jBrowse -- FAQ.

Like so many FAQs these days, this FAQ is really just a general guide which happens to be in Q&A format.

What does jBrowse do?
jBrowse is an extension for Microsoft Internet Explorer which lives in your browser and helps you to read Japanese web pages. It also serves as a general-purpose Japanese<->English dictionary and Kanji dictionary. Full instructions on jBrowse's capabilities are included in the jBrowse extension itself -- just click on the yellow '?' once you've installed it.

How can I get started with jBrowse?
Installing jBrowse is simple. Follow these steps:

• Make sure that your OS and browser version are compatible with jBrowse (see below).
• Download and run installjBrowse.exe, the installation program.
• The next time you start up Internet Explorer, it should load jBrowse. You may have to right click on the tool bar and check the 'jBrowse' menu item to tell I.E. that you want jBrowse to actually be visible.

What are jBrowse's requirements?
jBrowse requires NT4, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. It also requires Internet Explorer version 5.5 or higher. jBrowse may run on Windows 95/98/ME, but only on the Japanese versions of these operating systems.
NOTE: To use jBrowse on 95/98/NT, you will have to move the unicows.dll file that came with jBrowse into whatever directory your Internet Explorer program is in. Inelegant, I know, but jBrowse is not really built with the 'home' OSes in mind.

Why won't it work on an English version of 95/98/ME?
Short answer: Because I never use 95/98/ME myself, I don't think they are well suited to multi-language computing, and I do not have enough spare time.
Long answer: jBrowse is a Unicode application, which makes processing Japanese text much faster and easier. A Unicode application can only be made to run on 95/98/NT by using the Microsoft Layer for Unicode on Windows 95/98/ME, and jBrowse does use this layer. However, the Layer seems to use the OS default language to decide how to interpret characters, so only if the OS default language is Japanese will jBrowse work.
jBrowse is not tested on 95/98/NT. Luckily, a fully functional jBrowse is free to download, so it should be very easy to determine if it will work in a given case!

How do I uninstall jBrowse?
jBrowse has an uninstall program that can be run manually, or from the Windows 'Add/Remove Programs' applet.

How do I show my appreciation of jBrowse?
Well, there are various things you can do:

• You can register jBrowse, by going to http://www.jbrowse.com/products/jbrowse/register.html.
• Even if you don't register, you can mail me and give me comments and feedback about jBrowse
• You can think positive thoughts about jBrowse

What if I want to do even more than that?
In that case, the best thing you can do is contribute to the EDICT project, the dictionary project that has made jBrowse and many other useful tools possible. You can find out about it here.

What if jBrowse doesn't work? Can I get my money back?
The great thing about shareware, specially when it has a fully functional free version, is that you can play with it and test it and use it to your heart's content and be absolutely sure that it works for you and does what you need before you have to buy it. So no. However, it is worth checking out the remaining questions on this list...

I installed jBrowse but it's not there in the browser. Why?
Maybe jBrowse is installed but I.E. is not configured to show it (the jBrowse toolbar is 'hidden'). Right click on I.E.'s toolbar area and use the menu to make the jBrowse bar visible.

No, it's really not there at all. Why?
You probably installed it while logged on as an account that does not have Administrator rights on your workstation. Try logging on as an account that has permission to install browser plugins and do it again.

jBrowse just produces some silly error and refuses to run. I am on 95/98/ME. Why is this happening?
Perhaps you still need to move the unicows.dll file into the same directory that your Internet Explorer program file lives in. You have to do this so that I.E. can find the Unicode Layer. jBrowse needs this layer to survive on 95/98/ME.

I installed jBrowse and the toolbar is there, and I can use the dictionary window, but the features that operate on the HTML in my browser just don't do anything. Why not?
You probably have a version of I.E. that's below 5.5. You should try upgrading to a more recent version.

jBrowse is working okay, but only in some of my browser windows. Why?
All the browser windows that are in the same process can share a jBrowse dictionary. If you start a new I.E. process, though, it will not have a dictionary so the jBrowse buttons will be grayed out until you load the dictionary.

The writing is messed up. Why?
jBrowse requires the MS Gothic font, downloadable free from Microsoft, or another Japanese font. If you can see Japanese pages in your browser at all, you almost certainly have this font. If you can't see Japanese pages in your browser, download the Japanese language pack for your browser version from Microsoft.

jBrowse just doesn't work for some unknowable reason. WHY IS THIS?
I do this in my spare time and the task of testing jBrowse on every combination of language, OS, and browser version is just too huge to contemplate. I guess it's lucky you didn't have to pay anything for jBrowse :)

Even after using jBrowse, I find that my Japanese is still pretty darn bad. Why?
Funny, I have the same problem. Must be a bug.