Japanese Text Processing
If you sometimes need to view or edit kanji on an English DOS,
Windows, or UNIX operating system, or you're looking for some basic language
learning aids, the Japanese Text Processing CD-ROM collection of shareware
programs could be the solution.
by John Drake
Japanese text processing from Walnut Creek CD-ROM contains almost 600MB
(662 shareware programs, 4,400 files) of tools for viewing, editing, and
outputting Nihongo on an English-language computer. The disc includes
a collection of MS-DOS, Windows, and UNIX programs as well as a variety
of text files (dictionaries, technology reports, and articles) and over
100 ukiyo-e images.
Among the Windows applications on this CD-ROM are:
J/E dictionaries -- Kihon (winjdic) and Jim Breen's EDICT;
Japanese text editors -- Hidemaru 1.47, KanjiWORD 3.0 (demo), go32win
0.9 (beta), QX 2.0, and JWP 1.3;
kanji input tools -- Twinbridge Japanese 3.2 (demo) and UW-DBM 4.0a;
and
learning tools -- Earth Words 1.0 interactive picture dictionary,
Free Light Japanese 1.151 (demo), Nihongo Sensei 1.2, Japanese Verbs 1.0,
Kanji for Fun and Kanji Writer, Okashi 2.0 flashcards, and Win KJ 2.5 kanji-study
program.
The DOS folders include versions of several of these same Windows programs
plus -- among many others -- MOKE 1.1, Ng Editor 1.3, and NJ Star 3.1 (dictionaries),
trans 1.0 (simple word translation), JitsuYou JKDOS 2.01 (Japanese input),
and Kanji Driver 1.1 (a kanji terminal emulator).
Other DOS and Windows program categories are utilities, terminal emulation
software, text viewers, and Win/V patches. The UNIX folders contain a similar
range of applications as well as some fonts, games, graphics programs, mail
programs and Internet tools, and X Windows utilities.
Among the non-program files are a selection (several hundred) of the Kahaner
Japan technology reports, selected science reports and research papers,
some literary texts (mostly in Japanese), several recipes, a series of articles
on translating as a profession, material from Ken Lunde's "Understanding
Japanese Text Processing," and vocabulary lists.
One limitation of the CD-ROM is that the "readme" and help files
for many of the programs are in Japanese, so you'll have to first load one
of the text viewer programs in order to display them properly.
If you have serious work to do, then do your market research and shell out
for commercial programs that will fulfill your needs. If you have only occasional
need to read and edit Japanese, though, or if you want to compare different
programs and approaches, then you'll appreciate the variety of freeware
and shareware contained on Walnut Creek's Japanese Text Processing CD-ROM.
Japanese Text Processing
$39.95 (plus shipping)
Walnut Creek CD-ROM
4041 Pike Lane, Ste D-904
Concord, CA 94520, USA
+1-510-674-0783
http://www.cdrom.com/
(c) Copyright 1996 Computing Japan magazine. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in part or in full, by any means, without the explicit
written consent of the Editor-in-Chief or Publisher. http://www.computingjapan.com/