Rating: 
Summary: OUP will not help you with C-Dilla software
Review: I have to recommend that NO ONE buy this product until the OUP solves the C-Dilla license management problem. Like other reviewers I bought the product in good faith only to find that the C-dilla copy protection simply doesn't work. It fails to authenticate the disc and when you try and get help from the OUP they ignore you. I even wrote to the Managing Director, Ivon Asquith, who fobbed me off back to the technicians, who then did nothing. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT, you'll be wasting your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Is Version 3.0 all it's cracked up to be?????
Review: I purchased the "Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM Version 3.0" with a nervous heart.
I am a lover of the English language and sometimes sit and read the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) for hours at a time (I have the 2 volume compact edition). However I am advancing in years and can no longer suffer the small type of said "Compact Edition."
I really wanted something easier to read but do not have the room nor the money to purchase the 20 volume set, thus I jumped on the information super highway and zoomed over to [...]read through [...] "customers reviews" and was disappointed to learn that OED had a "C-dilla copy protection program" that reportedly ruined an otherwise beautiful product!
I was crushed and appalled that OED would cripple such a wonderful work with an overbearing and abusive "protection program."
Months went by and I eventually gathered up enough courage to buy the "OED Second Edition on CD-ROM Version 3.0" despite everything I had read.
After receiving item in the mail, I quickly installed the entire 2 disks onto my hard drive so I would NOT have to dig up the CD-ROM every time I wanted to look up a ord.
Installation was a breeze and I had no problems at all.
When I clicked on the icon to use the program for the first time, it required me to install the "data CD" for verification. After doing so the program operated flawlessly.
I have used the "OED 3.0" many times and it has never again asked for such verification, but I have been informed that it will ask for said disk once every 90 days (or 4 times a year). This to me is no big deal and a small price to pay for all 20 volumes plus the search capabilities allowed in version 3.0.
While the computer is not as intimate as curling up with the book, it is much more efficient to simply type in a word and BAM the definition is before your eyes. Not to mention that many times while looking up a word, I often run into other words that I also need/want to look up. If I had the 20 volumes set I would be trekking back and forth digging out the correct book, then thumbing through thousands of pages to find a particular definition!
With the "OED 3.0" all one needs to do is double click on any given word in the definition of interest and again BAM, you are at the new definition!
This allows one to cover considerably more material in the same amount of time.
Actually I find I read the OED more now than I did before because I don't get thumb weary turning the pages.
All in all, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of the "OED 3.0," it seems to this consumer that they have worked out all the major issues giving us a fine product.
Rating: 
Summary: The Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM
Review: I was an English major during my undergraduate college years. And long after the other more practical professional pursuits had occupied my time and interest, I still remembered one important piece of wisdom from those years. The two best dictionaries of the English language are the Oxford English Dictionary and the Webster's Third New International Unabridged. For as much as two decades, I have owned the "Compact Edition" of the printed OED. And during that time, I passed into middle age, and my eyes followed. It becomes more and more of an inconvenience to pull the dictionary from its box, grab the magnifier and search for a word. I found myself reaching for the switch to a second reading light. That was one reason I purchased the CD-ROM version. Wanting to have the resources from at least one of these available on my computer, and given the very reasonable price for the Webster's 3rd, I purchased both. In the case of the OED CDROM version, there are some drawbacks of which the prospective purchaser should inform himself/herself. The data CD is both encrypted and watermarked. This means that you cannot make a backup copy of the data CD. Those honest users of computer hardware and software may nevertheless wince at this obstacle. If one plans to keep the data CD in the drive at all times, one worries just how long the original data CD will last under constant use. I assume that OUP provides replacement disks in the event that the data disk becomes damaged, yet the worry persists, especially given the price of the software (at least $230 even with discounts and rebates). The