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From: davy@sparkyfs.istc.sri.com (David Curry)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: xwebster server
Message-ID: <32543@sparkyfs.istc.sri.com>
Date: 9 Aug 90 16:02:27 GMT
References: <LEGOWIK.90Aug6162504@tobor.cme.nist.gov> <chris.650042683@sage0> <5751@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> <NARTEN.90Aug8135615@percival.albany.edu>
Reply-To: davy@intrepid.itstd.sri.com.UUCP (David Curry)
Distribution: comp.windows.x
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Lines: 70

I suppose, being the author of the UNIX version of the webster
client/server, that I should stick my nose into this and clear up some
of the confusion.  Whoever maintains the "commonly asked questions"
document might want to consider adding this information.  The query
seems to reappear every couple of months.

The following is what I sent out a few years ago to holders of the
dictionary who are/were using the dictionary:

----------------
							November 25, 1987

This is Webster's 7th Collegiate Dictionary.  It is Copyright (C) 1963 by
Merriam-Webster, Inc.  The machine-readable version of this dictionary is
due to a government contract with System Development Corporation, who had
the dictionary transcribed via keypunch in the early 1970's.

I have contacted Merriam-Webster about the status of this dictionary, and
have been asked by them to state the following:

        1. This dictionary may be used for research purposes only.  It
           may not be made commercially available, and the data from the
           dictionary may not be used in any publications without express
           written consent of the publisher.

        2. This dictionary may not be redistributed, as Webster is trying
           to prevent the increased distribution of this information
           (which was never intended for distribution in the first place).

        3. This dictionary may not be made available over any wide-area
           networks such as the ARPAnet.

        4. This dictionary, and the software accompanying it, are most
           definitely NOT in the public domain.
----------------

They had three reasons they didn't want the dictionary distributed:

	1. It's a dictionary from 1963.  A bit out-of-date, to say the
	   least.
	2. They had no quality-control over the keypunching.  There are
	   numerous typos.
	3. They have their own electronic dictionary products (the Franklin
	   consumer electronics things).

I do not know if M-W or anyone else is offering a machine-readable
dictionary, other than the OED on the NeXT machine.  I've heard
someone (at Indiana Univ.???) has modified the webster server to use
this dictionary, but I don't know about availability.

Even if you didn't read the rest of the article, please read this part:

	1. NO, I CANNOT GIVE YOU A COPY OF THE DICTIONARY.  Please
	   don't ask.  Re-read the above if you want to know why.

	2. NO, I CANNOT GIVE OUT THE NAMES OF PLACES WHICH HAVE IT.
	   Please don't ask.  Most of them no longer make the
	   dictionary available to the outside world, anyway.

	3. NO, I DO NOT HAVE THE DICTIONARY SERVER RUNNING ON ANY
	   MACHINES LOCALLY.  Please don't bang on our machines
	   looking for one.

Queries for the above items will be cheerfully ignored.

Yes, this means that unless you already have a copy of the dictionary
and server, or know where a server is, "webster" and "xwebster" are
pretty useless.  Sorry.

Dave Curry