Worldwide Lexicon project, call for volunteers

[Brian McConnell]

Paul Rubin <phr-n2002a at nightsong.com> wrote in message news:<7xsn60h5at.fsf at ruckus.brouhaha.com>...
> Why yet another protocol instead of using DICT?

Three reasons....

1. DICT is a TCP protocol, and is harder to implement. WWL is built on
top of SOAP, which is supported in most scripting and programming
languages. In most environments, invoking a SOAP method on a remote
server is about the same as invoking a local subroutine. So, for most
developers, it is much easier to deal with. This isn't a criticism of
DICT, it was developed about five years ago, before XML, SOAP, etc
came along.

So imagine, for example, that you run a Spanish-French dictionary
server. You know basic web scripting and MySql, but aren't a transport
protocol expert. Implementing DICT on your server would be a chore.
Implementing WWL is much simpler as you simply update your existing
CGI script to reply by returning its results via a SOAP method (same
procedure as returning results from a function call).

2. WWLP provides a mechanism for automatic server discovery. The
client application can therefore talk to WWL servers as needed. This
also allows for WWL servers to join and leave the network as needed.
DICT doesn't really address this. Clients have to know where to find
servers. With WWL this can be automated. The client talks to one or
more supernodes, and can then switch from WWL server to WWL server for
different types of queries.

3. Real-time feedback. WWLP includes a couple nifty features that
allow real-time interaction between dictionaries and their users. One
method allows users running a client program (think seti at home for
dictionaries) to poll WWL servers that allow public contributions.

The last point I would make is that WWLP is not being proposed as a
standard. I like to use GNUtella as a model. If it turns into a widely
used service, that's wonderful. However, I am not interested in going
through the whole IETF process. I've done that before, and spent a lot
of time getting bogged down in politics. I'd rather build an
interesting service, if people use it great, if not, I'll still have a
good time working on it.

You can find a draft copy of the spec at www.worldwidelexicon.org

Thanks,

Brian McConnell