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Here is the context: https://twitter.com/owenboswarva/status/1173127802717114368 https://twitter.com/owenboswarva/status/1173127802717114368 TL;DR: A UK based

by dsl 7y ago

Here is the context: https://twitter.com/owenboswarva/status/1173127802717114368 https://twitter.com/owenboswarva/status/1173127802717114368 TL;DR: A UK based startup "invented" a way to represent a lat/lng with three words. They patented it. Someone created whatfreewords.org, a clean room reimplementation and open sourced it. W3W's lawyers appears to be going to great lengths to ensure nobody finds out that it exists.

blacksmith_tb 7y ago
I see the whatfreewords web api is down, I was wondering if their re-implementation actually manages to map the same words to coordinates - I assume not, which seems... problematic. Then w3w one.nice.spot would be in one place on the globe, but the same three words would map to a different place with whatfreewords. I could imagine some users being confused.
- whatfreewords 7y ago
  It maps to the same spots, otherwise it would be pointless. You can use the live demo (using the JS library) at https://whatfreewords.org/demo/ https://whatfreewords.org/demo/ The API is down because our new generously-provided hosting does not support executing arbitrary code on the server. Without this provider the site would have been taken down again already, so we are grateful for what we've got.
  - blacksmith_tb 7y ago
    That makes sense, I see that the two implementations do agree on coordinates for the same words, which is very slick. I am trying to imagine how reverse-engineering would make that possible? I suppose it means that W3W used some known word list, and in patterns that could be pulled out of their results?
deogeo 7y ago
If they're UK based, how did they patent it? As far as I'm aware, the EU disallows patents on software "as such". And if this doesn't qualify as software "as such", then nothing does. Or is it only patented in the US?
Akinato 7y ago
Seems like they pulled a Streisand as now I've downloaded the entire free package just in case it disappears. Some of these are a blast too. dads.adjusted.cocktail is probably my favourite combo I've found so far. Nope: describe.myself.touchy is my new favourite.

by dsl 7y ago

blacksmith_tb 7y ago

I see the whatfreewords web api is down, I was wondering if their re-implementation actually manages to map the same words to coordinates - I assume not, which seems... problematic. Then w3w one.nice.spot would be in one place on the globe, but the same three words would map to a different place with whatfreewords. I could imagine some users being confused.

whatfreewords 7y ago
It maps to the same spots, otherwise it would be pointless. You can use the live demo (using the JS library) at https://whatfreewords.org/demo/ https://whatfreewords.org/demo/ The API is down because our new generously-provided hosting does not support executing arbitrary code on the server. Without this provider the site would have been taken down again already, so we are grateful for what we've got.
- blacksmith_tb 7y ago
  That makes sense, I see that the two implementations do agree on coordinates for the same words, which is very slick. I am trying to imagine how reverse-engineering would make that possible? I suppose it means that W3W used some known word list, and in patterns that could be pulled out of their results?

deogeo 7y ago

If they're UK based, how did they patent it? As far as I'm aware, the EU disallows patents on software "as such". And if this doesn't qualify as software "as such", then nothing does. Or is it only patented in the US?

Akinato 7y ago

Seems like they pulled a Streisand as now I've downloaded the entire free package just in case it disappears. Some of these are a blast too. dads.adjusted.cocktail is probably my favourite combo I've found so far. Nope: describe.myself.touchy is my new favourite.