I am developing a Web 2.0 (read: ajax-heavy application) and I would
like to know if several various services are available as either:
A)- A real XML Service API, such as the way Google's Web API is
(although please not with a daily limit like Google's)
B)- HTTP pages that are easily browsable/parseable/regular/predictable
enough in their responses that I COULD make requests against them with
XMLHTTPRequest and use a simple enough set of rules to parse the HTTP
response into the bits I am interested in.
The services I am looking for are:
1- A dictionary. A web service or web site that i could request with
a word and get a response back that somewhere contains its definition
and (this is also essential) the part of speech.
2- A thesaurus. Similar as above but I'd like to receive back as a
response possible alternatives for the word.
3- An encyclopedia. I would use Wikipedia, for instance, but their
database is too truly colossal to mirror (like several dozen gigs) and
they reject all automated requests, to boot.
Encarta seems to play along well enough, but it isn't very throrough-
any other suggestions?
4- Online academic journals, but free. I doubt there are too many of
these, but if any quality legal/medical/humanities etc online academic
journals exist that don't cost anything and respond well to an HTTP
request, I'd like to know about them.
What are my options for each of these above four categories- either as a real
Web Service, or a page that with a certain querystring will return
easily parseable responses? I'd like up to 3 or 4 possibilities for
each category, if that many exist, since I expect to encounter
numerous programming difficulties. Downloadable libraries are also
acceptable but not preferred.
P.S. By easily parseable/predictable response, I mean an HTTP page
that I could query with a certain set of parameters and the response
it gives back would have the information I desire always formatted in
a fairly standard way and in roughly the same place, so that I could
extract the information with a high percentage of success by using an
algorithm making heavy use of string functions and regular
expressions. As an example, using Dictionary.com as a reference this
way would score poorly under these criteria as far as I am concerned:
it gives back a predictable and regular response page with the
definition about half the time, but the other half of the time it
might take you through any number of intermediary pages asking for
clarification of the word. (In addition, just to point out,
Dictionary.com doesn't give parts of speech along with the word, which
is essential to my project).
P.P.S. Any word on when Google might raise the API search query limit
to above a thousand a day? Because I most definitely WILL sign up and
pay whatever it costs the minute they do. |
