Hi again, I apologize for flooding your mailboxes with so many messages, but I do hope that this is my last e-mail on the issue to your mailing list.
Majid, thanks for providing me with new information, particularly the name of the author of the original programmer. Please let me know if you find other trustable information in this regard, especially the e-mail address of Mr Bahman Sabouri. I am not in a position to discuss and comment on the legal aspects or interpretations of electronic copyright laws or how they should be -- I understand that this is still a very controversial issue and no definite universal limits have been set yet (cf. arguments about Napster, Kaza, etc.), but I believe this shouldn't block appreciating someone's part in developing a program (especially in a not-for-profit case like this). So, using the information that Majid provided, I have put a note in my dictionary page (http://www.math.columbia.edu/~safari/dictionary/) as follows. ---------------------- Credits: The cgi script for this program is written by Masood Hashemi. The content is reportedly based on, but not identical to, an edition of Aryanpours' Persian-English dictionary. The database is said to have been developed from the data of an open-source DOS program by Bahman Sabouri (?), which was updated and modified by many before it was decoded by Ali A Khanban, who also made corrections of his own. If you find an error in the credits above, or if you are interested in the source file of this online program, please contact the author. ---------------------- Sincerely, Pedram On Thu, 3 Jun 2004, Ali A Khanban wrote: > Hi, > > I just repeat an old story again. I don't want to prove or disprove or > claim anything. > > About ten years ago, there was a dictionary in DOS environment written > by Bahman Sabouri (if I recall correctly) with a database claimed to be > based on Aryanpour dictionary. I can accpet that claim because I checked > many of its entries against a one-volume Aryanpour dictionary and it > seemed to be the right source (One-volume Aryanpour dictionary by > AmirKabir publishing co.). It has the ability to add words to the > database. By the time I had that copy of the software, the database had > some extra words added by previous users. I decoded the database and > created a text file. Then I started to modify it and correct mis-spelled > words and typos and anything I thought must be changed. I didn't intend > to do anything with it at the time. I did it just out of curiosity and > challenge. Masood Hashemi was and is a friend of mine and was our FoxPro > master in the department. We decided to use that data for a FoxPro > dictionary and he did the job. Because I was the one who somehow had > provided the data and he was the programmer, both of our names were in > the program as the authors. I saw a copy of that program a few years ago > in Shiraz, in one of my visits to Shiraz medical university. > > Now, if we accept that the data in Masood Hashemi's online dictionary is > the same data, which is a strong guess, then by this short history you > know exactly how that was provided. I should add that at the time of > that DOS software, we were not aware of any possible copy right on this > data, as I believe neither was the original author. Or maybe the fact > was that no one cared about it, even AmirKabir publishing co. who was > the Aryanpour publisher. I am not sure, anyway. > > Best > -ali- > > Pedram Safari wrote: > > Hi there, > > I think Connie's answer is well put. I just need to make a note to > clarify a point. Quoting Behdad Esfahbod: > > > I guess I did my part on showing the community, including Dr > > Pedram Safari, that the claim by Masoud Hashemi regarding > > authoring the dictionary which is apparently Aryanpour, is not > > justified. > > I am sorry, Behdad, but I was not a bit convinced -- as far as I can > recall, you couldn't even tell which version and which edition of > Aryanpours dictionary was used. Besides, I am informed that some > translations are changed or updated, and the dictionary is amenable to > further changes, as the source is open and has been used by many, not > just irmug (I do not have a full list now and have to trace my > communications). Given this, I believe it would be a matter of concern > (and even fairness) if such a democratic dictionary is falsely > attributed to Aryanpours. > > In any case, I would like to testify again that the "program" is > written by Masood Hashemi, so there is no copyright infringement if > his share in this work, and his willingness to make it available to > the public, is acknowledged and appreciated. There has been no > official claim yet by anyone on the source of the "database" (I think > Majid Khanban said that he supervised a project by Masood Hashemi and > someone else from which this database came out, but he couldn't recall > the name of the other person, am I right, Majid?). Neither any > official claim by anyone on the dictionary "content", unless you, > Behdad, are Aryanpours' official attorney. > > As I had promised before, I would give appropriate credits in my > dictionary page to the person who could produce convincing proof of > his/her involvement in that project. > > Regards, > Pedram _______________________________________________ PersianComputing mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.sharif.edu/mailman/listinfo/persiancomputing
