In the context of the GOIT project, which is dedicated to promoting open-source architectures like RISC-V in Europe, GTool serves as a practical utility. It’s a straightforward tool designed to extract news URLs from two different search engines: Google and DuckDuckGo. The purpose of GTool is to allow, in a simple way, the monitoring of any recent open-hardware news, especially focused on RISC-V or any other desired topic, in order to keep informed about the latest developments in the open-hardware world and to follow the community’s interest in this area.

Functionality of GTool

GTool operates by performing searches on Google or DuckDuckGo, extracting results from each of the first N pages—a number that users can configure. This functionality is the core of GTool, allowing for a broad yet customizable approach to information gathering. Building upon this fundamental capability, GTool enhances its effectiveness through various filtering options:

  • Time Filters: Users can specify the time frame for the news articles they wish to retrieve. This includes options like the last hour (h), day (d), week (w), month (m), or year (y). This feature is particularly useful for tracking recent developments or historical data in the open hardware sector.
  • Date Range Filtering: GTool allows users to define a specific date range for their searches using the format ‘DD/MM/YYYY – DD/MM/YYYY’. Users can opt to leave either the start or end date open-ended by using a wildcard (#). This flexibility is crucial for researching specific events or trends over a defined period.
  • Language Preferences: The tool supports language-specific searches. For DuckDuckGo, users can choose from a variety of language codes to get results in a particular language. This feature is vital for accessing region-specific news and information. Similarly, for Google searches, users can select from a range of language codes, though it’s noted that the first few pages may still contain sites in the user’s location language.

It is designed to simplify the process of gathering relevant news from these two popular search engines, thereby saving time and effort for users who need to stay updated with the latest information in these fields.

GTool x GOIT Project

The GOIT project emphasizes the importance of open-source technology and its adoption across Europe. GTool plays a role in this larger initiative by providing a means to easily access and compile news and developments related to open-source hardware architectures, like RISC-V. This access to information is crucial for professionals, enthusiasts, and researchers involved in or following the open-source community, as it allows them to keep track of new advancements, projects, and discussions in the field.

Example of use

The following images show an example of the tool performing a news search on “artificial intelligence risc-v” in both duckduckgo (left image) and Google (right image). In both images you can see the execution of the tool and the output file.

Conclusion

In summary, GTool is a functional component of the GOIT project, providing a simple yet effective solution for tracking news and developments in the open hardware domain, with a particular focus on RISC-V technology. It aligns with the broader goals of the GOIT project by facilitating the dissemination and accessibility of information, which is essential for the growth and promotion of open-source architectures in Europe.

The Gtool project can be found on github