@bookwyrm@tech.lgbt @masukomi@connectified.com @kallekn@mastodonsweden.se thing is, Amazon's data isn't free, so the bookwyrm project can't just fetch it without licensing. that's why the function is missing.
(private persons doing that with unofficial browser plugins is of course another story, they can do whatever without implicating the whole project for corporate scrutiny.)
Finna data is different because it is indeed licensed for free use.
@bookwyrm@tech.lgbt @masukomi@connectified.com @kallekn@mastodonsweden.se thing is, Amazon's data isn't free, so the bookwyrm project can't just fetch it without licensing. that's why the function is missing.
(private persons doing that with unofficial browser plugins is of course another story, they can do whatever without implicating the whole project for corporate scrutiny.)
Finna data is different because it is indeed licensed for free use.
So, yes and no.
the API isn't free.
HOWEVER, the USER reading public information from their web page IS _and_ the user of a browser extension is always the USER not the person / co that created it.
So, while IANAL, there should be no legal problem with making a separate tool that is NOT executed by any BookWyrm instance. The user is copying data Amazon has freely given them
1/2
HOWEVER The downside to this is that since we're only using public data on web pages we're using screen-scraping, which is effing brittle and WILL break the next time Amazon redesigns their web site in a way that changes the CSS IDs or selectors that an extension would need to use.
Fortunately I separated that stuff out to make it trivial to update when that happens, and to improve when/if extraction bugs are found.
2/2
HOWEVER The downside to this is that since we're only using public data on web pages we're using screen-scraping, which is effing brittle and WILL break the next time Amazon redesigns their web site in a way that changes the CSS IDs or selectors that an extension would need to use.
Fortunately I separated that stuff out to make it trivial to update when that happens, and to improve when/if extraction bugs are found.
2/2
@kallekn @Stoori @bookwyrm RE supporting other sites.
3 thoughts:
1. the extension is _currently_ designed to just handle scraping from 1 site (or any site with the same HTML structure)
2. It's actually trivial to modify to create a variant for another site (if you know JS) & I would _highly_ encourage people to fork it and make some.
3. ⚠️ TONS of authors ONLY publish on Amazon. I'd support kobo.com for ex. BUT so many books aren't there.
DM me if interested in making a variant.
@kallekn @Stoori @bookwyrm RE supporting other sites.
3 thoughts:
1. the extension is _currently_ designed to just handle scraping from 1 site (or any site with the same HTML structure)
2. It's actually trivial to modify to create a variant for another site (if you know JS) & I would _highly_ encourage people to fork it and make some.
3. ⚠️ TONS of authors ONLY publish on Amazon. I'd support kobo.com for ex. BUT so many books aren't there.
DM me if interested in making a variant.
