------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Aug 91 14:51:54 PDT From: Brewster Kahle <brewster@Think.COM> Subject: Glossary of WAIS terminology A Glossary of WAIS Terminology -brewster Here are some definitions of some of the confusing terms in the WAIS system. Sorry that this is necessary. Directory of Servers tells you want databases exist Servers support databases Databases search and retieve documents Sources describe databases Doc-id's are a general pointer to a document Question structures store users queries that might want to be asked periodically. Source: A description of a database and how to contact it. A source is described with a .src file. This is a client's view of a database. See doc/source.txt or use the WAIS server wais-docs to find a specification of the structure. Server: A machine that supports many databases and answers questions. Each server has an INFO database that is the database of the .src files of each of the databases it supports (this is not true of the CM server right now). Database: is a service on a server that answers questions based on some defined expertise. It is described by a .src file that can usually be retrieved by asking "help" of the server (not true of CM databases right now). Directory of Servers: A database that serves .src files of databases. There can be many Directories for different reasons. One well known one is located at quake.think.com on port 210. This might better be called directory-of-sources. Relevance Feedback: A database can be searched based on a string typed by the user optionally augmented by pointers documents or to pieces of documents. When a document or a piece of one is given to a server by the user, this is "relevance feedback" since the user is giving feedback saying this is relevant; therefore find me more like that one. Not a great term, I agree. See Salton's book: Modern Information Retrieval. Question Structure: A question structure is a file format used by some client programs to store the state of a user's inquiry so that it can be used again. It includes what sources to ask, what the users query string was with any relevant documents, and might store the last list of results. See doc/question.txt or WAIS server wais-docs for specification of the structure. Doc-id: When a database returns a list of hits, it includes a doc-id so that the client can then select for retrieval or relevance feedback. This is a special string created by the database for this purpose. There is a structure for these identifiers that allows then to be portable and enduring. See doc/doc-ids.txt or WAIS server wais-docs for a specification. Rosebud: The name of the Apple User interface to WAIS. They use reporters, newspapers, and notebooks as their metaphors. Digital Librarian: NeXT's system for LANbased WAIS, that has recently been extended to contact WAIS servers. WAIStation: the Mac interface developed by Harry Morris of Thinking Machines. Gwais, Xwais, Swais: interfaces for gnu-emacs, xwindows, and dumb terminals by Jonny Goldman of Thinking Machines, Jonny again, and John Curran. Anything else that should be added here? -brewster Brewster Kahle Thinking Machines Corporation Brewster@Think.com 1010 El Camino Real Project Leader Menlo Park, CA 94025 Wide Area Information Servers 415-329-9300x228 Up