Downloading HN

2 pointsdarko2 comments

i would really love to have backup of all the great knowledge on here for off line viewing, so why dont HN have an image of its database open for the public to download

View on HN

1: Data keep on changing. There would also need to be a way to get diffs.

2: Bandwidth. Who will pay for it, and why?

3: Who in their right mind is going to read it all that they would want an offline copy? Found a page that's interesting? Do "File|Save" from your browser. Think there are nuggets you've missed? Do a Web search, then "File|Save"

On the other hand, searchyc.com seems to have a copy of everything on HN. And I believe jacquesm has siphoned off much of the database for his personal offline analysis. And, of course, Google and other engines download, cache, and index the content. If you really want it, discreet spidering seems to be the way to go.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com