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MSN Rolling Out New Search Engine In July

X writes "Looks like Microsoft is going to release its new search technology soon. The online search world is about to get very interesting...." July launch; looks like they will continue to use Overture for a while, but the competition for dollars and users will definitely heat up.

281 comments

  1. And..... the Poll! by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Favorite Search Engine?

    Google
    Yahoo
    Lycos
    MICROSOFT
    Missing Option?

    1. Re:And..... the Poll! by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Come on moderators. this is neither offtopic nor a troll. It is interesting.

      With a simple poll we can put together much information that we cannot through a comment system. This is a news article about a search engine, and it would be INTERESTING to know what everyone's favorite search engine is.

      parent is interesting, i say.

    2. Re:And..... the Poll! by medication · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      I moderated for a few of the comments on this article and while I reserved using a (-1,troll) on the parent of your comment it was very tempting. It is offtopic. While you might think it is interesting to find out what everyone's favorite search engine is, it really adds nothing to the dicussion of competition for Google or for Microsoft's claim of better relevancy in its search results.

      --
      "If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit." - Mitch Hedberg
    3. Re:And..... the Poll! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who are you to decide what is offtopic or ontopic for me?

      Different people have different opinions and experiences with various search engines. This poll allowed me to register my own experiences and gauage the experiences of others. This alone can can spark good debate and good discussion.

      But because people like you are too narrow-minded, we have to deal with the tyranny of unnessecary moderation where it has no place.

    4. Re:And..... the Poll! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "Who are you to decide what is offtopic or ontopic for me?"

      Moderator: Are you talking to me?

    5. Re:And..... the Poll! by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 1
      This is a news article about a search engine, and it would be INTERESTING to know what everyone's favorite search engine is.

      Well duh, it's obviously Google. I wasn't even aware there are any other search engines anymore. I figured they went out of business because Google Pwn3d them years ago.

    6. Re:And..... the Poll! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not living a very fullfilled life are you? Oh wait for it... it's a retort in response to what I just said. Nevermind, I won't read it anyways.

      >I moderated for a few of the comments on this >article and while I reserved using a (-1,troll) >on the parent of your comment it was very >tempting... blah.

    7. Re:And..... the Poll! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (*IN HOWARD DEAN VOICE*)

      GOOGLE all the way BABY! YEAH!

      Wooohoooo!!!

    8. Re:And..... the Poll! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I moderated for a few of the comments on this article
      How did you moderate and post on the same article?

    9. Re:And..... the Poll! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I apolagize. I woke up cranky as always.

  2. Everyone will just carry on using Google though. by JoeBaldwin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google has been pushed into the common vocabulary, like Hoover has for vacuum cleaners and Coke has for soft drinks. It has mind share, and a lot of it.

    Google will always reign supreme, definitely.

  3. Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isn't this yet another abuse of its monopoly?

    1. Re:Yes, but... by gid13 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Depends on how they implement it. If they integrate it into IE, which is of course "inseparable from Windows", then yes.

      If they make it the default home page, maybe, but that's a little grey.

      If they make it a web-based search engine similar to google, and have no special references to it in Windows, no.

    2. Re:Yes, but... by 0WaitState · · Score: 1

      Isn't this yet another abuse of its monopoly?

      That depends--will they integrate microsoft web search such that any search on IE or explorer automatically also runs against the microsoft web search?

      Will they skew web search results (searching for "Microsoft security hole" takes one only to microsoft update)?

      Will they offer free ads for years in order to cut google's revenue stream ("knife the baby!")"?

      --

      Remain calm! All is well!
    3. Re:Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MSN is already integrated into IE.

      As long as Google, etc. are still accessible, it is not any form of abuse. Microsoft has every right to include an interface to its search engine in its products.

    4. Re:Yes, but... by RoadkillBunny · · Score: 1

      Will they skew web search results (searching for "Microsoft security hole" takes one only to microsoft update)?

      I don't think so, since I don't get suggested to search for porn anymore when looking for xfree86. =P Also, searching for Linux gives me quite good results.

