Australian dictionaries for open source projects

I get the occasional request for dictionaries for open source projects. I just want to let people know I no longer support open source projects.

I had hoped that by helping others, others would assist me. All I found is the open source projects and the users took the material I provided and nearly all gave nothing back. Firefox was the worst example, not only taking the work but also changing the licence against my wishes. Google Chrome was not far behind. A link from Google to my project would have greatly assisted, but instead simply took my work consisting of hundreds of hours of effort and included it in their project.

All projects need to do is to link to the developers’ sites so the developers also gain for their efforts. Instead the projects take the material, include it in their projects where users have no idea of where the material came from and who is putting in the effort.

As a developer/consultant I make a living from developing software and providing computer support. Open source did not provide a means to generate income even though my work ended up  being used by hundreds of thousands of Australians.

I now only focus on producing dictionaries for clients. They are the people who help me pay the bills and I’m very grateful to my clients for their support.

My apologies to anyone for any inconvenience.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Make sure your spelling is correct when doing presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint.

Recently I attended a trade show where a number of people gave presentations. One person was a leading business coach and I’d guess they were being paid a very healthy fee to present. As I sat listening to his presentation and reading his slides there it was. A spelling error.

The problem is once you see a spelling error in the presentation your mind immediately wanders from the presentation.

To be fair, this wasn’t completely the presenter’s fault. None of us are perfect spellers and we tend to rely on our spellcheckers to pick up typos and spelling errors. In this case the presenter was obviously using Microsoft software for his presentation, because the spelling error is an error in the Microsoft spellchecker dictionary.

I produce an Exclude file which can be used with Microsoft Office products. The Exclude file helps people to determine if they are using the preferred Australian English spelling. There are thousands of Australian English words which can be spelt two or more ways and Microsoft’s spellchecker dictionary correctly enables people to use their chosen spelling. It is just that most people don’t know there is a preferred Australian English spelling. In addition, there are a number of errors in the Microsoft spellchecker dictionary which are also corrected with the use of the Exclude file.

Given the cost and time involved of preparing for the presentations and travelling to multiple cities across Australia, for just $10 this error could have been avoided.

For those who are interested the word used was “fulfillment” which is the American spelling. This spelling is allowed if Australians are using Microsoft software, but the correct spelling is “fulfilment”.

 

You can obtain the Microsoft Exclude file from the JustLocal site (www.JustLocal.com.au) or use the direct link http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/mswordexcl.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Creator and maintainer of the preferred Australian English spelling dictionary.

Computers solutions in the MyAnswers database now available for purchase at a price you decide.

I like trying new approaches and enjoy seeing how people like or don’t like the approach. There is no right or wrong way to do things, just better ways. I always learn something when I try something new.

The MyAnswers database is a database of my notes on problems I’ve solved for clients and the solution to the problem. I use the solutions frequently myself and for assisting my clients. This saves myself and clients a lot of time and given time is money, that means a financial saving for clients.

I created the MyAnswers database so clients could request solutions to problems and use the DIY approach. If people can solve their own problems with a little assistance then why not. Clients can request solutions they are interested in from that MyAnswers database. If the solution doesn’t help them there is nothing to pay. If the solution solves their problem, I now let clients decide for themselves how much they wish to pay.

Check out the solutions at MyAnswers. There are a large range of solutions covering many aspects of IT, and some areas of interest to me. Because of my nature I often investigate things which interest me that aren’t IT related and I’m happy to share what I learn from those investigations as well.

You can find MyAnswers at www.MyAnswers.biz.  Please note the solutions are only available to clients. It is only because of the support of clients that the bills are paid each month. I hope and trust clients take advantage of the MyAnswers service to help them solve their problems themselves and in doing so, increase their knowledge, have some fun and at the same time, save some money.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

Outlook Express French spell check (spelling check) fix for British and Australian users

If you’ve installed Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2010, then you’ll now find the spelling check in Outlook Express only offers French spelling as an option. The options of English (United Kingdom) and English (United States) are no longer available. The other situation is if you’ve set up or purchased a computer and never installed a Microsoft application such as Office or Works, then the Outlook Express spelling check will also not be available.

Both of these situations are easily fixed using a program I’ve written. The program provides American spelling and British spelling. Whilst British spelling is sufficient for Australian users, those who have access to an older version of Office 97 or Word 97, are also provided with instructions on how to obtain the Australian dictionary so they can have Australian English spelling.

You can find the program at http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/oespellcheck/.

Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.onlineconnections.com.au/

Should the word "mum" be capitalised sometimes, for example when it is being used in place of the person's name?

Amanda Greenslade of  www.GreensladeCreations.com asked the question,  Should the word "mum" be capitalised sometimes, for example when it is being used in place of the person's name?

I passed the question onto Renée Purdie of www.RisingStarDesigns.com.au who was happy to help and provided the following answer.

If you can substitute a real name in the sentence, you need a capital letter.

For example, in the sentence, ‘Tell Mum I won’t be home for dinner’, Mum is used as a name so you must capitalise it.

If you were saying, ‘My mum always told me never to be late for dinner’, you wouldn’t say, ‘My Clara always told me never to be late for dinner’, so it should not be capitalised.

Thanks to Amanda for the question and Renée for providing an answer.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Australian English dictionary support for Google Chrome, Firefox and Thunderbird

A number of people ask me about the dictionary files I produced for open source projects. To clarify the situation, I no longer support open source projects. I found the projects simply took my work and gave nothing back.

Firefox for example took my work, changed the licence against my wishes and then now takes donations leading people to believe they've put the work in. Google just took my work and incorporated it into their Google Chrome Browser and gave nothing back.

As a result I no longer support open source projects. Each of these projects and many others could have equally linked to my site as I made the files available. That would have helped both of us to grow. Instead by taking the work of others when it isn't necessary, they build their own projects at the expense of others.

I'm interest in working with people where we help each other.

I now only provide my work to clients. It is only with the support of clients I can support my family.

Thank you to the clients who support me and appreciate the value I bring to their homes and businesses.

Regards,

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Word Check will soon be restricted to clients only

Over the past few weeks I’ve trialling Word Check making it openly available to the general public. Word Check is the only tool of its type helping people to easily determine the preferred Australian English spelling. There are thousands of words in the Australian English language which have two or more ways they can be spelt. Word Check is also an excellent online spellchecker providing a list of suggested words.

My hope was that by helping others, others would assist by promoting Word Check by either providing a link on their site or sharing via their social networks. There has been no evidence in my logs indicating people chipping in, in any way. Of the thousands who use Word Check each month all traffic is as a result of my own search engine optimisation work. I’ve trialled many other approaches which have also failed to generate any result.

In the near future I’ll implement a password on the Word Check page which will continue to be freely available to clients. It is only because of the ongoing support of clients I can continue my work and pay my bills.

It simply doesn’t make sense to continue to give to others, where others don’t think to give anything in return. I know people mean no harm from this. It is just the way we all are on the internet.

I apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au