Path: kernighan.cs.umass.edu!barrett
From: eha@ernst.oulu.fi (Esa Haapaniemi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: WordSmith 1.02 and Com-mentor 1.3
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.applications
Date: 9 Sep 1996 13:13:20 GMT
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
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Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator)
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Message-ID: <51155g$qg8@kernighan.cs.umass.edu>
Reply-To: eha@ernst.oulu.fi (Esa Haapaniemi)
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Keywords: language translation, commercial
X-Review-Number: Volume 1996 Number 25
Originator: barrett@knots.cs.umass.edu
PRODUCT NAME
WordSmith 1.02 and Com-mentor 1.3.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Finnish-English-Finnish wordbook and commodity for clipboard
translations. There is an educational learning game included.
All documentation and button text are currently written in
Finnish, but an update is planned to correct this.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Name: StoneWare SoftWorks
Address: Arsi Koutaniemi OR Marko Ollila
Tellervonpolku 7 Elosalamantie 2 C 27
11120 Riihimdki 02100 Espoo
Finland Finland
E-mail: Arsi@bitfield.fi OR
mape@dreamt.org
World Wide Web: Promised to be ready "soon", but I don't know the
adress yet.
LIST PRICE
The price was 300 Fmk. (Finnish marks) that is approximately some
$75 (US). But when compared to normal price difference between countries
it will be much nearer $30 (US).
Additional vocabularies for other languages are promised with 100 Fmk.
Extra word translations should be found freely from the coming WWW page.
DEMO VERSION
None that I know.
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE
1 M memory and 3 M of hard disk space should be enough.
If the words are unpacked, 5 M of hard disk space is needed.
The program should work with base 68000 too, and
because of the special packing library it is faster if
the packed versions of the words are used.
No graphics card nor FPU are needed nor especially supported.
There is still a benefit of having fast prosessor and more
than 2 M of Fast RAM.
SOFTWARE
Version 2.0 of AmigaDOS at least is needed. Works with 3.0 and
3.1.
The program uses StoneCracker library (stc.library) for packed
data and that library is included with the package for 68020+
and 68000 prosessors.
COPY PROTECTION
The program comes on 3 DD FFS formatted Amiga disks. The
Commodore (RIP) Installer is included with a paper sheet of cryptic
letters and numbers (4420 of them) of which one is asked when the
program is installed on HD. After that the sheet can be stored as
long as the program is not moved or reinstalled. The program can not
be used from the disks.
The numbers on the sheet are printed on red paper and the
numbers are really tiny (fontsize is some 6 or smaller). Some people
might have problems in reading those and they are almost impossible to
photocopy with cheap machines.
The disks are standard FFS format and can be backed up for safety.
The Installer script writes something on the first disk after checking
the correct code.
After installing, the copy protection is completely invisible.
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
Amiga A1200 with 50 MHz 030, 8 MB Fast RAM, 2 MB Chip RAM
1 internal Chinon HD floppy and internal 3.5" 350MB IDE HD.
Commodore A1084 monitor (for video work)
The KickStart version is 39.106 and WorkBench 40.42.
Toolmanager 2.1, SClock 1.72, YAK 1.58, Blanker and DCoMMB loaded
Amiga A2000 (model B) w. 25 MHz 030, 8 MB Fast and 1 MB Chip RAM
1.6 GB HD (3 different SCSI disks)
Retina Zorro II graphics card and Idek 15 ' MF-II multisync
KickStart version 40.63 and WorkBench version 40.42 on 3.1 ROM.
...2.5x SONY CD-ROM, QIC 150 MB tape backup system...
I did all the testing on Amiga A1200 and only after finding some
special bug or feature I changed to Amiga A2000.
INSTALLATION
The program is equipped with Commodore Installer. The installation is
easy and all of the program is uncompressed inside one directory and wordlists
on separate directories inside the main directory. The config file is copied
to S: and library into LIBS:.
The vocabularies are arranged in subvocabularies including anatomic,
botanical, zoological, and computer words. They can be used all at the same
time or separately. The slang vocabulary is included as well and it can be
protected with a password. All new special words that are not included in
these large databases can be added by the user into several new own
vocabularies.
