TheBigDB
Data
crowdsourced fact database
SHOW HN2013
133points
76comments
#158of 1,739 in 2013
Top 10%of 2013 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
7 positive, 17 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 13 critical, out of 39 comments about the project. Thread score -0.10.
Idea: 5 for, 9 againstDesign: 1 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Simple API makes it easy for developers to use
From 2 comments
Congrats, it looks great. So, if I understand correctly, it let people crowdsource any kind of structured and descriptive data ?
oelmekki on HNExcellent! I've been working on something similar. Trying to come up with a schema that is data-centric is hard enough let alone focusing on the ease of use by developers. Good…
namank on HN
Open alternative to Google-style knowledge is a worthwhile goal
From 1 comment
Great. It may offer a good way to build some kind of open alternative to google now.
oelmekki on HN
Objections
Without standard conventions for predicates and dates, data becomes messy and inconsistent
From 2 comments
Comparison with Freebase: > Simpler structure: There are no datatypes, namespaces, lists, domains. Just ordered nodes. Having a dead simple structure like that allows developers…
crazygringo on HNFormer Freebase, current Google engineer here: First of all, let me say that I'm glad more people are thinking/working in the space of triples. Even unstructured ones like this.…
barakm on HN
Lacks context and disambiguation (e.g. Apple the company vs fruit)
From 1 comment
This is stupid. I hate to say it, but by taking all of the complexity out of Freebase, they forgot the problem Freebase was trying to solve: Semantic integration Right on the…
JPKab on HN
Data license unclear; not open for reuse
From 1 comment
Is it possible to download all data and use it under some open license (like CC-BY)? I can't find data license terms. If no, then sorry, freebase is vastly superior IMHO - from…
kmike84 on HN
Time-dependent facts and immutability are problematic
From 3 comments
Facts don't change.
DanWaterworth on HN> The easiest example is this: We're in 2010. X has been married to Y since 2009; In the DB it would be represented exactly like that: a "from" time period, no "to" time period,…
hcarvalhoalves on HN> I can be wrong, but being in a state of marriage with Y is a fact. This is akin to your bank storing the total amount of your account in their database, instead of the…
hcarvalhoalves on HN
Requests
Release the source code as open source
From 1 comment
Any chance to release this as an open source? For example, people would like to have installed in their servers and use it for their own things. I think it would be useful for…
pmtarantino on HN
Add a demo query box on the site
From 1 comment
I appreciate any new service that attempts to organize data / information. With that in mind, I hope this succeeds. A suggestion: it needs a demo query box on the site. Shouldn't…
adventured on HN
Support downloading all data under an open license
From 2 comments
Is it possible to download all data and use it under some open license (like CC-BY)? I can't find data license terms. If no, then sorry, freebase is vastly superior IMHO - from…
kmike84 on HNDo you support downloads of the data?
hnriot on HN
Show recent facts added
From 1 comment
You should have a list of the most recent facts added to give people a taste of what's in the database.
ximeng on HN
Questions
How does it differ from Freebase and Wikidata?
From 3 comments
Comparison with Freebase: > Simpler structure: There are no datatypes, namespaces, lists, domains. Just ordered nodes. Having a dead simple structure like that allows developers…
crazygringo on HNReminds me of Freebase. They built a huge data-set as well as tools and an api to access themselves. Have you talked to anyone on the team? (they are now at Google) How would you…
vineet on HNAlso quite similar to freebase: http://www.freebase.com/
c0n5pir4cy on HN
How will context be handled for ambiguous entities?
From 2 comments
This is stupid. I hate to say it, but by taking all of the complexity out of Freebase, they forgot the problem Freebase was trying to solve: Semantic integration Right on the…
JPKab on HNWhat you're talking about is the larger problem of "context". Thankfully, I already wrote the code and the documentation to attach statements to contexts, solving this problem in…
christophe971 on HN
Alternatives named
Freebase
From 2 comments
Former Freebase, current Google engineer here: First of all, let me say that I'm glad more people are thinking/working in the space of triples. Even unstructured ones like this.…
barakm on HNAlso quite similar to freebase: http://www.freebase.com/
c0n5pir4cy on HN
Wikidata
From 1 comment
One nice property of the Wikidata database is that it is a "secondary database. Wikidata will record not just statements, but their sources, thus reflecting the diversity of…
troymc on HN
Cyc / OpenCyc
From 1 comment
Sounds like a much simplified version of Douglas Lenat's Cyc project [1], which has been going since the mid eighties and is attempting to build a structured…
andyjohnson0 on HN
NELL
From 1 comment
See NELL. The never ending language learner.
tlarkworthy on HN