Hey, I have a hopefully simple question.

The verb 開く has two different pronunciations and meanings.

WWWJDIC gives
開く 【あく; ひらく】 (v5k) (あく,vi) (1) to open; to become open; to become empty; (ひらく,vt) to open (e.g., a bank-account, festival, etc.); SP

I'm not really understanding the distinction... what brought up the question is, in Windows, the word 開く is used for "opening" files, and also for opening the volume control menu, and I was wondering whether it's あく or ひらく.

It's a transitive(vt) vs intransitive issue(vi). Here's a decent guide:

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/transtype.html

Ok, so since ひらく is intransitive, do you think that it would be ひらく in, for example,
音量ミキサを開く。
(Open volume mixer)

Because, I guess it could be transitive, if it was saying "[you] open volume mixer", or it could be stating what will happen, intransitively, I suppose.

Hehe, I was just looking at something about this.

It's true

開く　　= intransive
開ける = transitive

窓が開いた　~= the window opened.
窓を開けた ~= opened the window.

ひらく（開く） can be transitive or intransitive, but is most often transitive. When 開く is used transitively it's ひらく and not あく.

JimmySeal Wrote:ひらく（開く） can be transitive or intransitive, but is most often transitive. When 開く is used transitively it's ひらく and not あく.

Yes, but 開く transitive is often used in passive voice. I am having trouble with transitive passive and intransitive.

I saw this scene in an anime the other day:

「ゲートは開いている!」
Then, the guys jump through the portal to another world.

あく (開く)
Intransitive
1. Opening up a passageway (Opposites are しまる and とじる)
2. Opening a lock
3. Opening up a shop or a business (Opposites are しまる and とじる)
4. When a state ends and becomes another state.
Transitive
1. Opening (Most likely things that belong to yourself such as your mouth and eyes.)

ひらく　(開く)
Intransitive
1. Clearing up an obstructed passageway (Opposites are しまる and とじる)
2. When something closed becomes widened at one point by the use of a fulcrum (Ex. Umbrella) (Opposite is とじる)
3. When the tip of something becomes widened. (Ex. Hem of your pants) (Opposite is とじる)
4. When a flower bud blossoms
5. When a gap is widened

There's more to ひらく and if you want to read it, you can go here
http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8...6714800000

Aren't 国語辞書 useful?

There are almost no dictionaries in foreign languages that will explain things as in-depth. Most in-depth definitions of words are provided in the language the word is in.