Introducing Logicola 3
LogiCola is a software designed to help students learn logic. It was created by Harry Gensler, who also authored Introduction to Logic (Routledge 2017, 2010, 2002), one of the most well-known textbooks in the field, for introductory and intermediate logic courses.
The textbook and software are still present in many introductory courses to logic around the world. Including the one taught at my university. Having that in mind, the last version of the product was launched almost 20 years ago and only works natively on windows machines.
The idea of improving and redesigning software that enables people to learn is something that always excited me. As I started imagining what a new version could look like and how it could benefit so many people around the world, I decided to get in touch with Harry to volunteer my time and hopefully meet a personal hero. And that’s when I came across his obituary online. I was heartbroken. I guess I still am, since I’m writing these words with weight and tears in my eyes.
What followed was what might be perhaps described as un unhealthy bingewatch of his videos on Youtube, along with countless hours browsing through his website, stumbling upon photos of trips he took, his endearing yogurt recipe, his thoughts on the golden rule and other religions.
Harry is a friend I never met but yet, I felt more compelled than ever to continue his work and design a new version of LogiCola to help more people learn logic and improve their ability to reason and make good judgments in their day-to-day life. Part of me feels conflicted. I don’t know whether this is what he would want. I don’t know if I have enough experience to be up to the task. But every bone in my body had been telling me to proceed. And so I did.
What I set out to do back in December was to design, develop and release a brand new, open-source version of LogiCola to help educate students in the field of logic. One that works everywhere. On windows. On mac. On chromebooks. On your phone. Today, I’m proud to release the first version of Logicola 3, based on the web (https://logicola.org/).
I have to admit, I’m not immensely proud of this first version but the process of figuring out the approach towards the development of the product plus some time spent with his release notes has made me realise that good software takes time to build. It takes patience. It takes iteration. It’s a labour of love. The last version of LogiCola has been around for 16 years.
I feel a great deal of responsibility. There is an existing audience, a set of expectations and an emotional relationship some people have with the original product that I don’t want to break. This is the legacy of a man who has passed away and whose life’s work I intend to honour. The software was quirky and had personality. I cannot wash that away.
The version that is currently online feels clean and modern but it doesn’t have the original vibe. These are all challenges I’m aware and accounting for as I make decisions about the product. In a sense, it’s like remaking a beloved game. Like Street Fighter. Some original elements have to be there for the game to be called Street Fighter.
Quiz Mode
The main highlight for this first release is a quiz mode for meanings and definitions (set Q). And another one for propositional translations (set C).
The quiz gives you 10 questions that are always different. You only need five minutes to go through one, so you can always practice on the go or when you’re in between other tasks. When you submit an answer, you immediately get feedback and by the end, you get a score, so you can always have a sense of how well you’re doing on your learning journey.
It works on mobile and you don’t have to install anything anywhere.
The software still relies on the original Gensler’s Introduction to Logic textbook, published by Routledge. They’re better savoured together.
My commitment is to keep building and maintaining the software in open-source throughout the next couple of weeks, months, years. There’s not a clearly defined roadmap yet but I’m already working on the content related with syllogistic logic and a software for professors and classrooms (a new version of Logiskor).
To reach me, you can email malik@hey.com, subscribe to the newsletter at https://logicola.org/ or engage with the public discussions on GitHub: https://github.com/malikpiara/logicola.
👋 Until next time,
— Malik
