Tuesday, April 19, 2005

GCIDE

GCIDE is the website for the GNU dictionary. It is based on the Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary Version published 1913. It was supplemented with some of the definitions from WordNet, a semantic network created by the Cognitive Science Department of Princeton University under the direction of Prof. George Miller.

It is a big work, it is published in XML. It is free for everybody to use, licensed under the GNU public license. If there is one complaint to make, it is that it is old and needs updating. Compare it however with the English Wiktionary and you find a dictionary that has other problems that are not adressed. It capitalises every word, many entries are not complete because it does not always state a language, even though it is an English to Any dictionary.

With the Ultimate Wiktionary coming up, at some stage we can choose to either convert the English wiktionary or use GCIDE. The point is that a vocal minority prevents necessary maintenance on the English wiktionary.

The dilemma is: what to do.

Thanks,
GerardM

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