Author Topic: Babylon discount (Read 30070 times)

Curt · « **on:** March 22, 2007, 08:56 AM »

For several years I've been using Babylon, and I find it to be maybe THE best and fastest dictionary at the market, so this add comes with my warmest recommendation. Avanquest has now taken up Babylon, and will for the next 48 hours offer Babylon at only £25, compared to the normal price £45.

Find this secret link at http://web.avanquest.../12/Babylon_0307.htm

Don't forget to check out all the small but free add-on dictionaries as well.

Curt · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2007, 10:32 AM »

Don't forget to check out all the small but free add-on dictionaries as well.
-Curt (March 22, 2007, 08:56 AM)

You should know that one of the free dictionaries you can have for Babylon is Moby Thesaurus:

dexterity:

ability, acuity, acuteness, address, adeptness, adroitness, airmanship, aptitude, aptness, art, artfulness, artisanship, artistry, astuteness, braininess, bravura, brightness, brilliance, canniness, capability, capacity, clear thinking, cleverness, command, competence, control, coordination, craft, craftsmanship, cunning, deftness, dexterousness, dextrality, dextrocularity, dextrorotation, diplomacy, efficiency, effortlessness, esprit, expertise, facility, finesse, flair, genius, giftedness, gifts, grace, grip, guile, handiness, horsemanship, ingeniousness, ingenuity, keenness, knack, know-how, marksmanship, mastery, nimbleness, nous, proficiency, prowess, quickness, readiness, resource, resourcefulness, rightness, savoir-faire, savvy, seamanship, sharp-wittedness, sharpness, shrewdness, skill, skillfulness, sleight, sleight of hand, smartness, smarts, smoothness, style, tact, tactfulness, talent, technical skill, technique, timing, touch, virtuosity, wit, wizardry, workmanship
-Moby Thesaurus

mouser · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2007, 10:50 AM »

looks like a really nice all around tool - i'm going to give it a look.
(though im positive it wont have nearly the power that mobysaurus has for use as a pure thesaurus -- no program i've seen is better at exploring synonyms than mobysaurus).

Curt · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2007, 11:33 AM »

looks like a really nice all around tool - i'm going to give it a look.
(though im positive it wont have nearly the power that mobysaurus has for use as a pure thesaurus -- no program i've seen is better at exploring synonyms than mobysaurus).

-mouser (March 23, 2007, 10:50 AM)

Babylon has a lot more than nearly the power requested, but it is not a thesaurus only, so I am not sure if such a comparison would be fair. Babylon is a dictionary and a thesaurus and a translator. My Babylon is 470 MB and will wait for a second before loading. A beginner's version may be some 20 - 100 MB and will show up at once.

----
Just a screenshot of Settings:

mouser · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2007, 11:36 AM »

just to clarify, i didn't mean that babylon wasn't a super powerful program, only that if you are looking for the most powerful and feature packed pure thesaurus, designed for exploring synonyms, mobysaurus is the one

Curt · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2007, 11:55 AM »

just to clarify, i didn't mean that babylon wasn't a super powerful program, only that if you are looking for the most powerful and feature packed pure thesaurus, designed for exploring synonyms, mobysaurus is the one
-mouser (March 23, 2007, 11:36 AM)

Understood.

(only, I would not look for a thesaurus only).

It's just that when you are in love, no-one can tell or imply anything 'bad' about your loved one...

I've tried mobysaurus several times, and I still like Babylon better.

As a foreigner to the American version of the English language, it is very often imperative to me to have the full explanation. Mobysaurus is quite good, but I would never want to be without the Webster's set. And even then, I will often want to also have a translation.

Babylon with Moby Thesaurus only is just as fast as mobysaurus - and just as informative - but then of course there is no need to have a program you must pay for, when you can have mobysaurus for free. But when you need both a dictionary and a thesaurus and a translator, there really is none as fast as Babylon.

However, I think WordWeb Pro 5 is quite good, too.

Curt · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2011, 06:24 PM »

Edited: Only now I realize this is the "Found Deals and Discounts"-thread, but this post is not really about any discounts...

It's just that when you are in love, no-one can tell or imply anything 'bad' about your loved one...
-Curt (March 23, 2007, 11:55 AM)

-my "love" for Babylon has been cooling down ever since version 5 or 6 - I just haven't found anything better (and I have several of the kind). One problem regarding Babylon is that they launch major upgrades just as often as Ashampoo!! This year is no exception: After 11 months with Babylon 8, Babylon version 9 is ready. And bloody expensive it is. Well, kind of; it's a Lifetime license, (or Monthly Subscription: $9.7). At least this will be the last upgrade needed, but man, the upgrade is $71 !! Bundled with the Oxford Dictionary + Thesaurus set it is "merely" $77 , which may be okay for a lifetime license, I guess. Normal full prices are $118 (or $128 incl Oxford). But as I said, it is a lifetime license, so in theory this should be the last upgrade needed...

