USB assistive technology: mind the license!

Assistive technology doesn’t have to be an “official” Portable App for you to install it on a flash drive, nor does it have to be freeware. (But no, you cannot install Dragon NaturallySpeaking on a flash drive.) It depends primarily on  2 things: the ability to choose the flash drive letter for the install location (creating a folder on the drive if necessary) and, ideally, the option NOT to create any shortcuts on the desktop or start menu. It’s just cleaner that way, though shortcuts won’t hurt anything provided you install from your home computer. However, even after you’ve done this, there is still something you may have to watch out for if you’re trying to use public computers — particularly if those computers are on a queue that assigns you to a random machine, e.g. in a library.

There are 2 main types of licenses when you purchase software: per computer and per user. If you’re going to use your flash drive on a public computer, it’s better if your software has a per user license. This means that the license belongs to you, which in turn means that you can use that software on any computer you operate. The only requirement for using per user software on a flash drive is that when you plug it in, you will need to enter the activation code (and possibly the name you registered it with), so DON’T LOSE THAT. I keep a file on my flash drive containing all of my activation codes, so all I need to do is copy and paste. This step is both necessary and beneficial. It’s necessary because in this setup, nothing gets permanently saved to the registry, which is why you need to activate each time. It’s beneficial for the same reason, especially if you can’t use the same computer each time.

If you have USB software with a license that limits the number of computers you can activate on, trying to use different computers becomes dodgy if not impossible. Shades of per-computer enter here, because the program has to count the installation on each machine. When you activate computer-specific software, it saves that activation to the registry — or at least tries to — so that each time you plug your flash drive into that computer, you can run the software without activating. This is problematic on public machines for a couple of reasons.

First, depending on the security settings of the public computer you’re trying to use, it may not like your attempts to modify the registry by activating the software. The software may thus crash or otherwise not run properly. I suspect this is what happened with Typing Assistant, and is partially why I sought other software. Typing Assistant limits its USB version to 3 computers. Even if you get the software to run properly, that kind of license assumes that you’ll always be able to use the same 3 computers. This does not allow for use in, say, a library where you are assigned to available machines at random. You will not always get the same 3 machines. Therefore, you will most likely be out of luck, which kind of defeats the purpose of portable software.

Per computer license agreements are almost always specified at the outset, so that you can decide if that works for your circumstances. Sometimes, per user licenses are also specified, but sometimes they aren’t. For example, I didn’t know Turbo Type had a good, portable per user license until I copied the program folder to my flash drive and tried to use it a couple of times stick typing on friends’ machines, and was pleasantly surprised. It may be that per user licenses are a given unless otherwise specified, but I would be careful in making that assumption. The best thing to do is try the demo of your program, if one exists, because it will usually explain the license to you in case you want to buy it when your time is up.

How to “edit” the Turbo Type prediction dictionary

If you’re using TurboType in the US and a word you want is behind several British spellings, it can take a while for your word to move up a level. However, if you really use that word often, you can trick the dictionary (a.k.a. lexicon) into bumping it up a level or so. In my case, the word was “programs” — it was behind “programme” and “programmes” so that I had to type the whole word before it appeared. But now, “programs” appears third after typing p-r-o-g. Much better. To speed the prediction process, I did the following (after typing “programs” many times and getting tired):

1. Click the TurboType icon and choose Add New Word.

2. Type the word you want to move up (or bury, as the case may be). It’s not technically a new word, but that doesn’t matter.

3. Pick a frequency number — but don’t overdo it! To bury a word you don’t use, set it to 1. To accelerate a word you want, 2 is safest to start.  (If it turns out you over- or underestimated the number, you can go to TurboType’s program file, edit that entry in the custom_words file and save the change.)

This is the closest thing to editing the dictionary and/or getting unused predictions out of the way. I also want to remind you that certain phrases are found by typing inward a little, especially if you’re predicting with a 2-letter threshold. For example, typing n-o offers “now,” but the phrase “now that” appears only after typing n-o-w. “Because of” appears after typing b-e-c-a. Experiment.

TurboType update: numbered

So I am using the new version of TurboType, which now numbers the word list from 1 to 3 for instant completion…not even a week after the suggestion. Responsive programmers continue to surprise me. In terms of basic prediction functionality, TurboType now rivals Penfriend in my opinion, and surpasses it in speed. What it doesn’t do I can do with AutoHotKey macros, which I’m working on.

Once again I have to say: what gives? Why don’t the less expensive options get more mentions — especially if they have fewer bugs and faster support? A program doesn’t have to cost $100+ for it to be good assistive technology. If it has the functions you need, what’s the problem? And if you only need the core, you’re not paying for features you don’t use. Sounds like something that deserves mention to me.

Turbo Type review: good word prediction, low cost

NOTE: Please see comments 10 and 11 for an explanation of how Turbo Type orders and learns suggestions. It may not be what you’re used to. SEE ALSO: How to edit the TurboType dictionary.

I think I have a new favorite program. I was looking for an alternative to Typing Assistant because the USB version is conflicting badly with some network setting or other. I could contact IT, but the point of a portable program is to avoid that. So, I went looking for something a little more compatible and found TurboType, which borders on a true word prediction program, not just a completion program. At any rate, it has shades of one, and for $20. (I recommend the paid version for work as well as home use because it learns word frequency and enables new words, starts at bootup if you choose, and has no session timer; you don’t need to restart after 2 hours.) You can install to a flash drive, though it will want to create a start menu folder anyway.

The dictionary is composed of core words (and phrases!) only, with a maximum of three choices per guess. Since the dictionary is so small, there is a greater chance the right word will be on it. If it isn’t, you can keep typing until it shows up, then accept automatically or choose with arrows or numbers. When the word you want is highlighted, you can press Space, Enter or Tab (you can select all of those options at one time, enabling completion from any area of the keyboard) and the program will insert it instantly, along with a space if you choose. The suggestion window is transparent and even the Normal font setting is large by default, which is WONDERFUL. I didn’t like peering at the Typing Assistant list all the time; even its large font is kind of small.

So, for example, I type “so” (the prediction requires at least 2 letters) and am offered “so,” “some,” and “something.” All very likely candidates, and no extraneous suggestions. On my keyboard it is easiest to accept the first choice with Space. If none of the choices work, press Escape.

You can add words or phrases either individually or in bulk. To add a single entry, click the taskbar icon (there is unfortunately no keyboard shortcut yet, so either use Mouse Keys or Windows Key — Escape — Tab — Tab to get the tray focus, then press the arrows until the icon is focused and press Enter. On the menu, choose Add New Word and follow the prompt. To add a list, enter it in Notepad or a similar text editor and copy it. Then go to where you installed the program and open Custom Words. Paste the list and put commas after the words, immediately followed by a “frequency of use” number from 1 to 3 — rarely, sometimes and often respectively. Choose carefully because this will affect how your suggestions are ordered.

If you don’t want TurboType to suggest words in certain programs, there IS a filter — the PC World reviewer was mistaken. Choose Customize from the menu, and a checkbox saying “Do NOT suggest” is right there. Just add the process you want it to ignore, e.g. _firefox.exe. Simple.

You can create abbreviations, but you need to press Control Space to expand them. Therefore, I would save abbreviations for sentences or very specific information, instead of for shortening single words — the prediction works so well that you don’t need to do that.

In sum, this program has promise — so much, in fact, that it could rival big names like Soothsayer and Penfriend, which are more expensive but, ironically, much slower and potentially more bloated. Please support the developer so that Turbo Type can keep improving — $20 beats $100+.