December 19, 2006

DMOZ back online

by Brian Turner

Computers & Internet

DMOZ – the Open Directory Project – has recovered it’s editor server.

It comes after almost 2 months of DMOZ editors being unable to log in due to serious technical problems.

Issues still remain – for example, site suggestion, update listing, editor application, and abuse reporting, are not currently working.

The recovery comes only a day after DMOZ founder Rich Skrenka stated that DMOZ is dead.

However, the fact that DMOZ scripts are being recovered suggests that AOL staff are continuing to work to recover the site’s functions, albeit slowly.

While the faith of existing staff appears to have been given hope, the recent technical problems at DMOZ have resulted in wider internet communities asking what the value of DMOZ is for a modern internet.

Originally founded in 1998, it was built at a time when search engines were primitive, and directories were the consequential way to locate websites and information.

However, since then, internet search engines have become far more sophisticated, and directories have seen a decline in focus.

Community projects such as Wikipedia, have become the much vaunted “next generation” of user editorial contribution, not least due to it’s greater transparency.

However, with DMOZ struggling to get back into it’s feet as it is, it seems unlikely that we’re going to see any revolutionary changes at DMOZ anytime soon.

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