dictionary program

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@GREBYN.COM>]

I should note that one function Bob Chassell mentions in his ideas on a
dictionary program, the lined-up interlinear translator, is already implemented
if not yet ready for distribution.  Nora has it working up to a point, but it
needs some cleanup in the user interface, and such a word-for-word ttanslation
needs rather better keywording than we currently have in order to be useful
to the average novice Lojbanist - you really need to know the grammar to
turn a string of keywords into meaningful text.  While the Lojbanist who looks
at text, figures out the basic grammar, and then translates the words as
necessary has no trouble, even I, with my knowledge of the grammar, have tsome
trouble with the glosser output simply because it translates all the words
WITHOUT my figuring out the grammar first.

JL17 had a sample of the output from the current version of the glosser.
This current version is designed to work in conjuction with the Lojban parser,
making it one step further from being releasable, since we have to let go
with both peices of software at once, and we don;t have the support capability
right now to do so with the last minute work preparing for the dictionary.

Thus this software will probably be released after the dictionary/reference
is in press, and we know things won;t be changing in the language for
a long while.  Since the sofware is written in TurboPascal, like LogFlash,
it will at least at first only be available for MS-DOS machines.

The glosser does not have a useful dictionary function.  However, I note that
LogFlash does have a word-lookup function.  It seems that this could be
usable under some multi-tasking system so that you could keep LogFlash
rrunning while you read mail, or whatever - I prewsume thus that it might
work OK under Windows.  But I don;t use Windows and have never tried anything
like this to see if it would be helpful.

lojbab