> I totally agree with Justin here. We need to ship a single, standard,
> cross-platform solution for both spell-checking code *and* dictionaries.
>
> The ispell code we're using for this is *definitely* no thing of beauty --
> far from it -- but it does meet those goals. Note that the the technical
> issues here (replacing the ispell code with something nicer) are much easier
> to address than the practical/legal issues (replacing the ispell
> dictionaries).
I would like to make clarify that I was not addressing the problem of the
quality of ispell itself in my email.
What I was saying was: my operating system, Unix, comes with a spell
checker and some dictionaries.
In an idea world, *all* the programs use that spelling program, and *all*
the programs share the same main dictionary/dictionaries.
The first goal is reached by not linking Abiword with anything, but having
Abiword *using* ispell (see: running it, even only once and then piping
things in). Please remember that the command that corresponds to "ispell"
might be an ispell clone, that keeps the same interface.
The second goal ("all programs share the same dictionary") is archieved
automatically using ispell as a spell checker, and piping into it.
> Remember that good dictionaries, like good software, take a *lot* of
> specialized work to construct, and they also fall under copyright laws.
This is *exactly* the reason why you might want to try to help the
existing dictionaries grow, instead of trying to have an "Abiword's" one.
> One of the main advantages of ispell-format dictionaries is that they
> already exist in distributable form for a large number of the languages
> AbiWord users might want, and the tools for creating more such dictionaries
> are in reasonably wide use:
>
> http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html
Yep, but that doesn't fit with the "bigger picture", where the *whole* lot
of applications on your computer benefit from a good dictionary.
> In general, obtaining high-quality, freely-distributable dictionaries is
> hard, primarily due to a lack of tools and copyright restrictions. (For
> example, typing in the word list from your favorite paper dictionary is
> probably a copyright violation. Depending on your system, so is adding the
> contents of /usr/dict/words to your ispell dictionary, which may only be
> legal if you don't distribute the results. Depending on the copyrights for
> the ispell-format word lists, it may also be illegal to modify them by
> converting them to another dictionary format. See the ispell docs for more
> info on this problem.)
This is undoubtly true.
> That having been said, of course there's no objection to coming up with
> interfaces for wrappers to additional spell checkers in a post-1.0 time
> frame. That hurdle should be fairly low.
I wasn't talking about "additional spell checkers", but a different
approach to the spell checking problem that would take into consideration
the "big picture" out there.
> To be clear though, I want to set accurate expectations for anyone who hopes
> to replace ispell entirely as the main spell engine for AbiWord (and other
> subsequent AbiSuite apps). Because of the dictionary problem, that bar is
> *significantly* higher.
I didn't quite understand what the link between the dictionaries and the
way you interface to the spell checker is.
> PS: Anyone interested in replacing ispell should consider spend some time
> trolling around the ispell distribution, if you haven't already. If nothing
> else, be sure to read the Contributors file. In it you'll find an
> abbreviated history of 40 (!) years work on spell checkers with all sorts of
> fascinating obscure details. For example, approximately 270 (!) people have
> contributed to this program, which traces its roots back almost 30 (!)
> years.
Again, I wasn't proposing to get rid of ispell, or whatever. I was just
suggesting a way of having *one* spell checker and *one* dictionary on the
system, instead of having *five* spell checker and *five* dictionaries for
*five* different word processors. Offering, at the same time, the
opportunity to use a different system spell checker.
That's it.
Merc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Merc Mobily, technical editor of "Dev." and "Login"
Director of Onda Training & Consulting pty ltd
Technical Writer
Personal Phone Number: ++61-8-93355105, +8 GMT, +7 from Italy!
Currently located in: Perth, AUSTRALIA
merc@cybersydney.com.au - mobily@infomedia.it