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2011, 07:35 PM »

You should know that one of the free dictionaries you can have for Babylon is Moby Thesaurus
-Curt (March 23, 2007, 10:32 AM)

Moby Thesaurus. This version has been thoroughly revised and contains 30,260 root words, with 2,520,264 synonyms and related terms.

http://www.babylon.c...Thesaurus/66382.html

cmpm · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2011, 08:50 PM »

I wonder how much they revised Moby Thesaurus for Babylon?

Is it better then the original?
If so they should kick back the revision to the author of Moby Thesaurus.
And be able to implement it in the original Moby Thesaurus.

Or has that been done already?

Curt · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2011, 06:01 AM »

-"they" will do nothing. Moby is a "community created content", so "someone" has altered Moby, to make it fit Babylon, but Babylon themselves will do nothing for a freeware dictionary...

Answers from Moby (inside Babylon) has this little text underneath the answer:

Source: Moby Thesaurus, which is part of the Moby Project created by Grady Ward. In 1996 Grady Ward placed this thesaurus in the public domain.
-Moby in Babylon

Edited:
Sorry, I didn't understand your question before "answering":
Read http://en.wikipedia....rg/wiki/Moby_Project

cmpm · « **Reply #10 on:** February 02, 2011, 01:27 PM »

Thanks Curt.

Curt · « **Reply #11 on:** April 22, 2011, 03:37 AM »

Edited: Only now I realize this is the "Found Deals and Discounts"-thread, but this post is not really about any discounts...
It's just that when you are in love, no-one can tell or imply anything 'bad' about your loved one...
-Curt (March 23, 2007, 11:55 AM)
-my "love" for Babylon has been cooling down ever since version 5 or 6 - I just haven't found anything better (and I have several of the kind). One problem regarding Babylon is ...
-Curt (February 01, 2011, 06:24 PM)

Still cooling further down...:

Babylon doesn't work inside Firefox 4 !!

!crying smiles_407.gif

Edited:
But WordWeb 6 does

cyberdiva · « **Reply #12 on:** April 22, 2011, 10:17 AM »

-my "love" for Babylon has been cooling down ever since version 5 or 6 - I just haven't found anything better (and I have several of the kind). One problem regarding Babylon is that they launch major upgrades just as often as Ashampoo!! This year is no exception: After 11 months with Babylon 8, Babylon version 9 is ready. And bloody expensive it is. Well, kind of; it's a Lifetime license, (or Monthly Subscription: $9.7). At least this will be the last upgrade needed, but man, the upgrade is $71 !! Bundled with the Oxford Dictionary + Thesaurus set it is "merely" $77 , which may be okay for a lifetime license, I guess. Normal full prices are $118 (or $128 incl Oxford). But as I said, it is a lifetime license, so in theory this should be the last upgrade needed...
-Curt (March 23, 2007, 11:55 AM)

Hi, Curt. I came back to this thread thanks to your current message about Babylon not working with Firefox 4.

This is very distressing news to me, though presumably they're working on a fix? At any rate, I'm curious about what you've said above. I LOVE Babylon--version 6 has been immensely helpful to me as a resource for Spanish/English translation. But I don't understand what you mean by a lifetime license. Do you mean that each upgrade will be free if you have a lifetime license? That's normally what I think of, but you then said "so in theory this should be the last upgrade needed..." Do you mean the last upgrade you'll have to pay for, or is Babylon not planning ever to upgrade again?

I've been concerned about whether Babylon 6 will work on Windows 7 64-bit (I've just ordered a new computer), but now I see there are issues even with version 9. Hmmm.... I don't think I have any need for version 9 if version 6 will work on Windows 7 64-bit. Do you or anyone else know about whether version 6 OR version 9 will work on Windows 7 64-bit?

Curt · « **Reply #13 on:** April 22, 2011, 10:55 AM »

Thanks for coming back, cyberdiva ;-)

I merely meant that in theory I shouldn't need to pay for their next upgrade. When I keep saying "in theory", it is because deep down in my heart, I kind of don't trust them. Sad thing to say, but I have been their customer for most of a decade and I don't think they care about making the best program, they are merely in it for the money, so they keep upgrading for no other reason than to make you pay again. I don't see any improvement at all from version 6 to version 9, in fact I wish I have kept version 6...

