Re: [edict-jmdict] Re: Questions regarding the use of EDICT2 and/or JMDICT in a mobile app

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

Sorry if I jumped in on what is obviously early days
for something that is not meant to be public. Had
I realised it wasn't supposed to be out there yet, I'd
have just popped Matthew a private message. I had been
sent an email about it with the URL to Matthew's site (I've
explained to him privately how that came about), and had
no way of knowing that it wasn't more widely available.

I'm sorry too for the imputation that Matthew wasn't
following the rules on attribution. Clearly that's not the case.

I really should put together some guidelines/suggestions/etc.
for app developers; not to tell them how to do it, but more
to point out the things that should not be done to the dictionary
contents when they are displayed. A particular peeve of mine
(not relevant in this case) are the people who have put out simplistic
EJ dictionaries simply by reversing EDICT entries without any context
from the original entries. This can result in a one-word gloss in the
12th sense of a complex entry popping up as an
"X in English means Y in Japanese: source EDICT" display, and then
I get flak for having rubbish in the dictionary. I even
see amendment submissions coming back based one these mangled
entry fragments.

Cheers

Jim

On 27 July 2013 16:13, iammatthewmiller <masterkale@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> I assume this is the app mentioned at http://www.gshoapp.com/
>
> gSho is indeed my app, though I'm curious, how did you make the connection? I've been vague here on the exact details of my project specifically because I wasn't ready to reveal my work. I'm not all that comfortable with the fact that you revealed my project before it was ready, as I now have to go on the defensive and justify my unfinished app.
>
>> A few comments:
>>
>> - no mention (yet) of where the dictionary material is coming from. Please make
>> sure the JMdict, etc. licence conditions are met. See
>> http://www.edrdg.org/edrdg/licence.html   and especially the
>> "acknowledge the usage and source of the files in the documentation, publicity
>> material, WWW site of the package/server, etc."
>
> This is just a guess, but were you able to sleuth me out from the license request I sent Jim at KanjiCafe? I finished putting in proper acknowledgements as per the various license agreements for each of the projects I included in gSho (JMdict, KANJIDIC2, KRADFILE-u, and an Android project) - here is the completed Acknowledgements section of gSho as of this evening: https://www.dropbox.com/s/feyb2ymalibq89g/2013-07-26%2022.48.36.png. I'm just waiting for a response from Jim, at which time I should have fulfilled all of the licensing requirements required to use these resources.
>
> I am 100% for giving credit where it is due, and have every intention of acknowledging the efforts of people like you, members of EDRDG, Jim, and others. The attributions in the app should be enough as per the various licenses under which the various files are licensed. I was my understanding that acknowledgements on the website were required if the main product of the derivative work was a mobile app. If I've missed something, then please let me know and I'll fill in the blanks till I'm in full conformance with those licenses.
>
>> - please do not strip useful and vital information from the entries. The page above shows a (dummy?) entry reading:
>>
>> ¼­½ñ ¡Ê¤¸¤·¤ç¡Ë
>> dictionary; lexicon; letter of resignation
>>
>> which brushes out three important pieces of information
>> (a) it's a noun;
>> (b) there are two senses
>> (c) the second sense is archaic. In modern Japanese it
>> does not mean "letter of resignation".
>>
>> These are important. I am quite sick of criticism of the dictionary itself which turns out to be based on editing and rearranging by the app with the result that key information is lost or obscured.
>>
>> Perhaps I should be more up-front about what I'd like to see
>> in the way apps use the data.
>
> I apologize if my work with your dictionary resources insults your efforts, as that was most certainly not my intent. This is my first time working on a dictionary of any kind, and I'm constantly fine-tuning my app as others point out deficiencies in its functionality. I realize that, as a beginner, I'm going to screw up some things that might seem obvious to more seasoned veterans such as yourself. I encourage feedback, and will gladly take suggestions for ways in which gSho can be improved.
>
> Have I been critical of your projects? I've tried to maintain a positive attitude when I post here on the list, and have never purposefully tried to slight you. If you're speaking generally and I just happen to be the straw that broke the camel's back, then all I can say is that I'm trying, and don't expect to get everything right the first time.
>
> All of this said, I ask that you understand that gSho is not a finished product, and that its debut is still a few weeks away. I want to launch gSho on the right foot so it has a fighting chance to gain a strong userbase. Sorry for being so defensive in this reply, but I've been waiting to reveal gSho until the time is right (because it still needs fine-tuning, as you've pointed out) and was caught off guard by your comments.
>
> Regards,
> -Matthew
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>



-- 
Jim Breen
Adjunct Snr Research Fellow, Japanese Studies Centre, Monash University