Lince, an End User Tool for the Implementation of the Spelling Reform of Portuguese

摘要

This paper outlines the design choices of Lince, a multi-platform application that updates the textual contents of documents according to a recent spelling reform of Portuguese. We took advantage of an existing lexical relational database of which we mimicked the structure for homogeneity purposes and to streamline the updating process. Being a tool aimed both at the general public and professional users, a balance between simplistic interface design and wide-enough customization options proved essential. In this paper, we start by describing the background and rationale underlying the tool's development; the initial requirements are then presented and the design choices framed, with an emphasis on the conversion algorithm and customization options.