      --
      Cheers,
      RoadkillBunny
    5. Re:Yes, but... by gid13 · · Score: 1

      While it's true that MSN is the default home page, and that there are certain levels of integration, there isn't anything overly blatant like a google bar for MSN. Also, the fact that they have used some integration doesn't mean they have the right to do so. Europe seems to be of the opinion that MS doesn't have the right to include a media player at all, why would search engine integration be different?

    6. Re:Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if you type something into the address bar that doesnt seem like a URL, you will be directed to search results for it.

      there is nothing wrong with a MSN toolbar. customers will choose the software that they prefer

    7. Re:Yes, but... by Armadillo007 · · Score: 1

      Intergated, i'd say. They just added a new toolbar for IE to link it. Right now it's just an option, but let's just wait! http://toolbar.msn.com/

    8. Re:Yes, but... by shaitand · · Score: 1

      *sighs*

      Once again I must point out, the first two have already happened, MSN is both the default search and the default homepage and IS integrated into IE! all have been true since the release of IE 4 over 6yrs ago!

    9. Re:Yes, but... by Glamdrlng · · Score: 1
      there isn't anything overly blatant like a google bar for MSN.

      Yup, good thing there isn't a google bar for MSN. Really though, there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. It's when the OS ships with the browser integrated, and the browser has the toolbar installed and enabled by default, not to mention IE's default and uncustomizable behavior that invalid URL's are converted to MSN searches...that's when they're engaging in anti-competitive behavior.

      --

      Yes, my only tool is a hammer. And you're starting to look like a nail.
    10. Re:Yes, but... by rokzy · · Score: 1

      don't be a tit. "Europe" isn't opposed to MS having a media player, it's opposed MS having a media player with access to special OS commands to make it seem faster and better. "Europe" wants other media players to be given these abilities.

    11. Re:Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Will they offer free ads for years in order to cut google's revenue stream ("knife the baby!")"?

      "Knife the baby" is actually Apple's term, not Microsoft.

      Kinfe The Baby

      Tevanian claimed Microsoft's Christopher Phillips had told Apple executive Peter Hoddie that the company should back away from QuickTime.

      Tevanian told the court: "Mr. Hoddie said, 'Do you want us to knife the baby?,'" referring to QuickTime. "And Mr. Phillips said, 'Yes we're talking about knifing the baby.'"

    12. Re:Yes, but... by Armadillo007 · · Score: 1

      That's what I meant by possibly intergating it into the OS later. Right now they're (M$) asking for user opinion on it (the toolbar). Why do you think that is? Oh well, At least it has a popup blocker, which seems to work well, and a "highlighting" feature, obviously swiped from Gooooogle. Still no tabs browsing in IE , so I'll stick to the Geckos.

    13. Re:Yes, but... by Glamdrlng · · Score: 1
      Still no tabs browsing in IE , so I'll stick to the Geckos.

      I haven't heard opinions from other /.ers on this, but for me one of the biggest time savers is search engine prefixes. For example, my browser is set so that if I type "g tacos" into my url bar, I get the results of a google search on, you guessed it, tacos. I have a list of about two dozen: sd points to slashdot, sf to security focus, rfc to the ietf rfc listing. Does anyone know if this has been incorporated into one of the linux web browsers yet?

      --

      Yes, my only tool is a hammer. And you're starting to look like a nail.
  4. Good For Competition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting
    Google and Yahoo have too much control over the search engine market right now.

    It's good to see a fine, innovative company like Microsoft enter this field and give consumers another choice. Who wouldn't like another free search engine?

    I like msn a lot, I can't wait till this service launches.

    1. Re:Good For Competition by dmobrien_2001 · · Score: 0

      So, how long have you worked for M$, AC?

  5. What will they call it? by Drathus · · Score: 1

    Moogle?

    (Envisions the lawsuits from Square as well as Google)

    1. Re:What will they call it? by mrkslntbob · · Score: 2, Funny

      Then they'd be forced to change it to: M----- Pronounced: Ridiculous

    2. Re:What will they call it? by GlasWolf · · Score: 1

      They could call it Lindows in Benelux because, well, just because they can.

