Re: Re-approaching package tagging

[swedebugia <swedebugia@riseup.net>]

On 2018-12-18 08:48, Catonano wrote:
> 
> 
> Il giorno lun 17 dic 2018 alle ore 22:10 swedebugia 
> <swedebugia@riseup.net <mailto:swedebugia@riseup.net>> ha scritto:
> 
>     Hi :)
> 
>     On 2018-12-17 20:01, Christopher Lemmer Webber wrote:
>      > Hello,
>      >
>      > In the past when we've discussed package tagging, I think Ludo'
>     has been
>      > against it, primarily because it's a giant source of bikeshedding.  I
>      > agree that it's a huge space for bikeshedding... no space
>     provides more
>      > bikeshedding than naming things, and tagging things is a many to many
>      > naming system.
>      >
>      > However, I will say that finding packages based on topical
>     interest is
>      > pretty hard right now.  If I want to find all the available
>     roguelikes:
>      >
>      > cwebber@jasmine:~$ guix package -A rogue
>      > hyperrogue    10.5    out     gnu/packages/games.scm:3652:2
>      > roguebox-adventures   2.2.1   out     gnu/packages/games.scm:1047:2
>      >
>      > Hm, that's strange, there's definitely more roguelikes that
>     should show
>      > up than that!  A more specific search is even worse:
>      >
>      > cwebber@jasmine:~$ guix package -A roguelike
>      > cwebber@jasmine:~$
>      >
>      > What I should have gotten back:
>      >   - angband
>      >   - cataclysm-dda
>      >   - crawl
>      >   - crawl-tiles
>      >   - hyperrogue
>      >   - nethack
>      >   - roguebox-adventures
>      >   - tome4
>      >
>      > So I only got 1/4 of the entries I was interested in in my first
>     query.
>      > Too bad!
>      >
>      > I get that we're opening up space for bikeshedding and *that's true*.
>      > But it seems like not doing so makes things hard on users.
>      >
>      > What do you think?  Is there a way to open the (pandora's?) box
>     of tags
>      > safely?
> 
>     Yes and no.
> 
>     Pjotr and I have discussed this relating to biotech software. He said
>     that many scientists have a hard time finding the right tools for
>     the job.
> 
>     I proposed tight integration with wikidata[1] (every software in the
>     world will eventually have an item there) and Guix (QID on every
>     package
>     and lookup/catogory integration) and leave all the categorizing to
>     them.
>     Ha problem sidestepped, they are bikeshedding experts over there in
>     wikiland! :D
> 
>     The advantage of this is that everyone using wikidata (every package
>     manager) could pull the same categorization so we only do it once in a
>     central
> 
>     What do you think?
> 
>     -- 
> 
> 
> 
> There is also the Free Software Directory
> https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page
> 
> I don't know what the relationship between Wikidata and the FSD is
> 
> Does Wikidata import data from the FSD ? Or viceversa ?
> 

I don't know. For now at least they keep reference to the FSD on 
software-entries that exists in the FSD.

We could integrate the FSD also but I have yet to investigate if they 
provide an API for their entries.

Anyways I view FSD as a subset of Wikidata/Wikipedia. Wikidata is the 
node and FSD the leaf. Wikidata/Wikipedia will probably within a few 
years contain the data or links to the data that now exists in the FSD.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the only advantage of FSD over Wikidata & 
Wikipedia is that they do not include references to proprietary software 
at all.

In my view it is more feasible to compile the information on in a 
structured way in central node and then pull the relevant bits to the leaf.

E.g. FSD of the future could be generated from all wikidata-entries and 
extracts of wikipedia that are an instance of 
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q341. This would avoid fragmentation and 
help concentrate on building a large shared collective source of all 
knowledge within the wiki-community. FSD could exist anyhow and surely 
help enrich the upstream data.

Similarly we could generate a wikipedia subset without any entries 
pointing to (evil) private corporations (any entries that is part of 
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5621421 or whatever). I can't imagine 
what this would be good for but it its possible.

I cannot imagine that the information in FSD would not be accepted in 
any of the wikimedia projects. I could be wrong though as I honestly did 
not visit or study the FSD very much.

-- 
Cheers Swedebugia