75. HELP WITH MY DICTIONARIES
I concluded blog 64, with “in the end, any
product is only as good as the service,” referring to the service I
received with my dictionaries. These were not on-line but installed
on my computer. Well, I’m afraid there is a little bit of déjà
vu. And, as per my earlier experience, I have nothing but praise for
the support from eLexico.com. At this point they could as easily have
fobbed me off by telling me that my dictionaries were too “old”;
but no, they came to my aid.
On my computer I have the Sansoni
Italian-English (2012) and the il
nuovo Sabatini Coletti (2013).
Unfortunately, they are 32-bit versions while my PC is a 64 bit
system. To run the two dictionaries I need a Java not newer than
Java8. Furthermore, I run Linux because I detest Microsoft and their
arrogant ways. I used to run Windows 10 until one day I found that I
could not shut down because Microsoft had so programmed it that
unless I accepted the latest update I could not shut my computer.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Even though I am a
computer illiterate, especially with Linux, I decided to swap
systems. Sure it required spending time – about a month learning
the basics to use the system, but it was well worth it. I rooted out
Windows and have never regretted the day!
My problem
started when I upgraded to the latest version of Xubuntu. I was asked
if I wanted to upgrade all my installed programmes – unlike with
Windows, I
decide-
and stupidly I chose to update. Everything worked except my two
dictionaries, try as I may. Finally, – a week later-- in
desperation I wrote to eLexico.com. They explained the situation and
suggested that I download and re-install the Java version at their
site, which is Java8, and not the latest version. This problem is not
new, because I encountered it earlier [see blog 63] but at that time
I was not using Linux. Anyway, I followed their instructions and
--miracle of miracles! – my dictionaries are once more functioning.
What I am omitting is the to-and-fro between me and the support, who
were very patient. I repeat, “any product is only as good as the
service”, and eLexico.com once again came through!