ideas up (see the Pimsleur app request list which users can upvote!) and trying to assist and making their product more flexible, but trying hard to take down any useful enhancements and closing previously more compatible code holes.
Six years later and there still is no difficulty level toggle button in advanced user settings or to switch translation direction?!?

Not sure who exactly pushes all those new animations and cartoons and voices (which self turn on themselve over and over again - it's just ridiculous for those living with personal disabilities or those people having immediate seizures from them) and hard requirements onto the heads of the existing Duolingo management....which investor is it? Wer bezahlt schafft an...

Interessiert das denn überhaupt noch jemanden in der Firma wie das Produkt - mit sicherlich einigem Potential - den Bach hinunter geht?
Does anyone actually care in the company how the product goes down the drain?
Thought some of them are using it for themselves??
They made my En<-Pt reverse tree and Pt->target laddering trees unusable and they were well aware of all those side dependencies as I explained them before, long before the new path.

Duolingo community forum is gone but has anyone seen a spokesperson joining Duome?
Is there a staffs group of multipe users?
Can't watch their Twitter channel... it's overfilled with cartoons and all other social aspects.
Unlike Reddit the Twitter mobile app gives no full access without registering an account.

:de: Native | :us: Upper-B2 (BritishCouncil) | ImageL25 (Duo) / A2 (6+y, McGraw-Hill) - Learning (Busuu): :fr: (A1 McGraw-Hill) | :brazil: (interm.)

User avatar
L-profile
Russia

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by L-profile »

@Thomas.Heiss Have you made any attempt to convey your thoughts to Duolingo management? All of their responses that came to me were automatic messages saying that my request had been received and taken into account.

There is one more thing that would be helpful to both sides, users and the Duolingo team. A very simple thing - questionnaires. Just an extra link on the page that could be called, say, 'Rate Duolingo'. There could be a list of questions for Yes/No answers.
'I prefer to type using the 'word bank': NO!'
'I want to type all the answers on the keyboard: YES!'.
And that's how they would have gathered real users statistics. Currently, as far as I understand, they look at users' activity. But what is activity? My activity went up a lot after the tree disappeared because I was terrified and confused trying to navigate, looking for familiar skills and grammar and stuff. I started some languages all over again because I didn't find anything familiar. That is activity. That is desperation. Yes, it's activity that lasts for a while after the Duolingo update. And they look at their math statistics and see... numbers. They should let people have their say and find out the truth. I doubt they know that their ideas make people angry and unhappy.

Image Image Image Image Image :tonga:

martin.wk

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by martin.wk »

Well this sucks. I've lost my 589 day streak because I refused to use the awful word bank :(

Zsuzsanna
Hungary

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Zsuzsanna »

Yes

User avatar
Gottogetout
France

Re: Unable to use my keyboard anymore, only a words bank, after a 365 day streak! I'll have to stop using DUO, I'm afrai

Post by Gottogetout »

martin.wk wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:18 pm

Well this sucks. I've lost my 589 day streak because I refused to use the awful word bank :(

Hi,
You didn't lost anything at all, except a symbol on your screen. You are the same person as before. You lost the possibility to type on the keyboard, that's true, me too. I stopped Duo for that reason. I have to say that I see that eventually as a good thing in some way. It was maybe time for me to get free from that daily training/brainwashing.
I'm more cool now :) At first I was angry, now I'm okay, because I took some distance on the thing. I'm even thinking that it
was maybe not very "normal" to stick on that task everyday for a so long time!
You can do the same. Duo is just a tool, not a goal in itself. Get free if you feel it's the moment. At least take a serious break, a distance. And I beg you : Stop with that streaks. The streaks are only a symbol put in place in order to make us training daily, endlessly. Don't give any importance to days' streaks :)

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