Comments on: Yahoo! Alpha and federated search http://federatedsearchblog.com/2009/04/27/yahoo-alpha-and-federated-search/ Covers topics related to federated search and the deep web Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:26:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ian http://federatedsearchblog.com/2009/04/27/yahoo-alpha-and-federated-search/comment-page-1/#comment-26141 Ian Thu, 14 May 2009 12:41:19 +0000 http://federatedsearchblog.com/?p=346#comment-26141 We looked at opensearch some years ago. Unfortunately it looks like an internal a9 spec that someone thought may make a 'standard'. It never generated the interest that it deserved... For this reason it never progressed. It's been sitting in the same state for __years__ - untouched and seemingly unloved. Medio did some work a while ago to try and add some mobile and commerce extensions. This was a nice idea but also didn't generate any real traction from what I can tell. I was quite excited when I first found it but eventually went a bit cold...I must admit my recollection is fading but I think the spec wasn't really very consistent and needed quite a bit of polishing. Quite do-able with community support mind... Although I may sound a little damning, I do support the idea in principle. A nicely marked up version RDF/OWL would be a good way forward :-) We looked at opensearch some years ago.
Unfortunately it looks like an internal a9 spec that someone thought may make a ‘standard’. It never generated the interest that it deserved…
For this reason it never progressed. It’s been sitting in the same state for __years__ – untouched and seemingly unloved.
Medio did some work a while ago to try and add some mobile and commerce extensions. This was a nice idea but also didn’t generate any real traction from what I can tell.

I was quite excited when I first found it but eventually went a bit cold…I must admit my recollection is fading but I think the spec wasn’t really very consistent and needed quite a bit of polishing. Quite do-able with community support mind…

Although I may sound a little damning, I do support the idea in principle. A nicely marked up version RDF/OWL would be a good way forward :-)

]]> By: Sol http://federatedsearchblog.com/2009/04/27/yahoo-alpha-and-federated-search/comment-page-1/#comment-25293 Sol Sat, 02 May 2009 01:32:03 +0000 http://federatedsearchblog.com/?p=346#comment-25293 Jonathan - The more I play with OpenSearch the more I like it. Jonathan – The more I play with OpenSearch the more I like it.

]]> By: Sol http://federatedsearchblog.com/2009/04/27/yahoo-alpha-and-federated-search/comment-page-1/#comment-25292 Sol Sat, 02 May 2009 01:31:07 +0000 http://federatedsearchblog.com/?p=346#comment-25292 Paul -- Ok, I'll have to educate myself about Kenjin. Thanks. Paul — Ok, I’ll have to educate myself about Kenjin. Thanks.

]]> By: Paul T. Jackson http://federatedsearchblog.com/2009/04/27/yahoo-alpha-and-federated-search/comment-page-1/#comment-24994 Paul T. Jackson Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:11:19 +0000 http://federatedsearchblog.com/?p=346#comment-24994 Your mention of the Windows 7 with OpenSearch suggests to me that no one is doing anything new. This was being done years ago by a program called. Kenjin back before the turn of the century and in 2000. This was product for the single user computer that would pull up both desktop and web content for a particular search. It was kind of interesting as to what it found, but not altogether good hits, and it was eventually dropped by the company Autonomy that was licensing their larger search programs to major corporations. I wonder if Microsoft has just now discovered this "federated search engine"? Your mention of the Windows 7 with OpenSearch suggests to me that no one is doing anything new. This was being done years ago by a program called. Kenjin back before the turn of the century and in 2000. This was product for the single user computer that would pull up both desktop and web content for a particular search. It was kind of interesting as to what it found, but not altogether good hits, and it was eventually dropped by the company Autonomy that was licensing their larger search programs to major corporations.
I wonder if Microsoft has just now discovered this “federated search engine”?

]]> By: Jonathan Rochkind http://federatedsearchblog.com/2009/04/27/yahoo-alpha-and-federated-search/comment-page-1/#comment-24891 Jonathan Rochkind Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:00:32 +0000 http://federatedsearchblog.com/?p=346#comment-24891 Heh, yeah, it's like a regular search engine but WORSE, for all the reasons we've talked about before that broadcast search has some inherent user experience shortcomings compared to an aggregated index. But I agree that OpenSearch is good stuff. Fortunately, in addition to some big players that make it's adoption more likely, it's actually a very nice standard too. Simple but flexible and backwards-compatibly expandable. I think it's an excellent model of a good standard, very easy to work with as a software consumer or a software producer for basic common use cases, but still nice and expandable for more sophisticated use cases too. I hope it does catch on -- it's got uses beyond broadcast search, but for times when we do need broadcast search, it's a fine way to do it. Heh, yeah, it’s like a regular search engine but WORSE, for all the reasons we’ve talked about before that broadcast search has some inherent user experience shortcomings compared to an aggregated index.

But I agree that OpenSearch is good stuff. Fortunately, in addition to some big players that make it’s adoption more likely, it’s actually a very nice standard too. Simple but flexible and backwards-compatibly expandable. I think it’s an excellent model of a good standard, very easy to work with as a software consumer or a software producer for basic common use cases, but still nice and expandable for more sophisticated use cases too. I hope it does catch on — it’s got uses beyond broadcast search, but for times when we do need broadcast search, it’s a fine way to do it.

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