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Internet News Archive 1999Please note: The links on this page will not be updated! DECEMBER 1999Microsoft chooses InktomiThere is a large number of search sites out there, but actually quite few unique search engines and directories. The reason for this is that the search sites buy or borrow databases from other companies. When you search Yahoo!, for instance, you will first be given results from the Yahoo directory, then from the Alta Vista search engine. If you go to the Alta Vista home page, on the other hand, you will find that Alta Vista uses data from the Open Directory for their directory. Microsoft has now decided that they will drop Alta Vista and go back to using the Inktomi search engine for their MSN Web portal, MSN Search, MSNBC news site and WindowsMedia.com. Inktomi is best known as the search engine that powers the HotBot search site. MSN users have no need to worry. Both Inktomi and Alta Vista are well known for their quality and size. Yahoo! the most popular search siteWebSideStory reports that Yahoo! is becoming increasingly more popular and now accounts for close to 56% of all search engine referrals. In comparison Excite fell from 26.51% in January to 9.66% on Dec. 19. Has Fast the largest search engine?The Norwegian company Fast has for some time claimed that their search engine, All the Web, is the largest in the world. Northern Light, however, insists that their engine is the largest, with 200 million pages in their database. All the Web, they say, is only number three on the list, after Alta Vista. However, their claim is based on research done in late November. On December 8th 1999 Fast launched a new version of All the Web. We quote from their press release: "The new FAST Search provides users with highly relevant results based on newly developed algorithms. Built from a database of over 400 million visited documents, the fresh new catalogue of 210 million high quality webpages is searched at blinding speed." How Fast can claim that their online database only contains "high quality webpages" is beyond us, but when it comes to size, they may right. For the Internet searcher, however, size is not the most important factor. Relevance, speed and ease of use are far more important. Northern Light has a vast array of advanced search features. Furthermore, it allows you to use various Boolean operators. Up till now, All the Web has allowed only a limited use of "search engine maths" (+, - and "phrases") and a few menu based options. Now, however, they have launched a page for advanced searching, which makes it possible to search in URLs (addresses), title fields, links and link names. You may also filter results according to domain extensions (com, edu etc.) and languages. And All The Web is certainly very fast. All this makes All The Web an interesting alternative. Please note, however, that there is a low degree of overlap between the various search engines. You should never rely on one engine only.
Snap introduces LiveDirectory
The true advantage of Internet directories compared to automatic search engines is that there is a strong element of quality control. The sites that are included are handpicked by real human beings, not by online robots. However, as any Web master will tell you, it is quite some hassle to get a site listed in these directories. Too few reviewers have to look at too many sites. It can take
NOVEMBER 1999 Lycos plays the gameThe big search portals are constantly trying to find new ways of keeping visitors on their sites. In this way they can show them more advertising, increasing desperately needed revenue. The latest craze is online games. Lycos has acquired Gamesville.com, while America Online has asked Electronic Arts to run its gaming channel. Fun it is, but we find it hard to believe that this will make us better Internet searchers.
 Go or GoTo? Are you confused?
OCTOBER 1999 Alta Vista gets a face-lift.
Alta Vista is one of the old timers of internet searching. It has one of the largest databases of the search engines (probably as large as Fast and Northern Light), and is a favourite among many professional researchers. Now, however, it wants to compete with portals like Yahoo and Go and includes among other new features news and shopping. The result is certainly visually appealing,
Britannica gives away their encyclopaedia for free.In October Encyclopaedia Britannica opened their online version of their 32 volume set to the public, for free. Their system immediately crashed and was closed for more than a week. Now, however, the new site is up and running, and gives you unlimited access to a wealth of high quality articles on any topic from astrophysics to Babylonian art. What makes this offer extra interesting is that the encyclopaedia is combined with the old ebig Web directory. There is a useful page for advanced searching, with menu based search forms. You may also use the Boolean operators AND, NOT and ADJ (in capital letters, ADJ for words appearing close to one another), or use "search engine maths" (+, - and brackets) You will find more information on their search tips page.
SEPTEMBER 1999 Google is ready for some serious searching. The search engine Google finally came out of its beta testing stage in September. Google is known for having the most simple interface in Web search history: a logo, a search form, and that's about it. No news. No free email. It has also has an uncanny ability to guess what your looking for. Enter your query and click on the "I feel lucky" button. More often than not it will take you where you want to go.
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months before a site is included, and a lot of good sites are not listed at all. The Snap directory has now added a new function to its site, making it possible for Web masters to add a site automatically to a separate database: the LiveDirectory. This should give Snap a broader coverage than some of its competitors. It will also make it more up-to-date. When you search at Snap, the site will first list sites from the standard Snap directory, then it will give you listings from the uncensored LiveDirectory. By the way, Snap also uses data delivered by the Inktomi search engine.
Disney's Go portal site is quarrelling with the smaller GoTo search engine on the similarity between their logos. And note: We are talking about the design of the trade marks here, not the fact that the names are related! Walt Disney claims that changing the logo will cost the company $ 40 million. Nevertheless, Go did actually put up a new logo on its site - for a while that is. The green and gold logo was back again on November the 23rd. Hence, the struggle is not over, and the lawyers are having a good time.
and it is easier to navigate. The search system is basically the same, however; you may use all of the old search operators and terms in the same way as before. On the result side there is one significant improvement: Hits from the same websites are grouped or clustered to reduce the number of results.