Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Berk
They can always release it in epub format, for example, with the support of Adobe. That way, they can sell it to the big guys of dictionary publishing by telling them this will be the first dictionary in an open format  . |
Unfortunately the ePub standard does not currently define any format for dictionaries - except as normal books. Dictionaries need to have some kind of internal "database" type format to allow efficient lookups, with clear separation of "lookup terms" and their definitions; you can't just do a text search of a dictionary.
Since ePub is a "proper" open standard, the addition of dictionaries to that standard would require ratification by the standard committee - it wouldn't just be a question of Sony or Adobe "inventing" their own standard for it.