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Why Chinese Toolbox READER?

I probably am biased (being the author and all), but for reading digitized Chinese texts, Chinese Toolbox READER is my program of choice. When I first began developing this software, no other Chinese reading program was available. Later, the programs that became available online did not meet my needs. Sure, many features are still lacking in Chinese Toolbox READER, but for simply reading Chinese texts with automatic lookup of English definitions and pronunciations, Chinese Toolbox READER does the job pretty well. The following is a list of the key aspects of Chinese Toolbox READER that set it apart from other Chinese reading programs:

1. It contains two customizable dictionaries: Unihan, a character dictionary from Unicode.org and CC-CEDICT, a community supported word dictionary, from MDBG.net. Character and word definitions appear automatically as you advance through the reader text.
2. It’s fast (except for loading). Chinese Toolbox READER is a Win32 application written in C++. The executable runs directly in your computer’s CPU. Unlike Java, there’s no runtime environment and the code is not interpreted. At startup the loading of the 100,000+ word dictionary does take a while.
3. It’s complete and self-contained. You don’t need to load any third-party software to run Chinese Toolbox READER. Everything you need is built directly into the program. If your computer is running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista, and East-Asian language files are installed (provided on the Windows CD), then you’re ready to install Chinese Toolbox READER.
4. Imported text is clean. When you import text into some Chinese readers, you may get a lot of white space junk (tabs, odd line breaks, etc.) that has nothing to do with the text you want to read. Chinese Toolbox READER filters out all redundant white space, so when the text appears in the reader, it is cleanly laid out. When you press the right arrow key, the selection box is guaranteed to select a Chinese character, not a space or tab or anything that is irrelevant to your reading.
5. Reader navigation is simple and intuitive using the keyboard. You simply press the right arrow key to select the next character or the left arrow key to select the previous character. Of course, if you want to select a character with the mouse, that works too.
6. Characters are time-stamped when selected. Chinese Toolbox READER keeps track of when characters were last viewed. Initially, characters do not have time stamps. Each time you select a character in the reader, or view the character in the dictionary, a time stamp is either attached to the character, or the previous time stamp is updated. This feature makes possible character review in time stamp order, available on the Character Review menu.
7. All data can be customized. As a learning tool, it makes sense that the student be able to edit the data as he or she sees fit. In Chinese Toolbox READER all frames with red borders can receive text or mouse input. Customizable data frames exist in the main dictionary window (Pinyin, Zhuyin, Definition, and Notes) and in the Radical Information window. For example, if you prefer “Human” instead of “Man” as the English name for radical #9, you can change it yourself in the Radical Information window.
8. All data can be exported, modified, and reimported. When character dictionary and character understanding data is exported, it can be processed, analyzed, modified or selectively replaced. This is discussed in greater detail in Tutorial 4: Dictionary Export and Import. The word dictionary exists as a text file (cedict_ts.u8) in the Chinese Toolbox READER program directory. This file can be edited or replaced with an updated version from the mdbg.net website.
9. The program (Chinese Toolbox FREE) can be used offline. During the Chinese Toolbox READER promotional period, an internet connection is required. This restriction will be lifted after the promotional period. To work offline during the promotional period, use Chinese Toolbox FREE. Chinese Toolbox READER 10.0, when released, will be able to be used offline.
10. The program is being actively developed. Since the release of Chinese Toolbox FREE 9.1, new versions of at least one Chinese Toolbox product should be available every few months.