<networking, information science> (WAIS) A distributed
information retrieval system. WAIS is supported by Apple
Computer, Thinking Machines and Dow Jones. Clients are
able to retrieve documents using keywords. The search returns
a list of documents, ranked according to the frequency of
occurrence of the keyword(s) used in the search. The client
can retrieve text or multimedia documents stored on the
server. WAIS offers simple natural language input,
indexed searching for fast retrieval, and a "relevance
feedback" mechanism which allows the results of initial
searches to influence future searches. It uses the ANSI
Z39.50 service. Public domain implementations are
available.
Other information retrieval systems include archie,
Gopher, Prospero, and World-Wide Web.
Usenet newsgroup: comp.infosystems.wais.
Telnet.
(1995-03-13)
Nearby terms:
Whopper « WHQL « WIBNI « Wide Area Information Servers » Wide Area Network » Wide Area Telecommunications Service » Wideband ATM
