[ale] OCR techniques, libraries, and how-tos...

[John Wells]

We're currently assessing a new project that would require some limited
OCR capabilities.  The application would have to run on Windows, and quite
possibly linux as well.

We're considering using wxWindows for our GUI framework, but I'm at a loss
when it comes to OCR.

I'd like to find a good book on the subject, but haven't run across one
yet.  It seems to be a fairly specialized field.  Still, with the number
of open source projects out there (and I suppose even the pda handwriting
recognition apps could fall in the OCR category), there *has* to be
resources that were used to learn.

So, I'm seeking the following info:

- any books or links to online OCR resources
- any links or pointers to OCR development kits or libraries (both open
and commercial...we're willing to consider paying for the capability)
- any other tips you can provide.

I appreciate anything you can pass along.

Thanks!  Happy New Year everyone!

John