webcheck utility released

webcheck utility released

[Stephen Leake]

I've released version 1.0 of "webcheck"; a utility that finds and
reports bad links on web sites.

See http://www.toadmail.com/~ada_wizard/

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: webcheck utility released

[Randy Brukardt]

"Stephen Leake" <Stephe.Leake@nasa.gov> wrote in message
news:ullqd3ax0.fsf@nasa.gov...
> I've released version 1.0 of "webcheck"; a utility that finds and
> reports bad links on web sites.
>
> See http://www.toadmail.com/~ada_wizard/

I'm curious why you felt the need to build such a program from scratch
rather than using Tom Moran's Finder, which does that (and has for a long
time). (You can find it on AdaPower.) Tom's program checks local links, but
also checks foreign links, including those to FTP sites, and also handles
cookies so that sites that only work when cookies are accepted get properly
checked.

I used (with help from Tom) Finder as the basis of the indexer for the Ada
Search Engine on AdaIC.

                    Randy.

Re: webcheck utility released

[Stephen Leake]

"Randy Brukardt" <randy@rrsoftware.com> writes:

> "Stephen Leake" <Stephe.Leake@nasa.gov> wrote in message
> news:ullqd3ax0.fsf@nasa.gov...
> > I've released version 1.0 of "webcheck"; a utility that finds and
> > reports bad links on web sites.
> >
> > See http://www.toadmail.com/~ada_wizard/
> 
> I'm curious why you felt the need to build such a program from scratch
> rather than using Tom Moran's Finder, which does that (and has for a long
> time). (You can find it on AdaPower.) Tom's program checks local links, but
> also checks foreign links, including those to FTP sites, and also handles
> cookies so that sites that only work when cookies are accepted get properly
> checked.

I started with Tom's finder, but couldn't stand his coding style. I
could not figure out how to make it use the file: scheme as well as
http. I spent at least a full week on it; I eventually found it easier
to start over. Tom's finder does have features that webcheck lacks
(because I did not need them), and vice versa (because I did need them
:). 

Which is one point in the Ada library debate; if I can't read and
understand a library, I won't use it, no matter how many people claim
it's good. Hmm. Unless I can get a good support contract with the
authors; then I'll use it without reading it.

> I used (with help from Tom) Finder as the basis of the indexer for
> the Ada Search Engine on AdaIC.

Glad to hear it is useful.

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: webcheck utility released

[tmoran]

> > I've released version 1.0 of "webcheck"; a utility that finds and
> > reports bad links on web sites.
> >
> > See http://www.toadmail.com/~ada_wizard/
> I'm curious why you felt the need to build such a program from scratch
> rather than using Tom Moran's Finder, which does that (and has for a long
   The webcheck site graciously references Finder and indicates some ways
it's built differently.

Re: webcheck utility released

[tmoran]

>I started with Tom's finder, but couldn't stand his coding style.
  Sorry to hear that.

>could not figure out how to make it use the file: scheme as well as http.
  The Workers task has
        if Scheme = "ftp:" then  ...
        elsif Scheme /= "http:" then  ...  (mailto etc)
        else -- Scheme is http   ...
(currently, at any rate.  I think that was the same in the adapower version)
I never implemented a "file:" scheme since it was simpler to just run
smplsrvr on a directory and do "finder 127.0.0.1".

>Which is one point in the Ada library debate; if I can't read and
>understand a library, I won't use it, no matter how many people claim
  And this is another point in the library debate: people will make
their own if they don't like/don't understand/aren't fully satisfied by
the existing library.