[Search-l] Widgets

[Jimmy Wales]

Aerik Sylvan wrote:
> Hmm... couldn't you use a Google Maps API call (JS) to get the lat lang, 
> then call the NOAA feed?  I haven't looked at the NOAA feed at all, 
> but...  Then we cache the lat/lang in a cookie or something, to avoid a 
> gazillion calls.  Might be a little tricky with pure javascript, if the 
> NOAA feed is only xml and not JSON, but...

I am 100% all for this, and I am also a free software and free data 
fanatic, and would love to see a way to make all of this available under 
a free license.

So calling external APIs to proprietary servcies to make life better is 
great -- we are doing this now, calling Yahoo BOSS when we have no 
results -- but it is only great as long as we keep firmly focussed on: 
how can we also replace this with something really open and free.