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DMOZ Cuts - new versions

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DMOZ Cuts - new versions
I have made new versions of the DMOZ directory this week.

The cuts are the same as before, top-level cuts, and are available through my website.

I'm sending out a bunch tonight, so get your orders in if you want them.

I'm also experimenting with custom cuts, that is, just the sub-trees -- for example -- if you wanted
only one specific sub-tree of a site, like Regional/Ohio (or whatever that would be). I had some moderate success with yanking out "crystal" topics, and setting up http://crystalharvest.com/...in/LinkSQL2/page.cgi, which is another rock/mineral site. I spent about 10 minutes creating, moving and merging categories after the import to get a better layout. Total time on this "template" site was about 45 minutes. (I'm trying to get this sort of thing down to an art & a science :)) It's not a work of art, and a few of the options don't yet work, but it let me test out what I needed to test out, and I have a mostly working site in the balance. This sort of "practice" is where I get the tools and information for answering questions, and working on plugins and mods.

If I can get enough orders/interest, I can still work on a true custom export/import utility, such that I'll import the DOMZ directory to a virgin site every few weeks, and can export links based on search criteria.

Depending on the export format, it could then be imported "intelligently" into your running site, such that duplicate links (urls) are not inserted, but new ones are.

The ultimate goal would be to be able to do searches, see links with [] boxes next to them, select the ones you want, and have them written to an import file. When your session was done, it would zip it up, and email or download it to you, for import into your site.

This really shouldn't be too hard. Technically, it's a few changes to the templates, and a bit of voodoo to create an export format that can be used by the importer program intelligently (pretty much sticking the category name on the link for export, and parsing it out for import).

The _BIG_ factor is HORSEPOWER. This would require a high-end machine, and that costs $$$ (yeah, three $$$ should do it). I priced out a server from a couple of vendors (excluding SUN), and in a non-Sparc archetecture it came out to between $5 and $6k for a properly configured system. Add to that a $250/month hosting fee, and it comes out to just under $10k for the first year, or about $15k for two years. I can't foot that sort of bill, and I don't think my $5 handling fee for shipping out these cuts will ever cover it either. This goes back to a post I made maybe even 6 months ago, that custom cuts would have to be in the nature of $75 to $125 each. I'd need 3 or 4 of them a month just to keep the server on-line, and closer to 10 a month to actually cover the machine costs and maint fees. I need to tell you... that while 10 a month doesn't seem like much, we ain't even _close_ to that.

I'd love to provide on-line business solutions, and problem solving to the Links SQL community, but can't without the support of that community. I'm building a new Links SQL site just about every week, to test out new features, and try installing the plugins in a non-modified site. Each site is working site, and often starts with a custom Dmoz import. Additionally, I have 1000's of domains I'd like to set up, so I have a need (read motivation) to develop a parser/importer like this. What is missing is the economic motivation (read commercial demand or viability) for such a project. --- That, the members of the Links SQL community need to provide.



PUGDOGŪ Enterprises, Inc.
FAQ:http://LinkSQL.com/FAQ
Plugins:http://LinkSQL.com/plugin
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Re: DMOZ Cuts - new versions In reply to
My server does not have telnet access. Do I need this for the dmoz cuts. Sorry if this question has been answered, but after all the hours I have spent reading these boards, I can't remember what I've read any more. If so, is there any way around this?

Thanks Lennie

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Re: DMOZ Cuts - new versions In reply to
Yes, the nph-import.cgi has to be run from telnet to import the DMOZ data.

Before I got knocked out, I was working on a way to offer pre-digested content, but I'm so far behind now in my daily stuff, I don't know where this project sits any more.

I wanted to offer cuts of the DMOZ, based on criteria that a site had, and offer it as an importable set of data. Unfortunately, being out of work for a month, I no longer have the resources (time/money) to do this, or even plan to do this. This whole group of projects had to be shelved. I've also had to shelve all the side things I was fiddling with, and all I'm concentrating on is the file upload /image processing programs.

I'll still haunt these forums, but it would be nice if some young blood would start to do some projects, and let us older dogs offer advice on the sticky parts.



PUGDOGŪ Enterprises, Inc.
FAQ:http://LinkSQL.com/FAQ
Plugins:http://LinkSQL.com/plugin
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Re: DMOZ Cuts - new versions In reply to
Hi lennie,

I've actually been making DMOZ "cuts" for a while and they don't require nph-import or telnet access to install as they are in MySQL dump format and so if you have MySQLMan (or another web-based mysql script) installed then you can just use the import facility to import from the file (although telnet may be necessary to prevent timeouts).


Mods:http://wiredon.net/gt/download.shtml
Installations:http://wiredon.net/gt/
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Re: DMOZ Cuts - new versions In reply to
Hey Paul,

I am very interested in your DMOZ cuts Top/Arts (/Movies, if you have cut that far) Where, when how much? Cheers!

Lennie

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Re: DMOZ Cuts - new versions In reply to
Hi,

I can either give you the whole arts category for a certain fee or I can break it down further into sub-categories but that will cost more as I have to import each category individually.

If interested you can pm me or email pwilson@wiredon.net


Mods:http://wiredon.net/gt/download.shtml
Installations:http://wiredon.net/gt/