Re: [buffyloveswillow] Index of fics? (was: Re: Unconventional Spike Shipping, An Overview)

[sbooth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

On Fri, 21 Jul 2000 23:15:00 -0000, you wrote:

> --- In buffyloveswillow@xxxxxxxxxxx, sbooth@a... wrote:
one) I don't suppose theres any chance of a bibliography
> > for these. I'm seeing a lot of 'ships here that I've not found
> > the fics for yet.
>
> I suppose I do need to do that. Hope I can track 'em all down...

Thanks.

[SNIP XML based idea for a searchable index]
> > So what do people think?
>
> I like it, a lot. It would be difficult to do, keeping track of it 
> all, but if it can be done...

I was thinking of something along the lines of after the initial
setup provide a mechanism for authors to add their own entries
via a web based script or JSP/Servlet.  

There are a lot of tools out there that could be used to do this.
Using an Oracle database with WebDB as it's front end you'd be
looking at 2 days to set it up and maybe 3-4 days to get a
sufficiently large number of fics indexed for it to be a working
system. Unfortunately you're probably looking at a price tag in
the region of $20,000-$50,000 to do it that way. Going the XML
route you're looking at getting someone to design your schema (ie
what I've already done so that's free), getting someone to write
your code (any volunteers, you're basically looking for someone
to write JSPs or Java Servlets) and a box to host it on (anyone
got a spare PC they can hitch up to ther internet and Install
Linux with Apache, Coocoon (to do the XML parsing) and Tomcat (to
run the servlets), if you used Perl CGI scripts you could do it
without Tomcat).

It'd be quite a bit of work, but then what isn't? There is a
search engine called dmoz (www.dmoz.org IIRC) which does
something similar as a general search engine targeted at
technical resources. Unlike regular search engines which just
use automated scripts to harvest addresses this one has people
physically entering and checking the links so the S/N is quite a
lot higher than other engines. IDB that dmoz is funded by banner
ads.

Stephen
--
Stephen Booth, Data Integration Specialist & Spoiler Slut
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