Re: Re: Barcode databases - the issues

[Stuart Grimshaw <stuart@xxxxxxx>]

On Monday 13 Oct 2003 10:30 am, mark_harrison_uk2 wrote:
> Maybe I'm missing the point here, but what is the purpose of doing
> this.

The same inspiration behind most HA, laziness :-) To save people from
havin=
g=20
to type it in if someone's already done it.

The idea is to provide a central repository of scanned barcodes &=20
descriptions. Other authers can then use this as mp3 rippers use cddb,
to=20
code their own apps, be they shopping list generators, recipie databases
or=
=20
what-have-you.

> To say that I can scan a product and find out what it is... well, if
> I look at the product I'm holding, I can see as well ?
>
> Is the intended application something like "scan every food
product
> you throw into the bin, and at the end of the week, print out a paper
> list of what you've thrown as a shopping reminder"?
>
> If that's ALL the expected use, then a "free format" on what
things
> are called would be fine. Otherwise, we need to work a little harder
> on consistency.

If the user of the end application is unhappy with the description given,
t=
hen=20
they can always edit it (if whatever app they're using allows it.)

> It's sort of like the "MP3 genre tags" problem with CDDB...
I
> say "rock", you say "prog rock", he says "70s
rock"... this is
> why "play by genre" is always confusing unless a single
person has
> genre-tagged, and why things like TagAndRename are so popular.

Totally.

> By all means, send me over the schema and I'll take a look.

Will do when I get a chance.