I have a PowerPC iMac G4 running Leopard, and a newer Mac running a "post-feline operating system" (can't be more specific because it's being updated as we speak).
Among other things, I use the iMac G4 for writing, and I've become an active user of the native Dictionary app. However, language develops surprisingly fast, and for some odd reason the iMac's Dictionary app only has options for American dictionaries, while as a European, my preference would be the British ones.
The Dictionary app on both computers seems to have what's called the Apple dictionary, but the more recent version is obviously more up to date, possibly containing more entries as well. Q: Is it possible to take the newer version of this dictionary file from one Mac, and replace the old one on the other Mac, with it?
Then the dictionaries that are completely missing; The iMac has Oxford American dictionary and thesaurus, two separate entities. The newer Mac has those, but also Oxford British English versions of the two. Q: Is it possible to take the British dictionaries from the newer Mac, and transfer them for the older Mac's Dictionary to use?
What I have done so far is take files that end with .dictionary , from HD/Library/Dictionaries and move them to the equivalent place on the iMac. They did appear in its Dictionary app, but the searches yield no results; The newly added Oxford British English dictionaries turned out to be mute, and the updated version of the Apple Dictionary's .dictionary file broke its index to the very same condition. I had to put everything back in order to restore the Dictionary's functionality. Did I perhaps forget some crucial additional files that I should've transferred as well, or is what I'm trying to do simply impossible? I have previously managed to add additional (unofficial, downloaded) dictionaries to my newer Mac's Dictionary app and at least superficially the Dictionary app doesn't appear to have changed much.
Among other things, I use the iMac G4 for writing, and I've become an active user of the native Dictionary app. However, language develops surprisingly fast, and for some odd reason the iMac's Dictionary app only has options for American dictionaries, while as a European, my preference would be the British ones.
The Dictionary app on both computers seems to have what's called the Apple dictionary, but the more recent version is obviously more up to date, possibly containing more entries as well. Q: Is it possible to take the newer version of this dictionary file from one Mac, and replace the old one on the other Mac, with it?
Then the dictionaries that are completely missing; The iMac has Oxford American dictionary and thesaurus, two separate entities. The newer Mac has those, but also Oxford British English versions of the two. Q: Is it possible to take the British dictionaries from the newer Mac, and transfer them for the older Mac's Dictionary to use?
What I have done so far is take files that end with .dictionary , from HD/Library/Dictionaries and move them to the equivalent place on the iMac. They did appear in its Dictionary app, but the searches yield no results; The newly added Oxford British English dictionaries turned out to be mute, and the updated version of the Apple Dictionary's .dictionary file broke its index to the very same condition. I had to put everything back in order to restore the Dictionary's functionality. Did I perhaps forget some crucial additional files that I should've transferred as well, or is what I'm trying to do simply impossible? I have previously managed to add additional (unofficial, downloaded) dictionaries to my newer Mac's Dictionary app and at least superficially the Dictionary app doesn't appear to have changed much.