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Microsoft Works on Search Capabilities

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the here-comes-clippy dept.

bl8n8r writes "Microsoft is betting millions that someday it will be as well known for search as Google is. Some of its efforts to simplify search on the Internet will soon be in place. The new version of Microsoft's MSN Internet service, available this winter, will include a tool for retrieving digital photos based on images in the pictures. For example, users can ask their computers to retrieve all pictures that include a specific person's face or background."

8 of 480 comments (clear)

  1. Image search bots? by BWJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The new version of Microsoft's MSN Internet service, available this winter, will include a tool for retrieving digital photos based on images in the pictures

    Hmmm. Interesting. I have seen a number of new MS bots trolling all over our lab site for the past two months grabbing every image they can.

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  2. For image searching GNU has The GIFT by capedgirardeau · · Score: 4, Interesting
    GNU has a very nifty system for searching image content now or "Content Based Image Retrieval System (CBIRS)" as they call it.

    It works much better than I expected.

    I wish I was skilled enough to help out with the project because I think it will become important in the future and now that MS is after the same sort of application you can image what will happen.

    The GIFT (the GNU Image-Finding Tool)

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  3. MS search won't work by grasshoppa · · Score: 4, Interesting

    and I will tell you why: This is one of the few fields where quality matters over quantity. The average user, when searching google, wants decent results, not corporate sponsored bullshit.

    You will note the fall of yahoo as an material example.

    Want an example? Go type "linux" into the msn search engine. I'll wait. Now, compare those results with those garnered from google.

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    1. Re:MS search won't work by wonkamaster · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Want an example? Go type "linux" into the msn search engine. I'll wait. Now, compare those results with those garnered from google.
      That's funny! What's great is the fourth option, which provides alternatives to Linux... even before the search engine has provided you results on Linux.

      Now take it a step further and search on "black people ebay". Google results start off by providing links to items offered by black people and about racism. MSN results start off by advertising that it will sell you black people on E-bay (as well as their related items).

      I wonder how long before they fix that little problem!
  4. Simple strategy... by Not_Wiggins · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They can just make it the "default" search in IE.

    I can just see it, too... IE will "accidentally" resolve www.google.com to search.msn.com. And while the lawsuits are going, M$ will claim (as in, for marketing purposes) marketshare as proof that their search is better.

    And when it does come out in the courts some ump-teen years later with Microsoft guilty of uncompetitve practices, Bill will cough up the $300M to google and "fix" the "bug."

    I've seen this history before... I don't expect them to change a winning formula. 8P

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  5. Re:Search on msdn.microsoft.com by JVert · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If this happens I will personally spider their msdn and rehost it so google can index.

    Frankly I need to get work done and I'm not interested in helping beta testing a microsoft search engine when google already works great.

  6. Re:I doubt this happens by sixteenraisins · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...can you be more SPACIFIC? Exactly *how* is the MSN search flaky?...few people here would require you back it up with (gasp) facts

    Fine.

    To be more "SPACIFIC" (sic), my search results from MSN tend to include dozens (if not more) of "search" sites - pages set up with hundreds of keywords or squatted domain names designed to get hits and redirect you to some type of SPAM site. Yahoo! is starting to get this way as well, although the problem is not as prevalent as it is with MSN.com. I rarely see this happen in a Google-found site.

    There ya go. Facts.

    It's easy to just rattle off the standard anti-M$ line (and get "insightful")...

    Just for good measure, my comments were about the MSN portal; I have no problem using other Microsoft products.

    And to everyone who was more congenial about my "sputtering," my sincere apologies.

    William

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  7. No. by dswensen · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Long story short, Microsoft has far too much of an agenda to allow objective searches, and everyone knows it. There's no way I would ever depend on Microsoft's search engine to deliver reliable results about Linux, open source, the GPL, or anything else that MS is "competing" with. And neither would many of the millions of tech-savvy people who use Google every day.

    That and the fact that a big part of Google's draw is its simplicity, in that you don't get 120K of "how would you like to buy some crap?" banners before you get to your search results. Microsoft doesn't have the restraint or the finesse to pull that off, either. They could -- but they won't. Not when the almighty dollar is at stake, which is all MS cares about.

    So they might be able to sell it to the mom and pop users who have no clue, but replace Google? No. Anyone who knows anything about MS or Google won't go for it.