When reinstalling stuff back onto my computer, I (naturally) downloaded and installed the latest version of Firefox, 2.0.0.3.
Version 2 onwards has built-in support for spell checking, proofing text you enter (here, for example) as you type it. Nifty.
But… the British English dictionary at the Firefox Add-ons directory claims not to be valid with any version of Firefox above 2.0b2. Obviously, I refused to install the American version.
A bit of Googling and 10 minutes later, I fiddled with the dictionary to allow me to install it. So, as a public service, and just to show that I’m not doing nothing all day, here’s a compatible version of the dictionary that will install in the current release of Firefox.
I have just noticed that the dictionary recognises neither “Firefox” (odd) nor “movies” (quite right).
Thank you very much!
BTW, I’m not an English speaker. I thought one of the differences between American and British English was words ending in -ize\-ise. Not so according to this plug-in.
Ah, an easy mistake to make. Both -ise and -ize are British English. Traditionally, the difference was between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge (and their printing presses) – Oxford used -ize, Cambridge used -ise. The Oxford English Dictionary (which I consider to be, frankly, the ultimate authority) uses -ize primarily and offers -ise as an alternative spelling. In American English, only -ize is acceptable, in British English, either can be used.
I see. That’s very interesting. You learn something every day.
Thank you for the clarification.
I remember there was a scene in one of the Inspector Morse episodes where the inspector said something about this subject. I’ll have to check whether he was right. He was such as snob when it came to matters like this.
As I recall Morse was quite correct – he preferred -ize (Morse, also, was an Oxford man, as was Colin Dexter – the author, although I think he also spent some time at Cambridge). The reasoning for the Oxford dictionary (the ultimate authority on the language from my perspective also) preferring the -ize spelling is due to it being “from the Greek root izo” though -ise would also be considered acceptable. It was some American bloke called Webster or something who decided that – just to be different – the yanks would all use the -ize spelling and completely do away with -ise. The unfortunate thing is that although the yanks very nearly actually got English right for a change (however accidentally) – they still managed to bugger it up by taking it so far as to consider the -ze ending correct even in situations where it was not applicable (such as “analyze” for e.g.). As a reaction to the American convention some less informed Brits have wrongly decided that -ise is the only way to go and that -ize is American and thus wrong. As an Australian involved in English (REAL English) localizations of open source software I have encountered many Commonwealth citizens unaware that -ize is not only acceptable but preferable in English.
excellent, thank you – I’m over the moon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!