🚀 go-pugleaf

Archive-name: auto/comp.infosystems.gopher/A-Gopher-gateway-to-Ph

After Gopher '92 and seeing the X.500 to Gopher gateway, I
decided to write a Ph (CSO name server) to Gopher gateway. Both
gateways incorporate the I concept of using existing parts of
the Gopher protocol to access new information sources or
services. Since searching and navigation are part of the Gopher
protocol it makes sense to use these with Ph. Thus Phq.

Phq is a Gopher server that knows how to respond to search,
folder, and file requests with information from Ph. Search
(type 7) and folder (type 1) requests return a list of Gopher
files (type 0) derived from Ph records that match the given
query. File (type 0) requests return a Ph record.

You can use folders for navigation. For example, our Gopher
server has the link

Name=News Bureau Staff
Type=1
Path=1department="News Bureau"
Host=gopher.brown.edu
Port=1070

This link is displayed as a folder on the client. Opening the
folder, the client sees a list of the News Bureau staff. This
staff listing is infact the result of a Ph query. Opening one
of the list's items will display that staffer's Ph entry.

Searching requires that you have a search link, for example

Name=Search Brown's Online Directory
Type=7
Path=7
Host=gopher.brown.edu
Port=1070

Try Phq out and see if you like it. Phq is a simple server with
little error handling. If Brown decides to use it, I will
strengthen it. Since all Ph servers are a little different, you
might have to modify the code a little to work with your Ph
server. What to modify is documented in the source.

Phq is available via anonymous FTP at ftp.brown.edu
/pub/gopher/phq.tar.Z.

--
Andrew Gilmartin
Computing & Information Services
Brown University

Andrew_Gilmartin@Brown.Edu