A proposal to give some DICTIONARY pre-installed on the XOs that will be delivered to Peruvian Kids

[info at olpc-peru.info]

 From the threads...

"For the XO, it would be great if dictionaries were *not* constant 
databases. Many of the countries where the XO is/will be deployed have 
local languages for which good free electronic dictionaries very much do 
not exist. Moreover, even in places where the local language is 
digital-age, creating a schoolwide jargon file would be a great project 
for involving the kids."

I agree: some "dynamic" database will be better than a "static" 
database.  It is not hard to build: just add a form and some 
"append/sort" routine to the main database.  Easy to say! (smile)... the 
"upgrade/add words" option can not be done in plain javascript  (it goes 
against the idea that javascript comes from the server and runs on the 
client machine in a typical Internet connection... many security issues 
raise up!).  So... the "add/upgrade" option or form needs to feed some 
"php" or java or phyton or... any other language that can be installed 
on the XO (I don't know which ones are installed in this moment... which 
languages come installed with the XO? Phyton and... what else? )

_*Sharing new words*_: how the modifications of one user can be "shared" 
with the rest of the "group" or the rest of the "neighborhood" ?  
Possible answers:
* The school server will collect, organize and share the "additional 
words & meanings".
* The MESH will be the one that will share (automatically?) for all 
"additional words".  The "mesh" IS the server.

The problem with my "all in memory" proposal is that the XO has 256MB of 
memory... how many megabyes are available for user programs (activities) 
after the XO boots and call the Sugar enviroment? How many can be used 
by the "all in memory" translator without "retarding" the most common 
tools inside sugar (like a common user that is playing with eToys, 
Firefox browser and Tam-Tam... just for example...).

When we realize how many MB are available we will know IF the "dynamic" 
database can grow based only over the free memory or it needs to work 
over a bigger medium (like the 1GB falsh memory)  or ... other options? 
uhmm... setting up a "ram disk" in the flash memory and then the 
"dictionary database" can be bigger...

_*Size of dictionaries: *_Dictionaries no need to be huge.  These are 
for children and young kids (6 to 12 years old).  Since dictionaries are 
"just" words (no images) the size of the words database will be small.  
In "my" database 16,000 english words (many are for adults... for I have 
not clean the database)...with their translation, takes around 600 K.  
So a  "fully revised" children edition would be smaller in size.

Other use of the "seach & find" routines of these "dictionary" 
programs:  I am speaking about "dictionary"... but it is an error from 
my part... what we are developing are "translators".  But it is the very 
same routine to develop "dictionaries": just replace the 2nd part of the 
equation: the "translation" will become the "meaning".  So we will have 
"english word = spanish word" or "english word = english meaning" ... 
and many other combinations: common phrases... localisms... concepts... etc.

_*Othe names different than "words" ?
*_uhmm.. "Say what?" ("¿Que dice?)

Best regards,

Javier Rodriguez
Lima, Peru








Chris Ball wrote:
> Hi Javier,
>
>    > An idea is born I have read that the boys and girls in the "pilots"
>    > develop in the high andes of my country (Peru) has been demanding
>    > some tool to translate some english words that they want to know.
>    > I understand fully their curiosity and need.
>
> We both had the same response to reading this request from the pilot!
> I wrote a Sugar activity that does multilingual word translation.
> We've been talking about it on the sugar@ mailing list, here's a link:
>
>    http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.laptop.olpc.sugar/4443
>
> I'd be interested to hear your feedback on the activity, and if you
> have any suggestions on which dictionaries are best to use.  I'm
> using this one for Spanish at the moment:
>
>    http://www.june29.com/IDP/files/Spanish.txt
>
> Thanks!
>
> - Chris.
>   

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