Re: [edict-jmdict] Fiddling with WWWJDIC (Was: Re: In-line examples in WWWJDIC)

["Jim Breen" <jimbreen@*********>]

2008/5/7 Dennis Schrader <jpnthailand@gmail.com>:
>
> OK, To be perfectly honest, I have always felt the Edict page layout (not
> the first, "cover page" but rather the later pages (which are all from the
> same template) to be noisy and confused/ing.

That's why I'm discussing a process of decluttering. What I'm planning
is a customization option in which users can drop the features they don't want.

> As much as I have been in Edict
> on line(thousands of hours), I have never found the "way to search on other
> dictionaries listed" to be clear enough to even mess with. So I open other
> dictionaries in separate windows via IE7. I really do hate the blind alleys
> that necessarily result.

Whatever works for you. I don't use it, but I know a few people do. Most of the
options are there because people have asked for them, but I agree it's better
not to foist them on everyone.

> In short, although it's probably not what the designers want to hear, I
> think it would be better to start over again from afresh - and this time
> with an outline first. In trying to offer so much more than other online
> sources, Edict actually becomes labyrinthine.

WWWJDIC. The fresh start is WWWJDIC2. I might start on it in my second
retirement. In the meantime anyone else can have a go, with my blessing.

One of the old EDICT-based sites was "JEDI" at Notre Dame in Japan. It did
EDICT lookups and nothing else, and had a loyal following. When they shut it
down a couple of years ago they suggested users switch to WWWJDIC. I got some
angry and even abusive emails from JEDI users who felt I was cheating them in
some way by having a more complicated interface. A bit like complaining
because a car isn't a bicycle. I soothed them eventually.

Cheers

Jim
-- 
Jim Breen
Honorary Senior Research Fellow
Clayton School of Information Technology,
Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/