  6. Oh really? by oGMo · · Score: 4, Funny
    The online search world is about to get very interesting....

    So what new feature is Google planning this time, then?

    ;-) (Sorry, couldn't resist)

    --

    Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

    1. Re:Oh really? by lortho · · Score: 5, Interesting

      No, no, this time it's another Microsoft "innovation," check it out (from the article):

      Instead of including paid listings within search results, which critics say results in misleading search results, MSN said it will display paid listings separately at the top and to the right of search results generated by its search engine.

      Amazing, if only Google had thought of this fir... umm... wait... ;)

    2. Re:Oh really? by gnu-generation-one · · Score: 1

      "So what new feature is Google planning this time, then?"

      A 48-hour St. Patrick's day, by the look of things...

    3. Re:Oh really? by Duncan3 · · Score: 1

      24 time zones means it's day X for 48 hours somewhere on the planet.

      --
      - Adam L. Beberg - The Cosm Project - http://www.mithral.com/
    4. Re:Oh really? by gnu-generation-one · · Score: 1

      "24 time zones means it's day X for 48 hours somewhere on the planet."

      Not on google.co.uk, it isn't. Localised website, localised timezone.

      Looks like google spent a bit too long celebrating, and didn't get back into the office to change the logo until after a night and a day at O'Neill's...

    5. Re:Oh really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      30% Informative
      30% Funny
      20% Insightful

      Are the moderators on crack!? This is not in the article. It's just plain Funny, not Informative or Insightful.

  7. Innovative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wait, isn't Microsoft copying another company, as it usually does? Except this time it's not Apple, it's google.

    1. Re:Innovative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait, isn't Microsoft copying another company, as it usually does? Except this time it's not Apple, it's google

      So I guess Google copied Altavista?
      Altavista copyied WebCrawler?

      ...or something like that?

      The idea of crawling the web and trying to return relavant links isn't exactly Google's creation. They just did it better than most.

  8. Algorithm by andy666 · · Score: 1

    I heard that they are using a nonlinear version of page rank from a friend. Can anyone verify this ?

  9. That's fine and all, but... by Rellik66 · · Score: 5, Funny

    will anybody ever say, "Let me MSN search that"

    --

    Too many zeros, not enough ones

    1. Re:That's fine and all, but... by trinitrotoluene · · Score: 1

      That's why they need a snappy name.

      --
      boom boom boom
    2. Re:That's fine and all, but... by Chess_the_cat · · Score: 0

      They may. I say "MSN me" all the time when referring to IMs.

      --
      Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
    3. Re:That's fine and all, but... by BizidyDizidy · · Score: 1

      To me, this is funny, since IM is a ubiquitous term only because of AIM.

      No one referred to ICQing as instant messaging, for instance.

      --
      The safest way to approach lava is to have another person with you and he goes first.
    4. Re:That's fine and all, but... by BizidyDizidy · · Score: 0, Troll

      Also, about your sig. That's the stupidest thing I've ever read. I assume you watch daytime soaps, read the tattler and play barbies dream fashion designer to support the first amedment too.

      --
      The safest way to approach lava is to have another person with you and he goes first.
    5. Re:That's fine and all, but... by EpsCylonB · · Score: 4, Funny

      They may. I say "MSN me" all the time when referring to IMs.

      Yu do realise that you just admitted that on slashdot ?

    6. Re:That's fine and all, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > "Let me MSN search that"

      only to mean "let me look for crappy advertisements" as opposed to "let me look for useful information".

    7. Re:That's fine and all, but... by cgenman · · Score: 1

      You do realize "IM me" has fewer syllables?

    8. Re:That's fine and all, but... by TwistedSquare · · Score: 1

      To me that is funny, as people say "I'll ICQ you" and "MSN me" all the time, but never "AIM me", at least round my way..

    9. Re:That's fine and all, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      No, they will continue to say "let me google that". Years from now when a small child asks you, "what does google mean?", you can say, "there used to be a company a long time ago that had something Microsoft wanted..."

