BurmaNet database

[ider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Dear BurmaNet Editor,

According to my experience, there is no user-friendly and
handy way to use a database in an automated query-reply
mode by email. 
For databases with an "unknown" content, the most convenient
way to search and pick the hits is the WWW-interface. This
solution puts a heavy workload on the owner.
Telnet is the most cumbersome of all. FTP is OK. Gopher is
somewhat taken over by WWW, but should be OK.
Considering, that WWW is not available to all, FTP or Gopher 
should be the option. In this case, I think Gopher
should be used, because it is accessible by WWW browsers
too. 

In the case of FTP, "talking" filenames shall be used.

I do not agree with the opinion I saw in a posting, that
only "newbies" use WWW. I only use FTP when I know exactly
what I want to download and only when it is a HUGE file
with tens of minutes of download time. FTP prevents the
data from being corrupted in the process of downloading,
so it is the appropriate tool to get softwares from the
net. Text files are not so vulnerable to damage. 

I think WWW is the best tool of all - if the homepage
owner makes the favor not stuffing it with pictures.
There are ready-made search engines too, with which 
the visitor can shift thorough the archives.


Imre Der
editor

MTI-Eco
Hungarian News Agency
Business Information Service