Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Will Niggle work on my Palm Pilot, Palm Pilot Pro, Palm III, ...?

    2. I have tested on Palm OS 3.5, 3.3, 3.0 and 2.0. I don't have OS 1.0 so I can't say. Reports are welcome. With very old models you might be squeezing to fit the dictionary.

  2. Will Niggle work from Flash ROM?

    3. Since version 1.3, Niggle may be stored in Flash ROM

  3. This is a great application, how much do I have to pay?

    4. Nothing. It's free. If you like it or if you find a bug, let me know.

  4. Why Scrabble?

    5. My wife and I are avid Scrabble fans. On a recent trip to Vanuatu, we discovered we had left our Scrabble game behind. Thus Niggle, Scrabble for the Palm Pilot, was born.

  5. Isn't Scrabble copyright?

    6. Yes it is. We have 4 official games of Scrabble at home, so we don't feel bad about taking the smaller electronic version with us when we travel. I suggest you only use Niggle if you have own the official Scrabble game.

  6. How about feature <xxx>?

    7. The following features may be implemented some day. If you would like to see something added or changed, mail me and I'll consider adding it to the list.

    Priority: Medium
    
Seq  Status     Owner      Title
0004 Open       steveb     RFE: The computer player should be smarter
0009 Submitted  steveb     Allow the user to abort/pause computer thinking.
0036 Submitted  steveb     RFE: Add "club-style" turn timer
0040 Submitted  steveb     RFE: Add support for non-english languages


    Priority: Low
    
Seq  Status     Owner      Title
0005 Submitted  steveb     Allow users to install their own custom dictionary
0008 Submitted  steveb     RFE: Computer should trade more often
0010 Open       steveb     RFE: Show time taken for each turn in score history
0011 Submitted  steveb     RFE: Allow multiple concurrent games
0013 Submitted  steveb     Make a 2+ player version which uses IR
0014 Submitted  steveb     Allow any player to challenge
0023 Submitted  steveb     Allow the user to abort "Suggest Move" early.
0028 Submitted  steveb     BUG: Can't differentiate between two blanks
0030 Submitted  steveb     RFE: Computer should place initial word more centrally

  7. What's dictionary does Niggle use?

    8. Earlier versions of Niggle provided two different dictionaries. Due to the confusion this caused, only a single dictionary, ENABLE, is shipped with Niggle which closely matches the dictionary which is used in official scrabble tournaments in North America. (Although now, the SIMPLE dictionary is also available.)

    See Credits for more information on the ENABLE dictionary.

    Also see the web site of the San Jose Scrabble Club for more information about dictionaries.

  8. Can I create my own dictionary?

    9. Currently it is not possible to create your own dictionary, however if you have a simple word list which you would like converted to a Niggle dictionary, email it to me and I'll send you the converted dictionary. (I may also choose to make the dictionary available to others).

  9. The computer is making up words! What's going on?

    10. The official scrabble dictionary includes many words which are not in common use. If in doubt about a word, try looking it up in your own dictionary, or try the WWWebster Dictionary online.

  10. Why does the computer just keep trading?

    11. You have forgotten to install the dictionary. See Installation.

  11. Since upgrading to version 1.3, the computer just keep trading.

    12. Due to a change in the format of the dictionary between version 1.2 and version 1.3, you need to install the new dictionary. See Installation.

Change Log


Changes from 1.3.1 to 1.3.2

RFE: 0066: Add colour support for the Palm IIIc

Changes from 1.3 to 1.3.1

BUG: 0056: Memory over-locked error when switching to Niggle
BUG: 0053: Last button doesn't always deactivate
RFE: 0051: Misc visual improvements
BUG: 0052: Progress meter writes over turn timer

Changes from 1.2 to 1.3

BUG: 0046: End of game processing not always done
BUG: 0039: Niggle crashes on exit when in Flash ROM
RFE: 0047: Need a "dummy" computer player
RFE: 0024: Better progress meter
RFE: 0044: Hard to distinguish I from T in rack.
RFE: 0041: Last button should show score of previous turn.
BUG: 0043: Last button should work on game over
RFE: 0045: Score button should work during tournament mode.
BUG: 0037: Computer player tries to avoid using the Q.
RFE: 0048: Update docs to better explain different dictionaries