    10. Re:That's fine and all, but... by shfted! · · Score: 0

      That's almost like saying you Windows your car when crash it into a telephone pole.

      --
      He who laughs last is stuck in a time dilation bubble.
    11. Re:That's fine and all, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      im? is that a form of icq? i mean come on, icq even shortens down to 'q' as in 'ill q you with that later'

    12. Re:That's fine and all, but... by spiff+the+spaceman · · Score: 1

      Only in your continent. MSN and Yahoo messengers were the first and remain the only IM's worth talking about in the rest of the world.

    13. Re:That's fine and all, but... by martin-boundary · · Score: 1
      will anybody ever say, "Let me MSN search that"
      How did you guess this Jar Jar quote from the new Star Wars prequel? It's top secret!

      "I don't know. MSN day startin pretty okee-day with a brisky morning munchy, then BOOM! Gettin very scared and grabbin that Jedi and POW! MSN here! MSN gettin' very very scared!"

    14. Re:That's fine and all, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well from my neck of the woods we once said "I'll ICQ you" before ICQ died. ICQ means "I seek you." Then with AIM with was "I'll IM you" or "I'll Instant Message you." With MSN Messenger or even Yahoo messenger it's been "I'll IM you on MSN" or "I'll IM you on Yahoo". In the email world why isn't there a "I'll Hotmail you" or "I'll Yahoo mail you?"

    15. Re:That's fine and all, but... by identity0 · · Score: 1

      Arrrrr, matey! When I be Piratin' them MP3s an' IMing me sea-dogs, I says "MSN me, mateys!" all the bloomin' time, 'cause whenevers I says "Jabber me timbers", them fools jab me with cutlasses! Stay with MSN, ya lilly-livered linuxlubbers!

  10. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by BizidyDizidy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just like the Roman and British Empires, IBM, Netscape, East India Company, and all the other things this exact idiotic comment was made about.

    --
    The safest way to approach lava is to have another person with you and he goes first.
  11. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by LostCluster · · Score: 1

    Just being dominant today is no promise of future domination. TiVo's thhe word people use for PVRs, but we just had an article proclaim that TiVo's going to die yesterday...

  12. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by grub · · Score: 1


    No kidding, just at work I've heard "Google it." and "Did you Google for it?" more than a few times.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  13. Come on, admit it.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're going to call it..

    MSoogle!

    Okay, okay, that sucked. Stop throwing stuff! OW!!!

  14. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by GoRK · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This kind of brings up some interesting questions --

    What happens when/if someone develops a search engine that really is better (gasp! horror!) than Google? Will people still continue to use Google because it's entrenched in their brains? Will people say Google and mean another search engine?

  15. Miserable failure by Schreckgestalt · · Score: 0

    How long is it going to take us to achieve that "miserable failure" takes us to Dubya and "litigious bastards" to SCO?

  16. But the big question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    will it still suck?

  17. Microsoft proprietary searches, great! by pholower · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What ticks me off about this is that microsoft will deffinately put this as the default search EVERYWHERE in Windows. How many people do you know use Internet Explorer? Sure there are many other better options out there, but nobody cares for these because the majority of web surfers just use what is on the OS. This is why IE is so big, and unfortunately, it will probably transend to search engines as well.

    --
    -- johntracy.com, because everybody else is wrong.
    1. Re:Microsoft proprietary searches, great! by 00420 · · Score: 1

      I know. Knowing them there will probably be a MSN search bar in IE. Plus a "Search the Web with MSN" icon on your desktop, in your quick launch, under Start, under Start --> Internet, under Start --> Search, under Start --> Internet --> Search, under Start --> Search --> Internet, under Start --> Accessories, under Start --> Accessories -- Internet, under Start --> Accessories --> Search, in "My Computer", and in the task manager.

    2. Re:Microsoft proprietary searches, great! by ggvaidya · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't know, it's been ages since I've seen somebody search using IE's toolbar search. Most people I know use Google.

