computer science

WikiReader

WikiReader is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand WikiReader rather than just read about it. In short: WikiReader was a project to deliver an offline, text-only version of Wikipedia on a mobile device. The project was sponsored by Openmoko and made by Pandigital, and its source code has been released.

Key takeaways

WikiReader belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WikiReader to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WikiReader from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WikiReader was a project to deliver an offline, text-only version of Wikipedia on a mobile device. The project was sponsored by Openmoko and made by Pandigital, and its source code has been released. The project debuted an offline portable reader for Wikipedia in October 2009. Updates in multiple languages were available online and a twice-yearly offline update service delivered via Micro SD card was also available at a cost of $29 per year. WikiReader versions of the English Wikipedia, Wikiquote, Wiktionary and Project Gutenberg can be installed together on a user-supplied 16 GB Micro SDHC memory card. Unlike Wikipedia itself, the device features parental controls. The device can also run programs written in the Forth programming language; a simple calculator program is included.

Specifications

Display: Monochrome Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), 240 × 208 pixels. Interface: Capacitive touchscreen with on-screen keyboard. Four hardware keys. CPU: Epson S1C33 E07 microcontroller with 8 KB + 2 KB internal memory Firmware: 64 KB Flash memory Memory: 32 MB SDRAM Storage: Removable microSD card (SD and SDHC supported; 512 MB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB supported) File formats supported: native format; a converter from MediaWiki's XML export format is available. Dimensions: 100 × 100 × 20 mm (3.9 × 3.9 × 0.8 inches) Weight: 120 grams (4.2 oz) Languages: English Warranty: 90 days Power: Two AAA batteries Battery life: 90 hours; equivalent to 1 year of normal use according to manufacturer

Limitations Text-only display: The WikiReader is strictly a "text only" display device. The device therefore does not store or display any Wikipedia images. Tables: The WikiReader does not display article text which appears inside a table on Wikipedia. HTML "special characters": Certain Wikipedia article text encoded using HTML special characters is stripped from the WikiReader's output. Mathematical formulas: Original versions of the WikiReader do not display Wikipedia article information encoded as a formula using LaTeX markup. This has been addressed with an optional firmware update, which is pre-loaded on newer WikiReaders. Treatment of missing information: The WikiReader does not provide indications of sections where information has been removed from a Wikipedia article. Images, tables, mathematical formulas and other information that was not encoded as plain text in the original Wikipedia article is deleted from the WikiReader's output. Search: The WikiReader's search capabilities are basic. There is no full text search capability. Only the titles of Wikipedia articles can be searched. The WikiReader does support incremental search of article titles, beginning with the first characters of each title. Search terms must be spelled correctly. Wildcard searching is not supported.

Discontinuation In late 2014, the WikiReader website and project itself were abandoned, following Pandigital going out of business. Since then, other projects have taken up the idea, with varying degrees of success, of presenting Wikipedia content in an easier-to-access interface.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WikiReader

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WikiReader claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to WikiReader before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about WikiReader ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of WikiReader

In research: WikiReader appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses WikiReader in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: WikiReader is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 2009, Dedicated application electronic devices, Open hardware electronic devices, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WikiReader outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study WikiReader in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WikiReader means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain WikiReader out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WikiReader in simple terms?

WikiReader was a project to deliver an offline, text-only version of Wikipedia on a mobile device. The project was sponsored by Openmoko and made by Pandigital, and its source code has been released.

Why does WikiReader matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study WikiReader?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on WikiReader.