Server upgrades: May 2008

[Robert Brook]

We thought you might like to know how we're going about the next phase
of work on the Hansard Prototype. Here's a basic outline of what we're
up to in the first couple of weeks of May:

- we have a new method of matching and reconciling speaker names,
which we're testing out locally

- we're building two new servers (not real ones, virtual ones) ready
for the code to de deployed

- we're preparing to move a lot more of the XML source files into the
application

- we'll be delopying the code to the new servers ...

- ... then a small set of sample data

- ... then running the parser

- ... then the larger data set and a final parser run

... all of which should mean a substantially improved application by
the end of May. Hopefully!

We're not decided yet as to the new speaker name matching code. We'll
see how it performs before making it public.

Thanks again for all the feedback and comments we've had. Please feel
free to make any suggestions, no matter how minor they may seem.

Robert Brook

[Robert Brook]

Well, we managed it. The site is now a new server - and you should see
a few changes.

We know the site looks a litle odd in places. We hope to continue
refining the appearance in the coming weeks.

There may be a slight delay in serving pages as content gets cached.