[Wasabi Proposal] End user search language

[Mikkel Kamstrup Erlandsen]

2007/1/28, Patryk Zawadzki <patrys at pld-linux.org>:
>
> Dnia 28-01-2007, nie o godzinie 22:37 +0100, Mikkel Kamstrup Erlandsen
> napisał(a):
> > Hi All,
> >
> > I put together a first take on formalizing an end user search
> > language.
> >
> > http://wiki.freedesktop.org/wiki/WasabiUserSearchLanguage
> >
> > Let me emphasize that I write "search language" and not "query
> > language". This is designed for the average user that find the Google
> > search language more than enough. It has powerful features but I try
> > to keep it as simple as possible - both because i claim that users
> > dont need more[1], and because it should be as easy as possible to
> > parse.
> >
> > When this is said, it doesn't rule out that developers that want a
> > basic search feature in their music app/help browser <insert pet
> > peeve> can't use this language. There's still lots of functionality.
> >
> > I'm not saying that I didn't forget anything or didn't totally blow
> > it, so go ahead and gimme the flames!
>
> +1, no flames here
>
> I like the idea of using something more human-friendly. But you seem to
> have left out the grouping parentheses?
>
> type:audio (author=foo title=bar) or (author=bar title=foo)



That was on purpose. It kinda relates to [1] (below in the quote) . It
incurs a more complex syntax (meaning lots more coding work on the server
side), and I'm almost willing to bet that the only users using such a
feature are reading this mailing list :-)

If we are talking about an application that has specific needs to do complex
queries it should probably user the wasabi xml query language instead.

Also - there's nothing stopping a specific backend supporting this. I just
don't think it needs to be part of the standard. But I'm keen on hearing
more opinions on this.


> [1]: We actually have usability studies at work supporting this. Users
> > simply fire of lots of simple queries instead of doing one complex
> > one. Admit it - you do the same :-)
>
> About usability - I think having to change the Reply-To for each post to
> this list is somewhat odd :)



Hehe :-) Don't Reply-All work for you?


Cheers,
Mikkel
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