Re: USB printer and OED

["Robert Holmgren" holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to message from "J. R. Fox"  on Sun, 07 Sep 2003
15:03:20 -0800


> What about ver. 2.x ? What is the preferred version, and is it still obtainable
> anywhere
> at this late date ?

v2 required you to keep the CD in the drive at all times, and had a copy
protection scheme that, initially anyway, didn't work with NT (I think there
was a later patch). I don't know whether you could work around this with a
software "CD" drive. The main thrust of v2 was to prevent you from running the
main OED data file (the dictionary itself) off a hard drive (which is much
faster and, obviously, more convenient).

v3's only claim to distinction is that it includes the Additions, vols 1-3.
Frankly, I have never seen an addition that amounts to a hill of beans. The
additions are just tacked onto the regular entry like an afterthought. If you
want a rundown of features and differences, go to the previously-referenced
alt.english.usage thread.

In my opinion, v1 is clearly the best version, and for v1, the *only* versions
of the OED.EXEcutable that permit you to keep the dictionary on a hard drive
(without resorting to a Daemon Tools simulated CD strategy) are v1.10 and
"v1.11*" (a very rare, apparently debugged version of v1.10, which may have
gotten some limited circulation in Europe but never hit the US -- I got my copy
from Bulgaria).

I don't believe that any version except v3 is available today -- a used book
dealer perhaps. The important thing here is that the v1 data CD remained the
same throughout the v1.xx releases (v1.10 to v1.14). So if you can get hold of
the v1 data CD, you can probably find some kindhearted person who will give you
v1.10|v1.11 of the executable.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
-----------------------------