New year innovations from Fast AlltheWeb

Here we go again! Fast has added new useful features to its AlltheWeb search engine, and behold: there is some true Boolean searching involved!

At the same time Fast boss John M. Lervik reveals that Fast is preparing a search engine that includes information from "the Hidden Web", i.e. databases like Yellow Pages. phone books etc.

New advanced search features at AlltheWeb

Fast has for a long time aimed at developing search tools for the advanced searchers and the Internet experts. They are succeeding.

Not only have they now added true Boolean searching, they are also supporting the needs of searchers that dare to go beyond the realm of Microsoft and their Internet Explorer.

Automatic language identification

AlltheWeb now determines which country you are coming from and presents results in your own language as well as in English. However, you may also select one of the other 49 languages available through AlltheWeb’s customized settings. This feature is available for web search and news search.

Browser plug ins and search facilities

AlltheWeb also presents plug ins that expand the search capabilities of your Web browser (various versions of Windows Explorer, Netscape, Opera and MacOS Sherlock).

If you add the AlltheWeb search button to the Explorer toolbar, you may highlight text on a Web page, and click on the button to perform a search on AlltheWeb.

You may also install a keyword search facility that lets you use the address field of the Explorer to search AlltheWeb. Type atw followed by a space and then your query word(s) and hit Enter.

If you are using Mozilla and Netscape 6 or higher, you may add AlltheWeb to the Mozilla Internet search function, an AlltheWeb Sidebar Panel, a search button and enable atw keyword search.

For Opera users there are descriptions on how to add AlltheWeb to your Hotlist Panel and create a search button.

In Opera there are already several search keywords defined for the AlltheWeb address field.

To do a search in Opera, enter the keyword followed by a space and your query into the address bar. Entering "Pandia" in the address bar will, for instance, lead to a search in AlltheWeb for the word "Pandia".

The following keywords are defined for AlltheWeb in Opera 6:
a: Web search
n: News search
i: Picture search
v: Video search
m: MP3 search

For more information, see the AlltheWeb Search Tools home page.

At last: True Boolean searching!

Fast has listened to our complaints (see the Pandia Award 2002) and added the use of true Boolean operators. This includes full support for common Boolean operators (AND, OR, ANDNOT).

In addition, AlltheWeb offers a “rank” operator, allowing users to give preference to results that include a specified term. Hence the query dog RANK cat will lead to results that contain the term "dog" and preferably include the term "cat".

It is important to note that they will only work from the Advanced Web Search page with "Boolean Query" selected from the "Query Type" pulldown menu.

Fast adds that "Each of these Boolean operators can be used in conjunction with another and with parentheses, allowing you to make complex Boolean queries". Great stuff!

To help searchers learn how to use these and other operators, Fast has added a "cheat sheet" with relevant information.

Fast plans search engine for the Hidden Web

Search engines like AlltheWeb include Web pages and other files (Word, PDF etc.) that are accessible to its search engine spiders. These spiders are, however, not able to search other databases, like Yellow Pages, online phone and address books, plain and train schedules, shopping catalogs, encyclopedias, maps etc. -- what's often referred to as "the Hidden Web".

According to the Norwegian site digi.no Fast is now planning to include results from such databases and "vertical search engines".

To digi.no Johm M. Lervik of Fast says that "A search engine should understand what kind of information you are looking for. If you are searching for the name of a person, you should get phone numbers and an address together with Web pages that mention that person."

The potential for selling ads together with such search results is promising. Moreover, companies will probably be willing to pay to get their catalogs included.

According to Lervik the new service may be launched near the end of the first six months of 2003.

More search engine news...

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