Oddsock committed the new YP directory server code to the Icecast2 server today. While this feature makes icecast2 far more useful as a production MP3/OGG streaming server, it got me thinking about how YP metadata can be improved…
I’m suprised that the HTTP/GET method of notifying YP servers is still
preferred. According to this protocol, we’re still limited to essentially
title/author, listeners, etc. In other words, we’re still constrained by
what information is accepted by the YP server.
I’ve been thinking that a more XML-like approach could offer more
flexibility on the part of what a icecast server can/wants to submit to a
YP server, and out of that, what a YP server can/wants to accept, store,
and then show to web browsers that search it’s database.
For instance, in the OGG “ID3” tag format, you can define any arbitrary
field names in the tag that you want – but you still have several
standardized ones such as ARTIST, TITLE, YEAR, etc. but you’re still left
with the flexibility of defining tags that carry other perhaps useful
information… this is what I’m referring to re: extensible YP server
data.
So a icecast update to a YP server could look like so:
<xml>
<stream_ID>45678</stream_ID>
<listeners>12 20</listeners>
<artist>Shpongle</artist>
<title>Around the world in a tea daze</title>
<composer>Simon Posford & Raja Ram</composer>
<recording_label>Twisted Records</recording_label>
<recroding_catID>TWSCD16</recording_catID>
<year>2001</year>
</xml>
And then the YP server can take that, parse out what it specifically can
work with and throw away what it can’t.
So ultimately, if all of those above example fields were accepted by the
YP server, it would output something like this to web browsers that access the YP site:
Radio Spliff is currently playing Shpongle – Around the world in a tea daze. Released in 2001 by Twisted Records (TWSCD16). Composed by Simon Posford & Raja Ram. There are currently 12 listeners out of 20.
I guess you may get my drift. I’m just saying that the capacity and
opportunity exists to make YP servers more educated about what’s playing
out there :) why not take advantage of it?