347628 - [RFE] Implement backwards dictionary compatibility for 1.8 and trunk

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Core :: Spelling checker, enhancement)

Description

[Caio Tiago Oliveira (asrail)]

The most available dictionaries are using the old directory structure.
The page for dictionaries download in AMO has a few ones to download.

Some dictionaries may not to be available to Gecko 1.8 or even 1.9 in the time of arrival, so could be implemented some kind of backwards compatibility with the old dictionary's directory structure.

Most users will still trying to install the dictionaries from the old locations and ending up with no dictionary installed.


Bug 345612 is such a related bug.

Comment 1

[Caio Tiago Oliveira (asrail)]

Observation:

I'm aware of the dictionary conversion possibility, but in the short terms, the users should be able to test the things related to this.

I.e., Firefox has the option to change the dictionary, to add words to the personal dict and to disable the spell checker in a field, SeaMonkey doesn't have yet (outside mail composer).
A bug in such interface would be bad anyway and we wouldn't discover it without trying.

To have better interface to change the default language, for example, is another thing that needs users interested in changing the dictionaries.

We should offer the most possibilities of use to the users, for they file bugs and requests.
So I think this feature request is valid, in the short term.

Also some outdated dictionaries outside mozdev would be useful to some people, so it *could* be useful in the long term as well (may be not so long).


To test the things before distributing to the final users is a good thing.

Comment 2

[Robert Kaiser]

Spellcheck UI in SeaMonkey browser is a different bug and should be filed as such.

As for what this bug is about, i.e. making old dictionary packages work in new versions, I think that'll probably be WONTFIX.
At least I don't think any SeaMonkey developer will work on that, we have more pressing issues we need to address and a very small team to work on the code at all.
If Thunderbird implements some variant for makig this work, we might adopt it to SeaMonkey if feasible and if someone of our team finds the time to port it.

Of course, as always, everyone is welcome to contribute his work to fix this issue.

Comment 3

[Caio Tiago Oliveira (asrail)]

No need for this request anymore.