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From: Stephen Leake <Stephe.Leake@nasa.gov>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: webcheck utility released
Date: 18 Nov 2003 17:15:12 -0500
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"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