Difference between revisions of "FeedFerret"

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(notes -> prototype; explanation of why MW)
(resolved redundancy; more explanation)
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* the ability to export the commentary in a format which the original sources could incorporate in their on-site comments (like [[trackback]]s)
 
* the ability to export the commentary in a format which the original sources could incorporate in their on-site comments (like [[trackback]]s)
  
All communication would be done using [[open format]]s (pre-existing where possible).
+
The basic design of FeedFerret will be platform-agnostic (any device could be a node); the only component which must be specified in detail is the data exchange format.
 +
 
 +
Since that is the key piece, it should use existing [[open format]]s as much as possible (starting with [[RSS]]/Atom), and where necessary extend an existing format rather than creating a completely new one.
  
 
With the addition of a [[blog]]ging feature, FeedFerret would then be one core component of a [[distributed social network]].
 
With the addition of a [[blog]]ging feature, FeedFerret would then be one core component of a [[distributed social network]].
 
==Prototype==
 
==Prototype==
Since [[MediaWiki]] is what I know, I'm going to develop my prototype as a MediaWiki extension -- but the concept should be platform-independent; the data-exchange format is the key piece.
+
Although any device could be a node, I will be focusing on web servers initially as the fastest way to start creating a network.
  
Since that is the key piece, it should use existing [[open format]]s as much as possible (starting with [[RSS]]/Atom), and where necessary extend an existing format rather than creating a completely new one.
+
Since [[MediaWiki]] is what I know, I'm going to develop my prototype as a MediaWiki extension -- but the concept should be platform-independent (as explained above).
  
 
Software components to be adapted:
 
Software components to be adapted:

Revision as of 02:20, 17 August 2011

About

FeedFerret is a proposal for web-based feed-aggregation software with some additional features not generally found in feed aggregators:

  • the ability for users to comment on feed items
  • the ability for users to categorize/tag feed items
  • the ability to see what comments others have left on items, and respond to those comments in a threaded way
  • the ability to export the commentary in a format which the original sources could incorporate in their on-site comments (like trackbacks)

The basic design of FeedFerret will be platform-agnostic (any device could be a node); the only component which must be specified in detail is the data exchange format.

Since that is the key piece, it should use existing open formats as much as possible (starting with RSS/Atom), and where necessary extend an existing format rather than creating a completely new one.

With the addition of a blogging feature, FeedFerret would then be one core component of a distributed social network.

Prototype

Although any device could be a node, I will be focusing on web servers initially as the fastest way to start creating a network.

Since MediaWiki is what I know, I'm going to develop my prototype as a MediaWiki extension -- but the concept should be platform-independent (as explained above).

Software components to be adapted:

  • Extension:RSS: RSS/Atom reader for MediaWiki -- mainly useful as sample RSS/Atom reader code. If it already stores the feed data, then that's a good start, but I think I want it to create a permanent wiki page for each feed item (for a number of reasons), and I doubt it does that.
    • This would be the first of several "feed interface drivers", eventually including drivers for Facebook, Google+, etc. so they can be at least read-only (and maybe writable somehow). Is there an API for G+ yet?

Software components I'm currently hunting down:

  • a MediaWiki hook that will let me periodically poll each RSS feed in turn (I know there is something like this which is triggered, I think, every time a page is viewed, because MW uses it to run jobs in the "job queue").
  • Semantic MediaWiki API. I will probably need to be able to output custom formats for the /talkback and other feeds.

Other stuff to be done:

  • LiquidThreads needs to be callable from non-talk pages. They may be working on this, and they may get to it before I do. Probably their implementation will not be as flexible as what I need. Not sure what I need yet, but it needs to be flexible.