second irritation, related somewhat to the first, is that each time you wish to use the OED software, it must check the data disk and "verify" or "validate" it. This causes some delay in loading the software, and it occasionally fails, requiring the user to reiterate the verification sequence. It is understandable that the publishers wish to "guarantee the integrity" of the CDROM and prevent duplication of a work which has always been costly to develop and maintain. The obstacle to copyright violation for the printed edition -- time, effort and the inconvenience of using photocopied pages of a dictionary -- is so enormous and impractical that it could not be a major worry to any publisher. But the potential for piracy in a CDROM version is great, the costs are not insurmountable to the potential copyright violator, and there would be no inconvenience to the user of duplicates. Therefore and again, the justification for encryption and watermarking of the data disk can be easily understood. There are other shortcomings of the software. Despite the glitzy windows surfaces and nifty-looking pushbuttons, the authors did not enable the tab-key navigation from button to button, and one therefore needs to use the mouse in order to shift software focus from the text-entry (word-search) text-box to the "Search" button. Despite the sophisticated research tools built into the software, these are important considerations that determine whether or not a software package is "robust." I cannot, therefore, make that assertion about the OED -- it lacks "robustness" as a software application. One wonders how much better the program would work if the resources channeled toward encryption and watermarking of the disks were instead expended on software design. Those who feel the need for a reliable and respected unabridged CDROM dictionary should take a closer look at the Webster's 3rd New International implementation for CD-ROM. The price is less than a fifth of that for the OED. There are just as many entries; there is the equivalent use of quotations from our literary tradition (American and English) to demonstrate the use of words; the software, though simpler and less ornate, has the robustness one would certainly expect for something as costly as a CDROM OED. Once installed, the Webster's user can remove the CD from the computer and store it away for the duration. The Webster's places its data files directly on the user's hard disk. If literary research or some related need points you in the direction of the OED, just remember to keep current on OUP's contact information. You may need it. You may even need it if, upon delivery of the package, the mailman leaves it baking in the sun on your front doorstep. For that, the OED gets a 3-star rating from me. Computer dictionary enthusiasts should take a serious look at Merriam-Webster Publishing's $60 3rd New International Unabridged.
Rating:
Summary: The CD Version Stinks
Review: It pains me to say it, but I hate the Oxford English Dictionary on CD, version 2. I have the OED2, v 1.4 and decided to upgrade. Only to discover that in their zeal to copy-protect the software, the publishers have rendered OED v2 useless. The installation process is tortuous, and the startup is absolutely the slowest of any software I'm running including Photoshop and kindred hardware-intesive applications. As with all copy-protected software, each time you run it, it grinds through the copy authentication process. Go get a cup of coffee. What's more, the CDs are watermarked, which means that you can't make a backup (or heaven forbid, another copy to use on your other computer at home). The glowing reviews are all right -- about OED2, v1 -- they just don't tell you that this OED v2 CD is a dawg. Ah, well, there are some improved functions, but looky here, is it too much to ask to be able to search a term by typing it in and hitting RETURN (instead of having to use a mouse click). I mean, chaps, some of us troglodytes still use the keyboard. Troglodyte 1. One of various races or tribes of men (chiefly ancient or prehistoric) inhabiting caves or dens (natural or artificial); a cave-dweller, cave-man. [from the snappy OED2,v 1.4, it's right there running much faster on my AMD 500 w/a slow CD/DVD than the OED2,v2 on my PIII 750 w/a 52X CD rom drive.] The OED2, v2 is sick, crippled software, presumably the wave of the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Version 3.1 seems to have solved most problems
Review: Not wanting to spend big bucks on the 20-volume set, I was torn between the CD-ROM version and the microprint version, which are similar in price. As I see it, the advantages of the CD-ROM version are:
-- quick searches not only by entry but within text. You can even search by etymological origin to locate, for example, all words that come from the Cree.
-- small storage space
-- ease of reading (although you cannot change the font size)
-- and of course all the advantages of working on a computer such as being able to copy and paste, save to file, or print.
