Abstract In this paper we report on our experience using WebSQL, a high level declarative query language for extracting information from the Web. WebSQL takes advantage of multiple index servers without requiring users to know about them, and integrates full-text with topology-based queries. The WebSQL query engine is a library of Java classes, and WebSQL queries can be embedded into Java programs much in the same way as SQL queries are embedded in C programs. This allows us to access the Web from Java at a much higher level of abstraction than bare HTTP requests. We illustrate the use of WebSQL for application development by describing two applications we are experimenting with: Web site maintenance and specialized index construction. We also sketch several other possible applications. Using the library, we have also implemented a client-server architecture that allows us to perform interactive intelligent searches on the Web from an applet running on a browser.
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