    3. Re:Microsoft proprietary searches, great! by Richard_at_work · · Score: 4, Informative

      Uhm, its already the default search in IE. Type search terms into the address bar and press enter if you dont beleive me, you get taken to MSN. So in what way will this change? People still use google, hell people even install the google tool bar, which has the option of changing the default search engine in IE.

    4. Re:Microsoft proprietary searches, great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's extremely easy in any version of IE to change the default search engine with just a few clicks and always has been.
      I use Google as default on this 98SE desktop and use Tehoma on my XP laptop.
      What your saying is people are lazy and will accept the default as the only option.
      So what option do the majority of web surfers have and the answer is anything they want to use.
      The truth is I've found it harder to change the default search engine in OSS than Microsoft browsers.

  18. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by TwistedSquare · · Score: 1

    The parents was that google gained advantage from being the term for searching, i.e. "Just google for it". None of your examples had such an advantage.

  19. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by TykeClone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The same way that everyone only uses Xerox photocopiers?

    Just because the brand name is in the popular lexicon, doesn't mean that the product will be forever dominant.

    --
    A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
  20. Searching for Linux on MSN by Rellik66 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wasn't there a time when searching for Linux gave really stupid Microsoft-related results?

    --

    Too many zeros, not enough ones

    1. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by pholower · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, I don't know about stuped m$ related results, but I do know that Microsoft banned certain linux and open source related searches.

      --
      -- johntracy.com, because everybody else is wrong.
    2. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by arkanes · · Score: 2, Informative

      This has been fixed recently, in case you cared. Someone at MS certainly reads slashdot ;)

    3. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by SILIZIUMM · · Score: 1

      Interesting, only 413 results...

    4. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by Weird+O'Puns · · Score: 1

      Wow, title on my browser:

      MSN Search: linux -- More Useful Everyday - Mozilla Firefox

    5. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by ma++i+ude · · Score: 1
      Yeah, and what quality results they are. Okay, the first one is linux.com, which is to be expected. The second one points to http://home.xnet.com/~blatura/linapps.shtml, a private, retired home page of little relevance and less use. The only Linux distribution listed is Red Hat.

      Google, on the other hand, lists linux.org, linux.com and most major distributions (although not my distro of choice) in the top ten. Now, which list of ten items do you think would benefit the Linux-curious (=anybody enough of a beginner to search for simply 'linux') more?

      Overall, I've noticed that I very rarely need to check results 11-20 when Googling.

      --
      You can't shut us down! The Internet is about the free exchange and sale of other people's ideas!
    6. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by CSharpMinor · · Score: 1

      Notice that the eighth result is Google's Linux search.

      --

      Whatever it is I'm complaining about, I'm sure the Republicans did it. This is /., after all.
    7. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by Brendor · · Score: 1
      This has been fixed recently, in case you cared. Someone at MS certainly reads slashdot ;)

      True enough, but search for Apple and Ebay and Amazon are above the computers and the fruit.

    8. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN by Anonymous+Fart · · Score: 1

      search for gpl. it's crazy.

  21. nice.. by psycho_tinman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    An interesting quote was:
    Instead of including paid listings within search results, which critics say results in misleading search results, MSN said it will display paid listings separately at the top and to the right of search results generated by its search engine.

    If Google sinks without a trace tomorrow, at least they've forced other competitors to follow suit and remove paid listings as a revenue option.

    Actually, I'd be very interested in how Microsoft decide to differentiate themselves in terms of a search product. Obviously, sinking this much money into a completely different search means they must have some sort of strategy for toppling Google off the throne, right ? That's what I want to see.

    The more competition, the better for everyone, as far as search is concerned and where the cost of switching is so low (just point your browser elsewhere)

    1. Re:nice.. by spicyjeff · · Score: 3, Insightful
      If Google sinks without a trace tomorrow, at least they've forced other competitors to follow suit and remove paid listings as a revenue option.


      In classic Microsoft fashion however, as soon as Google sank to never come back, they would role out there next version with paid listings firmly in place.

