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The Software Internet Database
Larry points out an interesting project called The Software Internet Database, the goal of which "is to compile the largest database of software titles and credits on the Internet. This includes all types of software such as operating systems, security, financial, mapping, browsers, video editing, games, word processing, and more. They have made a good start but still need more titles. Please take some time to submit missing titles so that they may compile the database faster." It would be informative to have a subway-map overhead view to know which of these are still available from their makers,have been folded into other products, or are now abandonware.
Makes picking a name for a new project much easier, if you have the names of what exists in what genre.
It only has somewhere between 100-200 titles... closer to 100. I can't even tell how many exactly, because their search tool is broken (can't go beyond the first page).
Search for an empty string (like I did) and it dumps the entire list.
Also their idea of web design leaves much to be desired. Who the hell stuck that black and gray logo on a white and off-white page? If they changed one to match the other it would look much better.
This seems like a good concept. The search feature on sourceforge and other software sites always seems a little dated. Searching for video editing software brings every file with the words "video" and "editing". Not really very helpful. For example, It took quite some time to find some OCR software on there two weeks ago. Sorting and arranging these programs by type should streamline the process.
Is there supposed to be some kind of incentive for us to contribute to this effort? Will the info always be freely available? How can we be sure of that? What are they planning to do with the info? What is the business? Just selling ads? How do we know this isn't another Gracenote stunt? Why is this even posted here with so little info?
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
sourceforge.net, freshmeat.net, tinyapps.org, packetstormsecurity.org, etc, etc have been around for a number of years and do this task well.
I think you are missing the point. This site intends to have all software and its current status. Sourceforge.net and freshmeat.net generally only have OSS software. Tinyapps.org has hardly anything and what they do have only focus's on software with a small footprint. Packetstorm is really only security software.
What I think that the authors of this site envision is more of a Home of the Underdogs type site (without the downloads of course) but listing every piece of software ever made. That would be awesome in my opinion.
Slashdot is news for nerds, not information for nerds. I guess we just learned the difference. ;)
Developers: We can use your help.
FTF Post above ...
... submit some crap ... and then this crappy search engine will return results for things like Linux, Windows, Netscape, Gimp, Photoshop, Vmware, Inkscape
... they're great idea to create this super-huge database was spoiled by the fact they realized it would take forever to enter in all the data ... Solution: post an article on /. asking for them to submit data
They have made a good start but still need more titles. Please take some time to submit missing titles so that they may compile the database faster."
Get busy
From my perspective
I though we already have one.