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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Adding improved file search to KDE
From:       Damien Uern <morpheus_2606 () internode ! on ! net>
Date:       2004-06-17 11:49:08
Message-ID: 200406172119.42565.morpheus_2606 () internode ! on ! net
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On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 08:41 am, Jonathan Gardner wrote:
> On the KDE usability lists, one of our illustrious imaginators wanted to
> push for better file searching. I've done a lot of work with PostgreSQL and
> I feel I have a good grasp on database topics and how they can tie into
> search.
>
> Let me break this up into 2 parts. The first part is the "big picture".
> This is where we can be at one day, in the not too distant future. The
> second part is the "next step". This is what we can do next to move towards
> the "big picture".
>
> Files should exist independent of the actual filesystem. In other words,
> the filesystem should be one way of many to find a file.
>
> We store thoughts by context. We store a ton of metadata for each memory or
> idea, and we access them by index on these metadata. We do a search, "Show
> me that time I went to Hawaii and we were on the beach last year" and we
> get back a good candidate result with an option to think harder and come up
> with something else, or to change our search parameters "No, it was when I
> was with my wife."

 [SNIP]...
> Any thoughts?

Well I remember seeing a screenshot of a new KDE Control centre that had 
prominent searching features built in. I'm thinking that the user profiling 
part of what you're proposing could be used for both settings and help. So 
one could do a search in "Personal Files" and "Settings and Help". It could 
use some natural language and "page ranking" to deliver useful results. One 
could say:

"How do I change my portrait on the login screen?"

and it could display relevant help, as well as display a hyperlink that loads  
the relevant control module (perhaps even a little mng animation showing the 
user how to navigate to the control panel, if it helps). It could also send 
anonymous search statistics to kde.org to improve future versions of the 
search database shipped with KDE (able to be turned off if the user is of the 
tin-foil hat wearing type).

Receiving search statistics also has the extra benefit that it gives kde devs 
an overview as to what options users are having difficulty finding. It would 
mostly be novice users that would use such search functions after spending 
time looking for the option manually (and failing to find it).

Cheers,

Damien

- -- 
 Fry: I refuse to testify on the grounds that my organs will be 
   chopped up into a patty. 
 Judge Whitey: Ah, the sixty-seventh ammendment. 
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