Getting started
Install
The commands below use v0.3.0; the newest version is on the
releases page. Check a
download with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt --ignore-missing.
| Platform | File |
|---|---|
| Linux x86_64 | abax-v0.3.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz |
| Windows x86_64 | abax-v0.3.0-windows-x86_64.zip |
| macOS, Apple silicon | abax-v0.3.0-macos-aarch64.dmg |
| macOS, Intel | abax-v0.3.0-macos-x86_64.dmg |
| Android, 64-bit ARM | abax-v0.3.0-android-arm64-v8a.apk |
| Android, universal (adds 32-bit ARM and x86_64) | abax-v0.3.0-android-universal.apk |
Linux
curl -L https://github.com/ZahakJ/abax/releases/download/v0.3.0/abax-v0.3.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz
./abax-v0.3.0-linux-x86_64/install.sh
install.sh needs no root. It copies the binary to ~/.local/bin/abax
(or $XDG_BIN_HOME), the desktop entry to ~/.local/share/applications/
and the icon to ~/.local/share/icons/. The binary also runs in place,
./abax-v0.3.0-linux-x86_64/abax. It needs a Vulkan or OpenGL driver.
Windows
In PowerShell:
Invoke-WebRequest https://github.com/ZahakJ/abax/releases/download/v0.3.0/abax-v0.3.0-windows-x86_64.zip -OutFile abax.zip; Expand-Archive abax.zip -DestinationPath abax
Then run abax\abax.exe. The binary is not code-signed, so SmartScreen may
stop the first launch; choose “More info”, then “Run anyway”.
macOS
Download the dmg for your Mac (Apple menu > About This Mac: “Apple M1” or
later means Apple silicon, “Intel” means Intel), open it and drag
Abax.app to Applications.
The app is ad-hoc signed but not notarized, so the first launch says “Apple could not verify Abax”. Right-click the app > Open > Open; on macOS 15 and later, open it once, then click Open Anyway in System Settings > Privacy & Security. Or run once in a terminal:
xattr -cr /Applications/Abax.app
Android
On the phone, open the arm64-v8a APK link and install it, allowing installs from the browser when asked. Abax needs Android 7.0 (API 24) or newer. The universal APK also contains 32-bit ARM and x86_64 code; use it on an old 32-bit phone or an emulator. There is no sound on Android.
Your first session
- Home. The card at the top says what comes next. On a new profile that is the first lesson, “The rods, the beam and the beads”. Press Continue.
- The lesson. A few short paragraphs explain one idea. Below them the soroban plays demonstrations: the bead to move is ringed in vermilion, an arrow shows the direction, and a line of text names the finger (“Index finger: push the heaven bead down”). Use Next move to step through a demonstration by hand, Replay to see it again, and Next demo for the next example.
- Guided practice. Press Try it with hints. You get three items to work on the beads yourself. If you pause for 1.5 s, the next move is shown. Nothing here counts towards your record.
- The drill. Press Start the drill for ten items. Now the hint waits for the delay set in Settings (4 s by default) and every answer is recorded. A wrong answer replays the correct bead moves, in order.
- Back home. The card now offers the suggested next lesson as soon as its prerequisites are known well enough, or a planned session: a short warm-up, a focus drill on your weakest skill and a cool-down. The scheduler chapter explains how it chooses.
Nothing is locked. Open any lesson in any order, and tap I know this already on the ones you can skip (how that works). The home screen has eight entries:
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Practice | A free soroban. Tap or drag beads, or type digits. |
| Lessons | Every lesson, all open, with the suggested next one marked. |
| Drills | Pick a skill and a difficulty step yourself. |
| Anzan | A drill where the beads fade and you finish in your head. |
| Flash | Flash anzan with your own digits, count and speed. |
| Sprint | Sixty seconds, as many items as you can. |
| Stats | Momentum, per-skill mastery, accuracy and speed. |
| Settings | Rods, input, theme, finish, sound, data. |
Working the soroban
Touch and mouse. Tap an earth bead and it moves together with the beads between it and the beam. Tap the heaven bead to toggle it. Dragged beads snap to the nearer position on release. A bead’s hit area is the full width of its rod.
Keyboard. Digits set the active rod and move one rod to the right; Backspace clears the active rod and moves left; the Left and Right arrows move the active rod in free practice; Enter or Space checks the answer; Escape or Delete clears the soroban.
Keypad. An on-screen keypad sits under the soroban. Settings can turn it off or move it to the left.