New Alta Vista search engine, Part Two

August 2000

The new Alta Vista is up and running, with its new dark blue look and new features.

We have nothing against the new design, which is simpler and probably faster to download. This is, however, Alta Vista's fourth new design in a year. As soon as searchers have learned how to use one interface, there is a new one. Alta Vista may easily loose users this way.

Although Alta Vista continues to focus on its portal offerings - including shopping and free e-mail - the home page is devoted to searching. There you will find the old Alta Vista search form for simple searching and the Alta Vista version of the Looksmart directory. The advanced searching alternative has been moved from its own tab, down to a link in the left margin. Click on this to go to the page for Boolean searching and tips on advanced searching.

Alta Vista is now following search engines like HotBot and Fast in providing an alternative to Boolean searching based on pull-down menus, here called "Power Search". It is definitely more useful than the simple search option. However, it cannot be used to build more complex queries.

Another new feature is the "search guides", short introductions to how you can search systematically for common topics like holidays, shopping, computers, online music files and more. It is a good idea and the page is definitely worth a look.

There is also a new page for "search trends" with lists of the most popular search terms right now.

• Alta Vista
• Search Engine Watch on the new Alta Vista

...and the new Raging

And while they are at it, Alta Vista has also changed Alta Vista's sister site: Raging. Those of you that do not like the cluttered front pages of portals like Alta Vista, may prefer the clean interface of Raging. Raging is using the same database as Alta Vista.

Like in Alta Vista (see above) you may choose between "simple", "advanced" and the new "power search" options. When using Raging, however, you must customize the interface to your liking. As soon as you have done this, you will meet your favourite search option the next time you visit the site.

You may also customize the colour scheme of the search page, and decide how the results are to be presented.

Raging is also beta-testing Alta Vista's new search engine for WAP mobile phones, called Raging Search Unplugged. The webpage simulates a Nokia 7110 in addition to giving a traditional Web listing of results.

• Raging
• Raging Search Unplugged

More search engine news...