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Searching For Google's Successor

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the looking-down-the-line dept.

weink writes "A new generation of scrappy search engines is emerging to challenge the dominance of mighty Google . An article at Wired News lists up-and-coming search engines, WiseNut , Teoma , Lasoo , CURE , and Vivisimo . Take a look, and give them a try. But I still say that nothing is better then the almighty Google ."

15 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. Google has already proven itself by bartle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The thing that has most impressed me about Google isn't its technology, but the restraint and good sense they've shown in the Internet community. While every other search engine has tried a go at the portal route, Google has focused on simply being a search engine. They've continued to add features that improve the user's experience at the same time other engines sell their results to the highest bidder.

    Some of the most annoying companies in existance came about because they pulled a massive version of bait and switch, they adopted a consumer friendly strategy for the short term but changed when they got big enough to destroy the competition. Google has done remarkably little despite their impressive potential marketing position. Companies like this is where our business should go, it is our power as consumers to make decisions like this.

    My point is that if/when something better than Google comes along, you should think twice before changing your homepage. When choosing a company, it's not just who provides the best product in the short term, you have to take into account long term as well.

    1. Re:Google has already proven itself by bartle · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Fact is, even the company itself may not know; sometimes the switch comes because the company didn't make it trying to execute Plan A, and Plan B is to sell out to advertisers or some acquisition. Anyone have either logic or heuristics to offer as far as trying to navigate these situations?

      You are exactly right. There is no way to know what a company is going to do in the future, the best you can do is try to predict their future actions by looking at their past actions. In my mind Google has maintained an impressive consumer focus and generally done right by their users, this gives them positive points. A new company has no past to judge by, so I can't judge them positively or negatively. But the important thing to note here is that I'm judging both companies on their actions, not what they say. So in the end it doesn't matter what the new company says is in their future, Google still wins my business because they've proven themselves to me.

      I brought up this whole line of reasoning because it seems like a lot of Slashdot readers are very anxious to "get ahead" or at least get in on the ground floor of the next big thing. We're riding the technology wave here, we don't want to stick with what's proven, we want to move ahead. It would be a shame to lose a good product just because we were taken in by some marketing hype. It happens enough in the real world, let's hope it doesn't happen here.

  2. Re:Hmm.. by b0r1s · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How about a search engine that doesn't index 'rpmfind' mirrors and newsgroups so searches for linux related info turn up something more useful than 50 pages of rpmfind entries...

    Ok, I agree with the rpmfind mirrors, but I have to disagree on the newsgroup issue. Usually when I'm really stuck on something (ie: Linux SMP box hanging under high network load (which makes backups a real bitch), forcing me to power cycle : flawed APIC handling for the 3c905 ethernet card), I hit google specifically LOOKING FOR NEWSGROUP discussions on the topic. Granted, I dont need 50 mirrored copies, but I definitely do want to see newsgroup archives indexed.

    --
    Mooniacs for iOS and Android
  3. Re:At least "google" is spelled correctly. by isa-kuruption · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ahem! We use more credible sources here, sonny! By it's own definition, Google is spelt correctly ;)

  4. Cache, Dmoz directory, PDF, Deja/usenet... by augustz · · Score: 5, Insightful
    People forget that Google has not only managed to put together an excellent search engine, but to add value to it through some really great features (and no I do not mean altavista portal garbage and patent lawsuit value).

    Site slashdotted? Hit the cache

    Want to see a dmoz.org directory? See it page ranked.

    Doing science research? Find the answers in indexed PDF files.

    And the list goes on...

    Not to mention they do the right thing advertising wise, run on linux. Bring on the upstarts, but they'd better be prepared for a good bit of starting to knock down google.

    1. Re:Cache, Dmoz directory, PDF, Deja/usenet... by kisielk · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not to mention that if IIRC, Google is the only search engine to turn a profit. They have managed to sell their search technology to many businesses world-wide and this has no doubt givn them feedback that they used to improve their search capability.
      As Google is actually making money off their operation, they are more likely to keep constantly improving their technology. I believe that this will help keep them in the forefront of the plethora of search engines out there.

  5. Google was most exciting to me... by Ulwarth · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...because, for once, a company made their way to the top by simply _having a stellar product_. When I first began using it I was shocked by how many orders of magnatude better than any other search engine it was. But to my surprise, everyone else realized it too, to the point that Google now completely dominates the search engine industry.

    I do hope these other engines (many of which I've tried, and they ain't bad) offer up some competition, because a monopoly is bad even when the monolopy provider is so good. But in the meantime it's great to finally see a product suceeding so well based entirely upon its merit.

  6. Re:One of the great features of Google by NonSequor · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It would really help if everyone set the ID3 tags in their MP3s correctly. I don't think a single MP3 that I got off of Napster had all of the information correctly set (many didn't have any correctly set).

    --
    My only political goal is to see to it that no political party achieves its goals.
  7. Re:Hmm.. by ahrenritter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would prefer that the newsgroup messages not be indexed because it can clutter your results list if that is not what you are looking for. If you know that what you are looking for should be in newsgroups (e.g. it is a question you are looking for the answer to) you could look it up at Google Groups

    --

    All I wanted was a rock to wind a piece of string around, and I ended up with the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota
  8. Re:Google's sense of humor by Hal_9000@!!!@ · · Score: 4, Insightful
    You forgot Elmer Fudd. but oh well...

    To me this really shows the personality behind Google. They are a company of friendly, caring people, which is apparent just by looking at All About Google, or looking at the story of one of their staff taking a bike trip.

    Google is a company with culture, a web site with a personality and a huge Linux cluster that they show off to the world. IMHO, Google's corporate personality has helped make it the best. That personality is what keeps the staff working, coming up with new ideas and technologies that push the web forward.

    I don't see that on any of these new engines, and I think that that will in some ways dig their graves, just as Altavista's selloff did. Remember when it was altavista.digital.com? Remember feeling that there were people behind that site who cared less about how much money AltaVista was making and more about improving search technology? Then it turned into its own enterprise, no longer Digital's expariment. When it became a garbage portal, it lost that wholesome goodness that it once had. RIP, AltaVista. Congrats Google, live long and prosper.

    --
    My email is real.
  9. Hmm.. by jasno · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How about a search engine that doesn't index 'rpmfind' mirrors and newsgroups so searches for linux related info turn up something more useful than 50 pages of rpmfind entries...

    Ok, yeah, I know how to use '-', but its still annoying...

    --

    http://www.masturbateforpeace.com/
  10. Getting smarter by spiderlog · · Score: 2, Insightful

    WiseNut looks like it can be a contender, but until it meets or surpasses Google's index AND adds a cache feature... well, I'll just stick with what works.

  11. One of the great features of Google by jerw134 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is the cache. Especially for readers of Slashdot, because it allows them to see a site after it has been Slashdotted. From my quick glance at the other sites, none of them had that technology. That is why I will continue to use Google!

  12. Re:Altavista by Lxy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Payola killed the search engine. Yahoo use payola since the get-go (or shortly after) and it was quickly discovered that they sucked. Now all the other search engines have admitted to it, and Google came out a true winner. Now companies want a piece of Google, just as they wanted a piece of Altavista. I just hope Google doesn't become what Altavista is now.

    --

    There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
    :wq
  13. The Best Part of Google by ArcadeNut · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is the interface! You don't have to spend 5 minutes searching (no pun intended) for the Edit box to type your search into!

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