The disadvantages:
-- you can't carry it to another room, unless it's on a laptop
-- there's no guarantee that it will work with future operating systems
-- if you damage or lose a disc, you've got nothing
-- it's not a book!
I've lusted after the OED for most of the last 40 years. Now that the price has fallen out of the stratosphere, I own it, and I'm delighted. I can't comment on the validity of the harsh criticisms of previous versions, but v. 3.1 of the software so far is behaving well for me. The copy-protection scheme now requires a CD to be inserted only once every 90 days. In the meantime, you can store all the data in 1.7 gigabytes on your hard drive and keep the discs stored safely away. The program loads quickly and even full-text searches take only a few seconds.
I find the interface very easy to use and have only three gripes. First, I would like to see a "back" button with functionality like that in an internet browser. As it is, you usually have to go into a dialog box to select the page you want to go back to. In a book that encourages browsing as much as this one does (you can jump to the entry for any word just by double-clicking on it), this is an odd omission. Second, although it's possible to copy selected text to the clipboard, you can do this only by dragging the mouse to select, then using the standard Windows shortcut keys (Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Ins). It's surprising not to be able to get a popup menu by right-clicking, and it's also odd that even the existing clipboard functionality is not documented. Third -- and this is really an inexcusable flaw -- you can't navigate without a mouse. There is NO support for moving the input focus with Tab or Alt-key combinations.
Rating:
Summary: I wouldn't buy it now, but I do like it.
Review: Now that the OED has a website, my CD ROM version is definitely not worth 395 dollars. I am pleased with it and love looking up little known or archaic words. The only other criticism is that I would liked to have all the history, credits and forwards in the 20 volume version on the CD. I was dissapointed when I found I didn't get the whole dictionary. Words are nice, but I want all the other parts of the dictionary too. I do love how the CD is copy friendly. I like to take quotes from the dictionary for email and later reference. That was my major dissapointment with the National Geographic magazine on CD. Not being able to copy text makes NG on CD almost worthless, because the pages are hard to read on screen and not worth printing because they are still hard to read.
Rating:
Summary: It's a good product, but I can't recommend it
Review: OED 3.0 comes on two CD-ROM discs. It works fine, and it is fast and easy to master its use. It's supposed to work either through a full install (where all data files can go on a hard disk) or with a minimum install of a hard disk file, forcing use of the data disk in the CD-ROM drive. For reasons I don't understand, only the second worked well for me. Full install didn't work because of memory problems on my computer, but I don't know if that is the program's problem or my computer's. The main reason I uninstalled OED after using it for many months is that it contains a security program that is called Cdilla which is installed on a computer automatically along with the dictionary. The dictionary will not work without it. Cdilla seems controversial if articles on the Web are pursued, but SpyBot, a respected spyware detecting program, insists that it is spyware. I asked tech support at OED about it, and they denied it was spyware. I'm not knowledgable enough to know either way, but I finally removed both the Cdilla and OED programs from my computer. Cdilla is extraordinarily difficult to remove once installed. It does not come with an uninstall program although I have read that an uninstall program has been recently written for that purpose and can be obtained Manny Nosowsky
San Francisco
Rating:
Summary: Beware!
Review: Once the software was installed on my computer the program would not open. I contacted OED tech help and they sent me a patch which I also installed without effect. When I contacted OED tech help again they did not reply, nor did they reply to my further messages. Beware!
Rating:
Summary: Won't buy version 2.0 when 3.0 is available
Review: Please stop trying to unload your out-of-date stuff on your customers. It's annoying. Don't try to sell me a Newton's Telecom Dictionary, 16th Edition. Its downright insulting. Cut it out, please.
Rating:
Summary: The Oxford English Dictionary
Review: The CD-ROM is still a bargan ( ) if you compare tothe OED's ( )web site subscription for only one year. The Hardcovereditions would be paid for in two years at that rate. The OLE is marvelous. END
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