Michael Thelen
27 March 2008 @ 03:05 am
Zyzzyva 2.0.0 prerelease  
I've created some Zyzzyva 2.0.0 prerelease builds. This is the same release I was previously calling 1.1.0, but I think this version has major enough changes to warrant a major revision bump. These builds should be ready to go, and if everything looks fine, they will be used for the final release. Would you mind downloading one of these releases and testing it out?

You'll probably want to back up your Zyzzyva data directory just in case. You know, download these at your own risk, this software is provided "as is", yadda yadda. But I don't expect these release candidates to behave badly at all.

I've done a good amount of testing on my own, but in particular I'd like to make sure:
- All the installers work as expected
- You can load and unload combinations of lexicons without restarting Zyzzyva
- You can build and rebuild lexicon databases
- Lexicon symbols show up as expected
- Quizzes and searches still work as expected
- Nothing crashes!

I would greatly appreciate it if you could download one of these prerelease builds, play with it for a little bit, and let me know if you experience any problems. I hope to get this thing out the door by Thursday night, or Friday at the latest. Thank you so much! Without further ado, the downloads:

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Michael Thelen
27 March 2008 @ 11:14 pm
Zyzzyva 2.0.0 released  
I've released a new version of Zyzzyva, 2.0.0. Zyzzyva is a program for studying words, practicing anagramming, and adjudicating challenges. It runs on Windows XP, Vista, NT, 2000, 98, and Me; Linux; and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. You can get the latest version here:

http://zyzzyva.net/

This is a major release with several new features. The most prominent feature is the ability to load multiple lexicons simultaneously, which allows you to search for words belonging to any combination of lexicons. It also allows you to view special symbols such as # for words in CSW but not OWL2.

Here is the full list of changes:

* Load multiple lexicons simultaneously
* Lexicon symbols, e.g. # for CSW-not-OWL2, % for OWL2-not-OWL, etc.
* In Lexicon search condition
* Highly-visible icons for "acceptable" and "unacceptable" in Word Judge
* Mark as Correct button on the Quiz form
* New Cardbox 0 First quiz schedule
* Improved cardbox visibility and control
* Detailed word information on the Definition form
* Updated CSW definitions thanks to Barry Harridge
* Updated ODS lexicon thanks to Hervé Bohbot
* Nice-looking Zyzzyva application icon
* Various bug fixes

Many, many thanks to everyone who has helped to make this the best version of Zyzzyva yet! There are too many people to name, but I appreciate all your help and I could not have done it without you. Thanks as well to everyone who has made such generous donations in person or through the web site. I don't do this for the money, but your donations are very much appreciated.

Please give me feedback about how you think Zyzzyva could be improved! I know it has a long way to go before it becomes the study tool I would like it to be. I've been pretty bad about responding to email for a while, but I do take all your suggestions seriously and I promise to be more responsive. I appreciate your input!

If you would like more information about Zyzzyva, please join the Zyzzyva Users list here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zyzzyva-users/

I hope you enjoy using Zyzzyva, and most of all, have fun with it!
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