4 ms·

So pull out dictionarybout of shelf, look up word Vs Find out which institution I belong to has access to oed (which you’re bound to forget unless you’re in

So pull out dictionarybout of shelf, look up word Vs Find out which institution I belong to has access to oed (which you’re bound to forget unless you’re in the word smithing business and use oed every day) . Figure out what contorted method this institution used to log in Remember your usr / password Reset usr/ password Figure out what combination of special characters your institution requires for your password Look up word Doesn’t support Firefox/ safari! Fire up chrome What are the special characters for the password again? Reset password, etc I just went on vacation. As I’m heading out I grab my mirrorless digital camera. Then I remember I’ll need the charger. And the SD card is in the card reader upstairs. So I said, “f*it”, grabbed a handful film and my OM-1.

chrisseaton 7y ago
...but I didn’t argue it was easier or faster. I said it was a deeper resource available online. And it is!
- grawprog 7y ago
  Sometimes i think people here really forget something like 200£/year ($324 here) really does make it inaccessible to some people. I've got a copy of the Oxford dictionary I picked up for less than $20 at a used book store. Over $300/year for the same thing really is not an expense I can afford for the luxury of a dictionary.
  - pm215 7y ago
    Oh, I totally wouldn't recommend paying the subscription (those to whom it is professionally worthwhile won't be seeking my recommendation in the first place). But a significant chunk of the UK population have free access because their local public library system subscribes. That's even cheaper than a secondhand paper dictionary...
  - chrisseaton 7y ago
    > i think people here really forget something like 200£/year ($324 here) really does make it inaccessible to some people You can go into a public library in most western countries and access it for free.
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    It's not that it's unaffordable, it's the subscription as "full product cost, every year". I object to the sheer greed of that pricing model. I wouldn't buy a Compact Oxford book set every year, just as I wouldn't buy MS Office every time. That's the price that counts as it's the same content as the full multiple volume OED without the extra paper and bindings. Besides, Office used to get updated every 3-5 years, not annually. Online as means for 500% price increase isn't something I'll ever support, even if I'm easily able. :) Much as I might like access to the full thing, the book might last me in the home 10-30 years, or life. Now were the sub £20-£30 a year I may well have, while the kids were at school...
nsuser3 7y ago
The difference is a matter of getting used to it.
pm215 7y ago
The free-via-local-UK-public-library access is actually pretty pain-free -- you just click the 'sign in' button, enter your library card number, possibly click a link to tell it which particular local library the card is for, and that's it. There is no password. It's worked in Firefox since forever, and I'm sure it will work in Safari too. It then remembers you're signed in for a bit, and next time around it's even easier because your web browser remembers the library card number and can fill in the field for you. It's a great resource to have handy. Personally I set Firefox up with a search bookmark so I can just type 'oed wombat' to look up 'wombat'; if you're not signed in it goes through a quick fill-in-the-library-card-number interstitial and then you're straight at the definition.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  Interesting. I wasn't aware I could get home access via our library membership. I guess I just assumed I'd have to either visit library, or "virtually" borrow it like with CDs and audiobooks. Something to look into, soon. Thanks!

chrisseaton 7y ago

...but I didn’t argue it was easier or faster. I said it was a deeper resource available online. And it is!

grawprog 7y ago
Sometimes i think people here really forget something like 200£/year ($324 here) really does make it inaccessible to some people. I've got a copy of the Oxford dictionary I picked up for less than $20 at a used book store. Over $300/year for the same thing really is not an expense I can afford for the luxury of a dictionary.
- pm215 7y ago
  Oh, I totally wouldn't recommend paying the subscription (those to whom it is professionally worthwhile won't be seeking my recommendation in the first place). But a significant chunk of the UK population have free access because their local public library system subscribes. That's even cheaper than a secondhand paper dictionary...
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  > i think people here really forget something like 200£/year ($324 here) really does make it inaccessible to some people You can go into a public library in most western countries and access it for free.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  It's not that it's unaffordable, it's the subscription as "full product cost, every year". I object to the sheer greed of that pricing model. I wouldn't buy a Compact Oxford book set every year, just as I wouldn't buy MS Office every time. That's the price that counts as it's the same content as the full multiple volume OED without the extra paper and bindings. Besides, Office used to get updated every 3-5 years, not annually. Online as means for 500% price increase isn't something I'll ever support, even if I'm easily able. :) Much as I might like access to the full thing, the book might last me in the home 10-30 years, or life. Now were the sub £20-£30 a year I may well have, while the kids were at school...

nsuser3 7y ago

The difference is a matter of getting used to it.

pm215 7y ago

The free-via-local-UK-public-library access is actually pretty pain-free -- you just click the 'sign in' button, enter your library card number, possibly click a link to tell it which particular local library the card is for, and that's it. There is no password. It's worked in Firefox since forever, and I'm sure it will work in Safari too. It then remembers you're signed in for a bit, and next time around it's even easier because your web browser remembers the library card number and can fill in the field for you. It's a great resource to have handy. Personally I set Firefox up with a search bookmark so I can just type 'oed wombat' to look up 'wombat'; if you're not signed in it goes through a quick fill-in-the-library-card-number interstitial and then you're straight at the definition.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Interesting. I wasn't aware I could get home access via our library membership. I guess I just assumed I'd have to either visit library, or "virtually" borrow it like with CDs and audiobooks. Something to look into, soon. Thanks!