HoshiDict | webOS Nation
 
 
 

HoshiDict 7

by theomodsim Wed, 02 Feb 2011 7:41 pm EST
Category: 
Tags: 
Last Updated: 
2011-08-25
Current Version: 
0.4.3
Requires Root: 
No
Distribution: 
Available via Repository
Total Downloads: 
75
Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Description

HoshiDict is an application for webOS that allows you to access dictionaries in the StarDict dictionary file format. The StarDict dictionary file format is rather popular, and dictionaries in the format can be readily found online. HoshiDict does not require a network connection, so HoshiDict may be particularly useful while travelling and no data connection is available (or one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg). Before accessing the dictionaries on your webOS device, they will need to be loaded onto the device.

How to load dictionaries

Many StarDict dictionaries found on the internet are distributed as .tar.bz2 archive files. HoshiDict is currently unable to extract the archive file directly, so you'll need to manually extract the files. To add dictionaries to your device:

  1. Connect to your device via USB
  2. If you're using webOS 1.4.5, you'll need to create a folder named "HoshiDict" manually on the device's USB drive (this is fixed in later versions of webOS; the folder is automatically created the first time HoshiDict is launched).
  3. Extract the .tar.bz2 file
  4. Extract the .tar file (if your extraction software doesn't automatically extract the .tar file)
  5. Open the extracted directory
  6. If there is a file with the extension, ".dict.dz", then extract that file as well (it will then have an extension of ".dict")
  7. Move the extracted folder into the HoshiDict folder on the device
  8. Repeat for as many dictionaries as desired

If you have HoshiDict open when you load dictionaries on the device, you may need to restart HoshiDict for it to see the new dictionaries.

This is very much a work in progress; I made this app because I plan on travelling overseas in a few months and didn't want to pay a lot to use an online foreign language dictionary. The current set of features satisfy my basic requirements to make it usable for this scenario (it's usable, but very few bells and whistles). Any suggestions, comments, or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

More Screenshots

License

Closed Source - Learn More

Availability

Free until distributed via Official App Catalog

Download options

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Discussion, Changelog, and Support

Discuss this app, get support, and read the changelog for HoshiDict in the Official Forum thread

7 Comments

Posted by d.dasaro on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:33 pm EST

I tryed to install it on my Palm pre 2 with WebOS 2.0.0, but any icon appears on the Application folder and I can't be able to start it

Posted by DDBKA on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 5:55 am EST

You should remove it with WQI then reinstall with WQI.
I had this problem on Pixi+ and solved this way

Posted by gunboatd on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:28 am EST

i have the program installed on 1.4.5, but I can't make the final unpack from ".dict.dz" to ".dict" using BitZapper.

it gives me a "file corrupted" message, but it has happened on every file i've tried.

Posted by theomodsim on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 9:15 pm EST

I've never used BitZapper before, but I seem to get very good results using 7-zip. It might be worth trying to extract the .dict.dz file using 7-zip and seeing if that also results in an error. If 7-zip fails, then chances are the .dict.dz file is indeed corrupted and you might need to re-download or find another source for that dictionary.

Posted by d.dasaro on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 2:43 pm EST

Thank you for the answer. My experience now is:
1) I've upgraded to WebOS 2.0.1 and WQI 4.04
2) WQI found in the feed the Hoshidict 0.2.2: in this web page there is the 0.2.3
3) WQI seems do nothing with both the 0.2.2 from the feed and 0.2.3 form the ipk file: the installation ends correctly but the pakage is not installed
4) installing the ipk file, version 0.2.3, via ipkg command the package is installed and the icon appears correctly: on WebOS 2.0.1 the Hoshidict directory is created during the installation (I suppose)
5) the dict.dz extracted with 7-zip works fine; the only warning is to verify that the extracted file name is exactly the same as the idx file, with the dict extension. Not all the dictionaries have the internal compressed file name in the same format of the external one.

Posted by loxpanpan on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 4:04 pm EDT

Thanks a lot,Theomodsim, for this wonderful application and especially for recommending 7zip to get over the final hurdle. Please try to keep it as a freeware when it eventually goes to App Cat since many of us outside the official countries can't access the paid section.

Posted by gtpfnbjz on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 6:48 pm EDT

Thanks a lot,Theomodsim, for this wonderful application and especially for recommending 7zip to get over the final hurdle. Please try to keep it as a freeware when it eventually goes to App Cat since many of us outside the official countries can't access the paid section.
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