I submitted recently the SlackBuild for stardict-tools 3.0.1. This version of stardict-tools works well with StarDict 3.0.1 available in http://slackbuilds.org as well.

To compile stardict-tools 3.0.1 you need a patch which I wrote. If you use Slackware it is enough to use my SlackBuild. If you use some other Linux distribution get the patch from my website (see: my signature).

The advantage of StarDict 3.0.1 is that it runs the dictionaries in the version 2.4.2. It is the most popular format of the dictionaries for StarDict and similar programs.

Using stardict-tools I decoded Collins Cobuild and Longman dictionaries, then I used different scripts to customize both of them to the GoldenDict program for Android, and finally I compiled them back with stardict-tools. Moreover I integrated Collins v. 3 (which is considered the best version of Collins Cobuild) with Collins v. 5 (which introduces some new words and offers the phonetic transcription). As a result I own a unique Collins Cobuild v. 3 + 5. If you like to work with the dictionaries thanks to stardict-tools you may edit or integrate them as I did or even make your own dictionaries.

I attached to my SlackBuild the sd script together with the documentation. This script allows to use StarDict with different groups of the dictionaries. I use 63 dictionaries divided into 5 groups. It is more comfortable to keep different dictionaries in the separate groups.

You must have been reading my todo list!

I have tried to get the SBo stardict working previously, but without much luck (nor persistence I will admit).

So I tried again and now have stardict and stardict-tools installed and working (mostly).

I have not gotten the full-text translation (Google translate) to work yet, but that is not so important now. I also am finding the configuration a little mystifying, but I can find new words and check spelling - progress!

The sd script README resolved several general questions I about the dictionaries - thanks!

When I began to learn Russian I bought a Langenscheidt's Russian-English dictionary which I really like, but had nothing digital and offline until now.

Maybe I did not have to read your TODO list at all. When I exchanged some thoughts with you in the Russian keyboard thread I simply stated that the people interested in such a keyboard may be interested in StarDict and stardict-tools as well.

Preparing the SlackBuild for stardict-tools I forgot to attach to it the Kingsoft Phonetic font. I found it somewhere two years ago but it did not work so I repaired it using FontForge and named my version Kingsoft-Phonetic-CMK.ttf. Now I put it on my website: http://linux-bsd-unix.strefa.pl/inde...stardict-tools.

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I use 15 Russian dictionaries with StarDict:

sd ru ?
It seems to me that at least Essential (En-Ru) and Essential (Ru-En) may be interesting for you. I found them somewhere a few months ago – I can not remember where. After you will learn Russian a bit you may be interested in Popular Russian (Ru-Ru), Explanatory Russian (Ru-Ru), and Lingvo Russian Thesaurus (Ru-Ru).

Great dictionary software. But stable releases are few. Development sluggish.