[Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service

[Dave Burnett]

Or the Dewey decimal analog maybe?

word=constructor&context=000.4352.7


From: Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk
To: xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 15:15:39 +0000
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service



It would work well enough to have the context related to a school in the University. We have 40 odd schools, covering most branches of knowledge, so Computer Science:constructor and Built Environment:constructor are different. Of course there may be different meanings within a school, but their students would probably benefit from seeing the other meanings in the context of the one searched for, and the glossary could allow them to explore the other domains as well. myglossary.php?word=constructor&context=compSci That would work perfectly well enough to progress the idea. From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Dave Burnett
Sent: 04 February 2011 15:10
To: Xerte list
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service I think we're away from the original thought though.

"In a general sense, a glossary contains explanations of concepts relevant to a certain field of study or action."

So by definition a glossary is context based.

If no context fits your particular application, make one up.
No one else will use it, but it is useful to you.

fabric:quality
cannabis:quality

The koala tea of Mersey is not strained.


From: Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk
To: xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 15:01:34 +0000
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web ServiceLet see if we can define ‘quality’… From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Alistair McNaught
Sent: 04 February 2011 14:40
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service This is a road to psychosis and hallucination. Trust me… From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Julian Tenney
Sent: 04 February 2011 13:30
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service Is there an agreed taxonomy for all words? From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Dave Burnett
Sent: 04 February 2011 13:29
To: Xerte list
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service 
Only way not to make a hash of it.

If the service has an API, could invoke a popup of taxonomy when a word is selected for application.
Let then pick from the available.
Doesn't exist, let them add it.From: Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk
To: xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 13:22:19 +0000
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web ServiceThen you need an agreed taxonomy for all words… From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Dave Burnett
Sent: 04 February 2011 13:21
To: Xerte list
Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service Maybe the client has to pass or set a global a disambiguation parameter:

programming:constructor

Else they get the whole list.




> From: Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk
> To: xerte at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 13:11:05 +0000
> Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service
> 
> Quite. You have to do:
> 
> Constuctor:
> 1. A man building something
> 2. The function that initiates a class in OOP
> 
> Which might render the whole thing useless. Normally my ever-so-simple ideas don't turn out to be so simple...
> 
> The word 'set' for example has 464 definitions...
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Fred Riley
> Sent: 04 February 2011 12:21
> To: Xerte discussion list
> Subject: [Xerte] Re: Dictionary Web Service
> 
> > I don't think the goal ought to be to try and produce a glossary of
> > everything. Relying on existing sources is problematic because often
> > folk want a particular definition, to highlight a particular point, or
> > to nuance the wording in a particular way. I'm thinking pretty lo-fi, a
> > database table with maybe as little as two fields 'word' and 'defn' and
> > some simple methods of adding words and finding defns. Then that
> > content can live outside of the actual content that presents it, and
> > that solves the problem of this stuff living inside pieces of content,
> > and makes it reusable...
> 
> I can see exactly what you're after, but I just don't think it would be that simple because glossary terms will have different definitions in different contexts. The term 'constructor', say, means one thing in a programming sense, another in a built environment sense, and probably appears in other subjects I know nothing about. Or take 'spin', which has a specific meaning in quantum physics, another in politics, another in engineering, and so on. So your database would have to cater for this. Then you'll have contributors arguing over correct definitions and you might get 'edit wars' as Wikipedia famously has unless you allow for multiple definitions by contributor (A says X means Y, but B says X means Z, etc) and maybe source as you'd not want to not use existing glossaries. I can see quite a few tables in any database. 
> 
> I'm not saying it's not feasible, I just don't think it'd be as wash 'n' go as you think. It is desirable, certainly, for the reasons you've outlined, and as you say would fit in nicely with the uni OER agenda. 
> 
> Fred
> 
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