Harold,
I agree that it will be quite important too have an easy way to convert
existing dictionaries into OpenOffice.org extensions, at it's best
having a tool doing that. Taking this as a prerequisite the situation
will improve compared to the current situation.
Right now we have a set (about 30 ?) dictionaries which got the legal
approval to get included into OpenOffice, meaning they need a compatible
open source license to get included into the openoffice.org installation
set.
In the future a OpenOffice.org install set will come with a meaningful
set of dictionary for that locale. This will improve the general view to
dictionary and improve performance.
The extension technology allows also:
* the introduction of having different version of dictionaries or the
usage of alternative dictionaries
* you will be able to get online update notification about new version
of already installed dictionaries. -> the authors of dictionaries can
provide updates independent from the OOo release schedule.
* the administration of not LGPL compatible licensed dictionaries will
be much more easy than before.
As far as I know the mozilla dictionaries also come with their own
format (.xpi), how is the packaging of the dictionary data solved there ?
The question of shared dictionary in general (among application, across
the system) is indeed an important one and I'd be looking forward to
collaborate with mozilla project in this regard.
I agree that it will be essential to have a tool at hand which is doing
the transition from a raw dictionary to an extension with the help of an
wizard, maybe this wizard can be provided as an extension ifself ?
That given, I think using the mechanism of the extension repository and
the online update service this will be a major step forward in using
dictionaries in OOo at all,
thanks for the valueable feedback,
Martin
Harold Fuchs wrote:
I help support OpenOffice.org (OOo) in the [EMAIL PROTECTED] mail list.
We discovered recently that the whole scheme for installing dictionaries in
OOo will change rather dramatically with the advent of v3 and that existing
dictionaries will no longer work.
I and others believe that this is a huge mistake:
1. It will give new users the impression that OOo cannot spell check. Or
that spell checking is, by definition, an afterthought implemented by an
"extension" i.e. something *not* in the original software.
2. Many of the dictionaries are provided and maintained by third parties who
do not have the resources or the skills to convert their dictionaries to the
new format. They may not even be aware of the upcoming change. And I don't
believe you have any way of finding them to let them know.
3. It's regressive in that it kills cooperation with software like
Thunderbird which, today, can use the same dictionaries as are used by OOo.
There has recently been much discussion in different "forums" (in the
*English*, as opposed to computerese, sense of that word) about closer
cooperation and/or integration between OOo and Thunderbird/Seamonkey. See,
for example, the thread at
http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/BrowseList?listName=users&from=2052695&to=2052695&count=30&by=thread&first=1&windowSize=1000
Apparently the reason given for the change is that the existing method
requires re-installation of dictionaries after an upgrade to the software.
If this is even half true then it seems to several of us that you have
solved the wrong problem. Instead of changing the format of the
dictionaries, why not just change the place where they are stored to one
that is unaffected by an upgrade to the software: a user specific directory
similar to the one used already to store user specific options which *don't*
change after an upgrade? I don't know but on the face of it it seems that
this "dictionary directory" could even be the same as the one used already
for user-specific options.
In any case, please reconsider this decision which I and others strongly
believe will severely damage OOo both technically and cosmetically.
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