I have no idea if any of them will run on 64-bits, sorry.

But I believe Babylon sure is going to upgrade to version 10, and so on, soon!

Curt · « **Reply #14 on:** April 22, 2011, 11:12 AM »

just came in:

Dear Curt

Thank you for taking the time to write us.

My name is Sharon from Babylon Technical Support Team and this is further to your previous response regarding your case.

Internet Explorer 6 and 9,Google Chorme 10 ,fireFox 4 are not able to make Babylon work.
Our program developers are working on it in order to fix the issue.
Please accept our apology for any inconvenience.

Please download and install Internet Explorer 8 latest version to fix this issue:
http://www.microsoft...worldwide-sites.aspx
Downgrading from IE9 to IE8

1.Close all programs, click Start and click Control Panel.
2.Click ?Uninstall a Program? under Programs category.
3.Click ?View installed updates? option in the task pane.
4.Now select Windows Internet Explorer 9 shown under Microsoft Windows updates and click Uninstall and follow the instructions on the screen.

IE9 uninstall process lasts for minimum 3 minutes and you will be able to access Internet Explorer 8 as usual after restart.

Note:We recommend users to create a restore point before uninstalling IE9 because whenever you want to try IE9 you can get it through system restore option in windows.

Please tell me, how it works.
If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Kind regards

cyberdiva · « **Reply #15 on:** April 22, 2011, 01:33 PM »

Thanks, Curt, for your reply and for all the interesting information about Babylon Pro. As far as I can tell, there's no reason for me to upgrade from Babylon 6 to to Babylon 9 (or any other version) unless Babylon 6 won't work with the new computer I've ordered, which runs Windows 7 64-bit. I think I'll give it a try before even contacting Babylon. My experience with their customer support has been very mixed, and I share your distrust of what they say. That's why I don't even think I'll bother to ask them whether version 6 will work on Windows 7 64-bit.

Of course, if the upgrade price were more reasonable, I might not be so reluctant to upgrade (though there's still the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" consideration). But apparently it will cost me at least $71 to upgrade, and perhaps more if they're going to charge me extra AGAIN for the Vox Advanced Dictionary Eng-Spa-Eng, which I paid extra for when I bought Babylon back in 2006. Even with the extra, the total then came to $63.50 (for my new copy, not an upgrade). It bugs me that they now want $71 (or more) just to upgrade.

I LOVE my version of Babylon Pro, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed (though that makes typing rather difficulty

).

Curt · « **Reply #16 on:** April 22, 2011, 04:19 PM »

I LOVE my version of Babylon Pro, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed
-cyberdiva (April 22, 2011, 01:33 PM)

-that is the very point, isn't it. It is a really fine program, and Babylon has been a good and trusted tool for me, so I keep hoping for the best. But Babylon is not merely a program, but also a company in the hands of merchants.

To test your final comment, this was typed with my fingers crossed... ;-)

Curt · « **Reply #17 on:** April 22, 2011, 07:07 PM »

hmm... beside using WordWeb Pro 6 instead of Babylon 9, I have found this Babylon addon for Firefox 4: Babylon Dictionary Word Search :: Add-ons for Firefox. It works surprisingly snappy, (mark, and press Alt+y or click the icon), and gives me answers from Babylon-English, Wikipedia English, WordNet 2.0, and Webster's Unabridged 1913. It puts me on a virtual e-diet, but I am positively surprised.

Edited:
Many more languages are of course at your disposal. In the one and same file.

cyberdiva · « **Reply #18 on:** April 22, 2011, 07:53 PM »

Thanks, Curt, for this information. I can see how it could be very useful, but probably less so for me. Much of the time, the words I'm looking for aren't in my browser but elsewhere. Also, from what I could tell from the web page link you provided, the add-on uses Babylon's dictionaries, whereas what I find most useful for me are the much more extensive listings offered by the Vox Spanish/English dictionary that I bought as an extra when I purchased Babylon. The Vox gives me a much better sense of the many ways in which a word is used, as well as an impressive listing of expressions using the word. I haven't found any other dictionary that I like as much, which is why I'm hoping to be able to continue with Babylon on my new (and as yet undelivered) computer.

Shades · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2011, 08:22 PM »

@Cyberdiva:
In case Babylon does not work on your Windows 7 64 bit PC, get a tool to virtualize the application, so it can be used as a portable application. Cameyo is the one I used to do this trick, but there are others.

I Use a small and very efficient tool called SQLtools to handle Oracle databases and it works fine on Win2003 and lower. Now I have to run Windows 2008 R2, which is 64-bit and my tool doesn't work anymore.