The installation script gives information on the needed diskspace
and tests the prosessor (for unpacking library). The words can be kept packed
or unpacked on the HD.
When the unpacking is done the installation script asks to input
one of the 8 letters cryptic code from the included sheet. There are 4420
different codes on the sheet with really small letters and if the code is
miswritten, the same code is asked again.
When the code is given the installer asks to insert the original
unprotected disk and writes something on it. I did not find any problems
reinstalling the program after this (I did want to test the program with
uncompressed words).
REVIEW
This is something that the Amiga should have had for a long time
before. The promised Swedish-German-English vocabularies with cross
translations to each other add even more to this program's usefulnes.
I did start the program on the first time without looking at the
Amigaguide document file at all. The interface that I saw was rather
unprofessional looking, as it was opened on LowRes screen as default and I
had everything else on PAL HighRes_InterLace screen. The display could be
changed, but there was no testing mode, everything must be either saved or
cancelled directly. I did unluckily pick DBLNTSC: High Res No Flicker,
saved it and after that did not see anything useful on my 1084 (A1200).
Fortunately the WorkBench was still open, and after getting my monitor
to sync to that signal I could slide the WorkBench down and reset the WordSmith
screen to something more usable on this monitor.
I can say about the interface that it is clumsy. There are no menus
available and everything is handled from buttons that open new windows on top
of the main window. No changes (except the screenmode) are used before they
are saved and all of the texts on buttons are in Finnish.
Only toggleable button is the button for translation direction
(either English -> Finnish or Finnish -> English) and only target that
takes some other input than the left mousebutton is the input field for
words. The text in the input field is rather long and it must be cleared
completely (SHIFT-DEL) before it can be used.
The program knows some really difficult technical terms that were not
available on previously used commercial PC program ("Amiga" was translated
to a C= made computer :-)).
I had to try quite a long time before I found words that were not on
the list. My special words for Chemistry are not so well included. BUT simple
ones like Asetone, Saccharose, Paraffin, ... are.
The vocabularies are really large and the separation of the words
into several categories is really useful. And the vocabulary includes
really a lot of "dirty" slang words too! Fortunately they can be cut out
from the Ahjo educational game and the main program with an
owner-specifiable password.
For those words that are not included there is a window for
starting one's own custom vocabularies that can be used like any other
category on Ahjo and on the main program. Only one custom wordlist can be
used at a time.
Tghe custom word window has checking option for words that are
already in other vocabularies, but unfortunately that stops working as
soon as any new word is added. That problem was not corrected on the new
version I got.
There are some annoying parts in the main interface including the
already mentioned one mouse button working. Other things like internal
single-tasking (the main program stops working until all other windows are
closed on WordSmith), error messages at the other end of the window as
searched and found words, confusing mixed button types and alike make this
all seem like it was only some quick interface test. Version 2 is
promised to be much more professional. Current upgrades are concentrated
only on found bugs that prevent the use of the program.
Ahjo, the educational game, is a new kind of interface window on
WordSmith. It has options on choosing the category (all words or slang,
custom, computers, botanical, ...) and time to think, a small requester
to put the gamer's name for the highscore list, and big buttons for
starting, quitting. The question and input requesters are sometimes too
short to see all of the words.
This part of the program can be used currently only on Finnish->English
learning. But if there are self-made vocabularies on any language, they can
be tested as well.
Only once did I get the previous version of the WordSmith to
collapse. It happeded when I chose an unknown word to be printed and
iconified the program immediately after that. That bug was not
repeatable...
Outside the main WordSmith program there is a commodity, Com-mentor.
It is a small (27 K) and quick way to make translation of words. It does not
include joker mark on search as the WordSmith does. It still does translations
to both directions and fast (on 50 MHz 030 !!!).
Com-mentor opens with a hotkey to a simple unresizable window on the
Workbench and includes only one input field and larger output field that can
be scrolled if there are more than ten answers. The size and opening position
for the program can be changed with another configuration window that can be
opened with another hotkey.
All words from the Com-mentor can be copied to the clipboard just
by pointing them with a mouse and activating. Even though all the words
are represented in capital letters they are read as small letter words to
the Clipboard. At the same time all the chosen words are changed to small
letters on the Com-mentor preview.
