Encyclosearch

Encyclosearch is a web application designed to search multiple online encyclopedias at once ^[1]. Unlike general web web search engines that deal with very diverse web resources, Encyclosearch is focused on encyclopedic content. Search results of Encyclosearch are not distorted by advertisements and search-engine optimization (SEO) methods to attract visitors.

Encyclosearch

. The logo of Encyclosearch
Screenshot
Type of site	Distributed networking
Country of origin	United States
Owner	Knowledge Standards Foundation
Created by	Henry Sanger, Larry Sanger, Sergei Chekanov
Website	Encyclosearch.org
Commercial	No
Launched	March 30, 2021; 22 months ago (2021-03-30)
Current status	Active
Written in	Java

Encyclosearch is "search on search" using different types of search technologies from different encyclopedias, therefore, Encyclosearch allows a broad coverage of possible search outcomes. At the same time, Encyclosearch is a one-stop website that allows searches in online encyclopedic resources spanning a large range of different article-acceptance and editorial policies. This helps accessing content with less censorship and more freedom in expressing opinion.

Supported encyclopedias

Encyclosearch, in its original version (March 30, 2021), supported the following encyclopedias:

• Wikipedia - general topics
• Britannica - general topics (commercial)
• Citizendium - general topics
• HandWiki - computing and general science
• Scholarpedia - general science
• Ballotpedia - politics
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - topics related to philosophy
• EduTechWiki - education

In the case of Britannica, the Encyclosearch points to pages which are accessible through subscription.

Software implementation

The original version of Encyclosearch was written in Java. The version was designed to work using using the Spark server and JavaFX components. The version uses Java threading technology to speed up interactions with search engines of supported encyclopedias and a caching technology. Unlike a similar project, called FactSeek (launched by the same team in December 30, 2020), Encyclosearch does not use HTTPS, PHP and the Apache server.

History

Encyclosearch was created by Henry Sanger and Larry Sanger. A version based on a similar Java search algorithm was deployed on a web server using PHP components by Sergei Chekanov in December 30, 2020. The name of the PHP-based version was FactSeek. The Encyclosearch and FactSeek were affiliated by the Encyclosphere project and the Knowledge Standards Foundation (KSF).

References