> [mailto:CONLANG@listserv.brown.edu] On Behalf Of Mark J. Reed
> DICT is a protocol, like HTTP, FTP, SMTP, NNTP, LDAP, yada yada
yada.
> dict.org is the home page for the group responsible for developing
the
> protocol.
>
> In particular, dict is for allowing dictionary data to be exchanged
> between software systems. It's designed to be used by other
programs,
> not by end users. This allows the creation of many sorts of
tools,
> such as rollup pages that let you query multiple dictionaries at
once
> (see: dictionary.com). Basically, you stick a dict server in front
of
> your database, and you get a query system customized for dictionary
> data that is safe to expose to the world (unlike SQL, which is so
> general you daren't expose it; see: SQL injection) and there are
lots
> of tools that will know how to talk to your dictionary and do data
> analysis and such automatically.
> ...
I know this thread is a bit old, but I had an idea a while back for an
XML-based dictionary. I believe that others have already done work in
this area, so if someone could steer me that direction, I'd appreciate
it. I got as far as trying to create a style sheet to format the XML.
I like the idea of using XML because it allows a bit more flexibility
that just creating a flat database full of memo fields.