Another "problem" is that the words are sometimes misleading.
There is no separation between British-English or American-English way of
writing the words and many words have more slang meanings than actual
translations.
Perhaps the worst problem with this is that all of the manuals (only
Amigaguide file) and button texts are written in Finnish (correction promised).
So currently this is only useful for Finnish speaking people who want
to make quick translations Finnish<->English. As it has large vocabulary
and there are promises for other languages (including German<->English this can
become really something useful!
DOCUMENTATION
I was somewhat amazed to see that the only things in the envelope
were three disks and a red leaflet with thousands of codes on both sides.
There was not even any Readme_First file on the disks.
Currently the only documentation is an Amigaguide document in
Finnish. And even that is very simple, more like an advertisement for the
programmers and their "skills."
Fortunately when I did contact one of the authors and sent him a
list of all the problems he "documented" them back to me, and told to me that
they were mainly corrected already.
I got a new version of the program and a short README file too, but
again no other documents.
Still this kind of program should be self explanatory and documents
are somewhat enough and the program can be used even without.
LIKES
- Com-mentor is a really fast and small commodity. And the clipboard
working directly with just pointing the wanted word is an extra plus.
- Ahjo, the educational game, could be some fun and useful without the
annoying bugs.
- Really large vocabulary (much bigger than commercial PC/Windows and
Macintosh programs I have seen before).
- Program is made here, I'll support national programmers !-)
- Promised other languages (German<->Swedish<->English<->Finnish) will
be useful.
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
- Everything is in Finnish (except one uninformative text in Ahjo).
- Several words are still not completely correct. A lot of long
words (for example "binary numbering system") are translated with
only two words or even with shortenings (exclusive OR = XOR).
- Somehow resembles windows programs (unexplainable unrepeatable
bugs)... That does not prevent the use, it is only annoying.
- Too Macintosh like (one button, no menus).
All of the found "problems" should be corrected with version 2.
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
I have shortly used one Windows program and one Macintosh version.
The Windows version had translations Germany<->Finnish and Swedish<->
Finnish included with the English<->Finnish but no Germany<->Swedish<->English.
The program was really slow on 75 MHz Pentium w. 8 M RAM and Win 3.1. And as
the program was "only" 5 HD disks and took some 8 M of hard disk space, it did
not include even nearly as many words as WordSmith.
The Macintosh program was an old one and included only the English<->
Finnish translation. As it was made to fit on single DD disk, it really did
not shine at all. Still the interface was somewhat similar with this Amiga
version except that all of the buttons were in English. And no clipboard was
directly supported nor any extra educational game.
BUGS
I'll write this only as a list as all of them should be corrected
before this is published. Most of the bugs in the original 1.1 version were
already corrected on this current version and only the following were still
left.
- Custom words can not be written easily, as even the latest version
forgets the checking of new words as soon as one new is inserted.
- Too small requesters, some words are longer than the window for them
- Several words are still "wrong"
VENDOR SUPPORT
I did tell them about the bugs I found and after some days I received
a mail telling me that most of them are already corrected. I got the upgrade
as soon as I specially asked for it.
I feel a kind of like a gamma tester !-) But I am not connected to the
authors in any other way than that I am their customer.
WARRANTY
There is no warranty that I know. Even the installer script was told
to be AS IS and there are no promises to pay for any possible harm made by the
program.
Still I have found no bugs that could destroy anything, as the data is
only read from hard disk and there are no writes done (except when installing).
CONCLUSIONS
When the author gets all of the annoying bugs out from the
programs and makes interface and documents in English/other languages this
is much more than it's cheapness (only ~30 US$) and does beat similar
(same price) programs in the Windows world easily.
When the new languages (Germany<->Swedish<->English<->Finnish) become
available there surely is use for others than Finnish and/OR those who want to
learn Finnish.
Current version could be claimed to be as hackers test of
programming skills on any interface (not Amiga specially). Only the large
vocabulary is something special.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
There is no copywright nor any copy protection on this file !-)
Write "Delete" to get rid of this annoying review ;)
Esa Haapaniemi
University of Oulu
Department of Chemistry
Finland
eha@ernst.oulu.fi
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