Teachionary problems and solutions
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Teachionary problems and solutions

Table of Contents
Copyright © 1996-2005 Sprex Inc., 2007-2020 Tom Veatch. All rights reserved.
Date: April 10, 2025

FAQ

Problem #1: General Information
Solution: Learn the right way to use Teachionary here.

Teachionary 3.6 is a Java[tm] applet which requires a Java 2 (or greater) enabled web browser supporting applet audio playback. You also need a sound card in your computer, and speakers that are turned on and connected.

If you can get the "Bark!" button in the "An Example" section to work on the web page: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/applet/appletsonly/sound.html then you should be able to use Teachionary!

Problem #2: How many words are in Teachionary for a certain language
Solution: See a table of word counts here.

Problem #3: Q&A
Solution: Here are a bunch of questions that others have asked; they may help you get Teachionary to work on your machine.

Problem #4: Applet, what applet? No buttons are visible for words or for AUTO, PLAY, or GUESS
Solution: Your browser is not running the Teachionary applet. The causes of this can include:

Problem #5: New Teachionary looks different from old Teachionary.
Solution: New Teachionary uses Java 2 and was made available in 2003. This new and improved version of Teachionary allows us to provide a more customized Teachionary service for you. If you have an older version of Java, you may have to upgrade it to the latest Java from Sun or another Java source (don't use Microsoft's Java; it is broken). The Sun Java upgrade is free. For more information, see the notes on Java upgrading below, here and here.

Problem #6: Buttons still display but suddenly no longer play.
Solution: This is a known bug. Under certain conditions, Teachionary can work for a short or long period of time, then suddenly it acts as though it cannot find the audio to play back for some buttons or pages. The buttons are displayed, but none, or only a few of them, actually play anything.
This will be fixed in the new version we are working on, coming in Fall. Meanwhile, when this bug occurs, simply close your internet browser, come back to Sprex and try again. The problem frequently goes away.

Problem #7: I don't hear anything when I click on a word button.
Solution: Speakers and a sound card are required.

Certain old versions of Java do not include an audio playback capability. For example, Symantec Java 1.1.5, included with Netscape Navigator 4.7 for Windows 98, displays the following error messages on the Java Console: 

no audio device
audio player exit
Click here to read about displaying the Java Console.

Problem #8: I don't have the latest Java installed
Solution: Upgrade Java, or, better yet, upgrade both your browser AND Java.

Problem #9: What if Teachionary asks me to download Java?
Solution: This is fine; if you don't have an up to date version, it will ask you to download Java. Go ahead and proceed. See the Automatically Download and Install Java operation here.

Problem #10: My browser can't, or isn't set to, run applets
Solution: Teachionary is a Java applet and thus requires an Java-capable browser with its Java applet capability enabled. Therefore you must install and use a Java-capable browser such as Netscape Navigator 7.0, and within your browser you must enable the use of Java. In Netscape, for example, the steps Edit::Preferences::Advanced::Enable Java will turn on Java.

Problem #11: I installed Java, but it still doesn't run the applet.
Solution: You might need to enable Java in your browser. It may be that your browser doesn't have the "enable Java" setting checked.
In at least one version of Netscape Navigator, the sequence is to select the "Options" menu, then the "Network Preferences" menu item, then the "Languages" tab page, and finally set the "Enable Java" checkbox.

In at least one version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, the sequence is to select the "Tools" menu, then the "Internet Options" menu item, then the "Advanced" tab page, and finally in the Java (Sun) section check the "Use Java... for <applet>" box. If you don't see that option, then install the Java Runtime Environment from Sun (java.sun.com).

Problem #12: "Applet doesn't load" error message.
Solution: This error message seems to mean that the applet was not located where the web page thought it should be found. If you get this error please email teachionary@sprex.com and explain which language and word-set you were using when you got the error.

Problem #13: I'm running Linux and Netscape Java on Linux has no audio output, so I can't hear any output even though it says it is playing the sounds out.
Solution: Geoffrey T. Dairiki has provided a way to fix this problem, by downloading a file, uncompressing it on your machine, executing "make install", and fixing your user environment so it knows where the fixes are. Go here and following the detailed installation instructions there. I just did and it worked for me!

Problem #14: I still can't hear any sound.
Solution: First, check all the problems and solutions listed above. If you still are not able to hear the audio, then please send us a technical support request.

Problem #15: My system has less than a 256 color video driver.
Solution: Netscape Navigator requires a 256-color video driver to run Java applets. You must have a video display with that or better capabilities.

Problem #16: Important Operations
Solution: How-To questions about important operations begin here.

Problem #17: I need technical support
Solution: To send us a request for technical support
If something isn't working and you would like us to help you, please send us an email at teachionary@sprex.com. In your message, please describe what exactly isn't working, answer the five questions below, and include a copy of the Java Console messages. We do want to hear your question and to help you, but almost always the information we need to be able to answer questions is contained in the answers to these five questions. Thanks for helping us to help you better.

The five questions are:

  1. What kind of computer are you using? What operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, &c)? Which version?
  2. What browser are you using? Which version?
  3. Is Java installed?
  4. After going to the following web page, and scrolling down to the applet displayed there, can you hear the dog barking by clicking on the "Bark" button?:
    http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/applet/appletsonly/sound.html
  5. Do you see the buttons displayed on a Teachionary applet page?

With that information we'll be better able to help you figure it out.
Thanks.

Problem #18: How do I display the Java Console within my browser.
Solution:

Then a new window will pop up, displaying a startup message and any other messages printed there by any applet(s) that have been running.

Problem #19: How do I send Sprex a copy of the Java Console messages
Solution: First display the Java Console within your browser..
Second, copy and paste the contents of the Java console into your email program. Click the COPY button on the Java console; that will copy all the text in the console to the clipboard. Then paste it into your email program, or into the Message box on a Teachionary page, to send us the message.

Problem #20: How do I set up Java 2?
Solution: To automatically download and install Java 2
Teachionary may automatically ask you to download Java, if you don't have an up to date version. Please go ahead and proceed.

Here are the steps I took: Choose my operating system, and choose All languages, for example, Windows, All Languages. Select the JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Accept the terms and conditions. Let the Smart Download system do its work, downloading jre-1-1.38 Windows (for example). After download completes successfully, proceed with installation (click the Install button); again accept the license agreement, specify a drive with enough space, such as C:. Agree if it asks me to let let this JVM (Java Virtual Machine) be the default for MSIE and Netscape. Watch it as it creates the Java jar files. After installation is complete, click OK and close out my browser. Then restart my browser, and come back to the Teachionary page. It should then display "loading java applet", and then show the applet with the welcome message, "Welcome to Teachionary 1.2".

Then you can click buttons to hear words, and use Teachionary.

Problem #21: How to get Java 2 for Netscape under Linux?
Solution: To manually download and install Java 2 for Netscape 7 under Linux
This went in three easy steps: download Java, install it, and tell Netscape where to find it.