RE: docster: instant document delivery

[pbinkley@library.ualberta.ca]

Does anyone have any experience with WorldOS as a platform for this kind of
development? It's a Java-based, XML-oriented, open source application server
for peer routing like Gnutella et al. See http://www.worldos.org/
<http://www.worldos.org/>  . I've just found a mention of this this morning,
so I don't have any more to go on, but it looks like it might give a useful
framework for this kind of development.
 
Peter
 
Peter Binkley 
Interface Development Coordinator, Campus Alberta Interface 
email: pbinkley@thealbertalibrary.ab.ca 
phone: (780) 492-5282 x234 
fax: (780) 492-9243 
post: Cameron Library 4-40 
      University of Alberta 
      Edmonton Alberta 
      T6G 2J8 

-----Original Message-----
From: Dovey J, Mr [mailto:pjcd@maties.sun.ac.za]
Sent: June 14, 2000 12:25 AM
To: oss4lib-list@BIOMED.MED.YALE.EDU
Subject: RE: docster: instant document delivery


Hi,
I know I am replying to this email a little late, but that is just how my
life is running at the moment (a little late <g>)
 
I too have read Daniel's article on Docster, and I have been following with
great interest the various stories about Napster, GNUtella and FreeNet
online. I have a running GNUtella client and have installed the freenet
experimental version on a Linux box. Both are interesting for various
reasons although there are numerous suggestions for improvements to the
protocol etc (GNUtella NG et al)
 
I have also been experiencing some of the limitiation inherent in the Ariel
system, not least of which is the cost of purchase and the closed model for
extension. 
 
Being at heart a hacker (in the original sense of the word) I have started
working on something in which I want to try to combine the best features of
all of these systems.
>From Ariel, I like the idea of the ability to REQUEST a document and then to
have it SUPPLIED (ie Scanned etc) and from Prospero I like the ability to
deliver the requested document back to the patron (on a server with a
notification via email)
 
>From GNUTella I like the idea of automatic discovery of other servers on the
network and the manner in which messages are passed around this network with
the ability for each client to process the messages and decide how to handle
them within the bounds of the protocol. What I don't like is the requirement
that the client has to connect directly to the source to retrieve the
document nor the limited searching capabilities  and the inability to
describe the files that are added to the network.
 
>From FreeNet I REALLY like the idea that documents that are requested over
the network are dumped at each node through which they pass which has the
effect that documents rend to "clump" or be cached at servers near to the
users that are requesting them.
 
With all these I ideas, I have started working on a program which I call
"DoveDoc" in which I hope to onclude these features and a few more. My
initial "vision" is that this could be used only by the various branch
libraries within the institutions in our Consortia for document sharing, but
seeing as I have a preference for the OSS model, of course I will make what
I develop available. If this develops into something that is usefull
generally, then so be it <grin> 
 
I would be interested to hear any views that anyone might have on this.
 
I am working in Visual Basic and I am at the very beginning of the
development, but if there is anyone interested in seeing the status so far
and/or working with me on this, then I would be only too happy to hear from
you.  
 
John
 
---
John Dovey
Assistant Director (IT)
Library Services
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa