Geek question--OCR

After my mother's funeral a couple of years ago, my brother, my sister
and I divided up several thousand old family photos and vowed to each
scan our share and then send copies to one another. Well.....you know
how that sort of thing goes.....didn't happen. Until about a week ago.
Ursula had called and said she was coming to spend a week in January
to celebrate Siegfried's 60th birthday. Great, thinks I, an excuse to
go out and get a new scanner.....the old one has a some sort of driver
incompatibility problem with Windows XP....or something....whatever.

So, before buying, I did a bit of research and discovered that a local
vendor was selling a relatively cheap flat bed scanner that would do
everything I need it to, and the software package included an OCR
program. This is good, because I've been wanting to do a project that
involves scanning and digitizing some books for a long time.

Now, I've finished scanning all the old photos (and, speaking of old
friends, discovered many that I'd never seen before.....and thereby
hangs yet another tale) and started on books. The OCR software, ABBYY
FineReader 6.0 Sprint, does an adequate job of reading text but there's
nothing else that I really like about it. Copying and pasting to other
applications is fairly clumsy, there is really no tutorial.....just
some basic directions in the help file, and perhaps worst of all, the
user has very little control over the few operations it will perform.

I'd appreciate some input from anyone who's had experience with other
OCR software. What I'm really interested in is a lot more flexibility.

Thanks.

Wolfgang

Steve wrote:
On 21 Dec 2006 15:31:09 -0800, "Wolfgang" wrote:

I'd appreciate some input from anyone who's had experience with other
OCR software. What I'm really interested in is a lot more flexibility.

Abbyy is the best available,

Ah! Now I already know more than the twits at the store do! This is a
very good start.

but not your version.

Of that much I was already certain.

To get the features
and interface options that you want you'll have to upgrade to Abbyy
Finereader Pro Version 8.
I read that you don't like the interface, but it's the best OCR engine
by far.

I just looked at it he

http://www.freefunfiles.com/software...eader-pro.html

The list of features and capabilities is very long and impressive, even
for......perhaps ESPECIALLY for......those who, like me, can't even
figure out what a lot of them mean. But all that will come with time
and practice, I suppose.

I also read a glowing review he

http://www.itreviews.co.uk/software/s368.htm

I have a free copy of the full Finereader Pro Version 4 which would
give you an idea of the OCR capability in the Pro version, if you
would like to try it out.

Sure, free is good. I assume that this would mean you'd send me a CD
with the software....or is there some other method I'm not familiar
with?

If it isn't already painfully obvious, this is a good time for me to
point out that I'm not exactly a computer whiz. How is it that this is
free when the 8.0 version is $166? For that matter, how is it that the
first site listed above offers a "free" download? Does this simply
mean that there is no additional cost for downloading, above and beyond
the $166 price tag? If I download it for free, do I then have to pay
the stated price for some sort of activation code?.....or is there a
free trial period with limited functions?....or what?

It's legitimate and not warez.

Sorry, but I don't know what that means.

Thanks for the help.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang wrote:

It's legitimate and not warez.


Sorry, but I don't know what that means.

It refers to multiple pieces of pirated software. "Software" is a
so-called mass noun -- it can't be modified by a number, like "three
softwares." So warez was coined.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

rw wrote:
Wolfgang wrote:

It's legitimate and not warez.


Sorry, but I don't know what that means.

It refers to multiple pieces of pirated software. "Software" is a
so-called mass noun -- it can't be modified by a number, like "three
softwares." So warez was coined.

Interesting......and bound to bring a smile (or a frown) to the lips of
any student of language.

Thanks.

Wolfgang

Steve wrote:
On 21 Dec 2006 18:27:34 -0800, "Wolfgang" wrote:

Sure, free is good. I assume that this would mean you'd send me a CD
with the software....or is there some other method I'm not familiar
with?

Sure.

Cool. Contact me at:



and I'll give you an address.

Or I could post it to a test group and you could pick it up
there, whatever.

O.k., you've lost me again.

If it isn't already painfully obvious, this is a good time for me to
point out that I'm not exactly a computer whiz. How is it that this is
free when the 8.0 version is $166? For that matter, how is it that the
first site listed above offers a "free" download? Does this simply
mean that there is no additional cost for downloading, above and beyond
the $166 price tag? If I download it for free, do I then have to pay
the stated price for some sort of activation code?.....or is there a
free trial period with limited functions?....or what?

This version was given free as part of a solicitation. The serial
number is unique to this specific installer. IOW, they didn't give us
50 copies with one serial number.
I did not use this copy and there were no licensing restrictions
pertaining to the remainders. It would be your's, as if you bought it.
I'm not crossing any licensing restrictions by passing this particular
copy to someone else.

Excellent. Mind you, I'm not opposed to theft as a matter of principle
or misguided scruple or anything, but (a lifetime's experience
notwithstanding) I'm willing enough to operate on the assumption that
until they demonstrate otherwise, neither the individuals nor
organizations with whom I deal are to be considered pirates themselves
until they show some indication thereof.

The site offered you a "shareware" version; one that you could
download to try out and subsequently pay for the license if you chose
to keep the program. It could have been a full version with a time
limit, or it could have some functionality disabled until activated by
the purchase. I dunno.

It would be nice if they provided that information, wouldn't it? I
tried to download some "free" software of some sort a couple of months
ago. Well, the download went smoothly enough, but the software
wouldn't run. Turns out there was an activation or registration fee of
thirty bucks or so. Anticipating a bit of flack (for reasons that must
forever remain a mystery, eh?) the vendors had set up a free instant
message hotline with a "live" company representative. The live
representative turned out to have a very limited vocabulary and stock
of responses. I expect him or her to show up here just about any day
now.

Wolfgang