When virtualizing the application a complete setup is created inside the resulting executable, including folder structure, registry, etc.
As it is contained inside it's own environment, just the way the application likes it, the application will work without problems in whatever Windows version it is used.

What to do:
1 - Get Cameyo (there is a freeware version)
2 - Preferably install Cameyo on a 'fresh' Windows XP installation. Some versions of Windows 7 64-bit come with a virtual-PC based XP for backwards compatibility. that is one option you could use for this.
3 - Cameyo warns you when you are able to install Babylon in the virtual PC. Do so.
4 - When you are done installing, use the 'Finish' button from Cameyo.
5 - Cameyo will start making a second snapshot of your system and stores the differences as created by the Babylon installer
6 - After Cameyo is finished you will have one executable file that stores the complete Babylon installation (I do not know how big the installation of Babylon is, so I can not tell how big the resulting executable will be).
7 - Run the executable in Windows 7 64-bit.

That should be it.

It worked out beautifully for me, at least. Hope this info/tip will be useful in case Babylon 6 doesn't work in Windows 7 and you don't want to activate the virtual XP resource hog all the time.

cyberdiva · « **Reply #20 on:** April 24, 2011, 05:31 PM »

Shades, thanks VERY much for the tip and instructions about Cameyo. Certainly if the virtual XP option is a resource hog, it wouldn't be acceptable for my needs, at least not for Babylon, which I use very frequently. Hence, I'll definitely keep Cameyo in mind as a possible solution if I can't get Babylon 6 to work on Windows 7 64-bit.

cacoder · « **Reply #21 on:** July 19, 2011, 09:05 AM »

Edited: Only now I realize this is the "Found Deals and Discounts"-thread, but this post is not really about any discounts...

-my "love" for Babylon has been cooling down ever since version 5 or 6 - I just haven't found anything better (and I have several of the kind). One problem regarding Babylon is that they launch major upgrades just as often as Ashampoo!! This year is no exception: After 11 months with Babylon 8, Babylon version 9 is ready. And bloody expensive it is. Well, kind of; it's a Lifetime license, (or Monthly Subscription: $9.7). At least this will be the last upgrade needed, but man, the upgrade is $71 !! Bundled with the Oxford Dictionary + Thesaurus set it is "merely" $77 , which may be okay for a lifetime license, I guess. Normal full prices are $118 (or $128 incl Oxford). But as I said, it is a lifetime license, so in theory this should be the last upgrade needed...

(see attachment in previous post)

-Curt (February 01, 2011, 06:24 PM)

I just paid $35.75 to upgrade to babylon 9.

Go to http://www.babylon.c...roducts/upgrade.html. Click Upgrade Now. And append &voucher=NLCPRO8CEL100M45P to the url and press <enter>. Good luck.

Curt · « **Reply #22 on:** July 19, 2011, 10:45 AM »

-thanks, cacoder!
You sure took your time to make your first post, so a very belated Welcome! here at DC :-)

Which browser do you use? Babylon promised that they would write me when Babylon was fit for IE9 and FF4. Now we have FF5 coming and I still haven't heard from Babylon.

I am getting used to WordWeb Pro, but I would prefer to use Babylon.

cyberdiva · « **Reply #23 on:** July 19, 2011, 11:51 AM »

I just paid $35.75 to upgrade to babylon 9.
-cacoder (July 19, 2011, 09:05 AM)

Hmmm...that's really interesting, but what do you get in Babylon 9 that you didn't have but did want in Babylon 6? I love Babylon 6. I was afraid that it wouldn't work on my new computer running Windows 7 64-bit, but it does. More or less.

What doesn't work is highlighting a word and bringing up Babylon to translate it. But I was having problems with that feature even on my old WinXP computer. More than half the time, Babylon wouldn't see the right word, so I got into the habit of writing the word into Babylon and then getting it to translate. The translate feature is excellent, especially with the Vox Advanced Sp-Eng-Sp dictionary, which gives lots of idioms and phrases.

Of course, if Babylon 9 could work more seamlessly with Win 7 64-bit, that might be a reason to fork over $35.75. BTW, when I clicked on the website link you provided, it said "Upgrade to Babylon 8" not 9. ??

Curt · « **Reply #24 on:** July 19, 2011, 12:12 PM »

-yes, version 8.
Upgrading to Babylon 9 / Oxford 9 seems to be $65 / $71

@cyberdiva: If you (use an extension to) auto-copy any dbl-clicked word, you would just have to paste that word into your translation box. It would be a time saver, I think.