Re: Programmers requested for dictionary

On Fri, 27 Oct 2000, taliesin the storyteller wrote:

> * Peter Clark <pclark@...> [001027 19:13]:
> > This is a cry for help: as my language, Enamyn, grows, so do my
> > problems with my dictionary. Paper and pencil just don't cut it. I
> > have been looking on the web for a dictionary program, or more
> > accurately, for a dictionary creator. So far, no luck.
>
> Have you taken a look at Boudewijn's Kura?
> http://www.valdyas.org/linguistics/index.html
<wry g>  I've seen Shoebox mentioned before (as others have recently).
Personally, I just type everything into .html files and do searches on
pages via browser.  It's been working so far, though it may prove
inadequate when the file gets larger.  OTOH I've seen browser search work
very quickly with some pretty darn large pages, so...<shrug>

It's definitely not for everyone, but it beats sheets of paper.  My only
regret is that it's not more portable (my antiquated laptop is still
somewhat heavy and gives me backaches almost as surely as my German
textbook).

> > I know there are several programmers on this list. (I sincerely wish
> > I was one of them!) With all this talent, I don't think that it would
> > take too long to create a cross-platform dictionary creator and
> > reader.
>
> *cough* *wheeze* If you're not a perfectionist programmer then maybe
> it'll go fast but *cough* I've actually never really *finished* a
> program, there's always something that could have been done better...
<nod>  I've personally never done any sort of database-type program, but
debugging under one platform is enough of a headache.  This isn't a
project I'd want to undertake myself for more than one platform,
especially since the only languages I'm remotely "fluent" in are Dylan,
Pascal and Java.  OTOH I've seen similar projects done almost routinely
by folks in HS or college comp sci classes (I wasn't one of them).  If
someone really needs a dictionary program badly, finding something like
that might be an okay ad hoc solution.

YHL