Re: approx searches (ITS#803)

[Martin Evans <M.D.T.Evans@qmw.ac.uk>]

Kurt@OpenLDAP.org wrote:
> 
> At 03:54 PM 10/4/00 +0000, M.D.T.Evans@qmw.ac.uk wrote:
> >"Kurt D. Zeilenga" wrote:
> >>
> >> At 03:27 PM 10/4/00 +0000, m.d.t.evans@qmw.ac.uk wrote:
> >> >Full_Name: Martin Evans
> >> >Version: 2.0.4
> >> >OS: Solaris and Linux
> >> >URL: ftp://ftp.openldap.org/incoming/
> >> >Submission from: (NULL) (138.37.8.180)
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >Fuzzy Matching in 2.0.4 appears not to work very well.
> >> >Approx searches for entries return no results
> >> >e.g. An exact match returns ok...
> >>
> >> The current approx matching code just uses equality matching.
> >> Phonetic/Soundex (or other) approximate matching codes need
> >> updating...  the --enable-phonetic config option is a no-op
> >> at present.
> >
> >How high is this on your priority list?
> 
> It's not even on MY (personal) priority list.  Others, however,
> have voiced that it is on THEIR (personal) priority lists.
> 
> >Is it likely to be fixed?
> 
> Note that implemented approximate matching isn't broken
> per LDAP/X.500 specifications.  I do, however, suspect
> someone will add improved approximate matching eventually.

Hmmm.

>
> Those interested in working on such should cooridinate
> activities on the developer's mailing list.

Ive cc'ed this to the openldap-developers list. There may be many more
people out there like me who just dont know that this feature has
disappeared in the 2.0.x releases. It certainly used to work in the
1.2.x releases. In many situations, a decent fuzzy matcher is a critical
feature of an ldap service - our college staff directory for one. In the
mean time we may have to return to a 1.2.x service until decent
approximate matching returns.

Regards,
Martin.

-- M.D.T.Evans - Computing Services - Queen Mary & Westfield College --