    2. Re:nice.. by DrSkwid · · Score: 1

      If Google sinks without a trace tomorrow, at least they've forced other competitors to follow suit and remove paid listings as a revenue option.

      Although not proven as a winner yet, Yahoo is going back to mixing in paid listings.

      We used to pay for clicks but yahoo wants to *also* charge you every time your page is returned in the listings. fuck that.

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    3. Re:nice.. by zcat_NZ · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Actually, I'd be very interested in how Microsoft decide to differentiate themselves in terms of a search product. Obviously, sinking this much money into a completely different search means they must have some sort of strategy for toppling Google off the throne, right ? That's what I want to see.

      Microsoft's usual strategy; make <msfoo> the default <foo> in windows, and make it just good enough that most <foo> users won't go to the trouble of downloading <alterfoo>. When <alterfoo> goes out of business, stop maintaining <msfoo> apart from the most egrarious bugfixes.

      It's been working for them since MSFT first started. Why would they change the strategy now?

      In this case; get users used to searching from the toolbar, and make changing the default search in IE impractical for most users (it requires a registry hack or download). Most Windows users I know still have xtramsn.co.nz (local version of msn.com) or their ISP's default as their homepage; it's never occured to them to change it.

      However Microsoft slightly misjudged how easy it is to bookmark a better search engine, and how much suckyness their own search engine could get away with. They'll make MSN search suck slightly less, reset everyone's search settings and homepage in the next 'update', and everything should be back on track again.

      --
      455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
    4. Re:nice.. by Glamdrlng · · Score: 5, Informative
      Actually, I'd be very interested in how Microsoft decide to differentiate themselves in terms of a search product. Obviously, sinking this much money into a completely different search means they must have some sort of strategy for toppling Google off the throne, right ? That's what I want to see.

      Let's take a look at some of the primary factors that will come into play when running a server farm for web-spidering purposes:

      Operating System:

      Google runs a strpped-down linux kernel specifically tweaked to facilitate two tasks: crawling web pages and returning search engine results. Assuming that Microsoft eats their own dog food, they will either run their own bloated Server 2003, or they'll come up with a customized windows installation with a bunch of the extraneous crap excluded. Edge: Most likely Google.

      Hardware:

      Microsoft has the revenue stream to build server farms of mammoth porportions, and they have multiple sites across which they can distribute their spider farms at little to no additional cost. On the other hand, if Micorosft serves its searches off of an unmodified 2003 kernel, they'll need much more in the way of hardware resources than Google will. OTOH, Google has by and large rewritten the book on maximizing the efficiency of the systems that serve up searches. They also have incrementally more experience trending hardware utilization for a high-volume search engine than Microsoft. Edge: Most likely Google.

      System Administration:

      If google rewrote the book efficient utilization of resources on search engines, they wrote the book on system administration of a high volume search engine completely from scratch. With their incredibly low ratio of sysadmins to supported systems, Google has a head start on running a sustainable operation than Microsoft. OTOH, MS has the extra hands to throw at this endeavor, and it's possible that they could use tools like Windows Services for Unix and Windows Scripting host to automate sysadmin tasks on their servers much like google did. What will factor in the most here is the internal politics at Redmond. If the busness center responsible for SMS decides that this needs to be a case study on SMS deployment, than Microsoft will surely fail on this objective. If on the other hand they avoid SMS like the plague, then they'll be in better shape, but again they'll be trying to reinvent the wheel while google is already racing around on radials with phat 20" rims and neon lights. Edge: Most likely Google.

      System Security:

      It will be interesting to see how the new MSN will be impacted by the next blaster worm. This search engine will have one of the biggest sets of crosshairs in the world painted all over it, and it will be interesting to see how the next IIS vulnerability is handled. Look for a mysterious outage at about the same time as a new vulnerability is discovered, or look for a vulnerability that affects everyone running IIS, except for the servers running MSN. Edge: Google.

      Integrity of Searches:

      Here, google outshines Microsoft. While google has had its share of search engine results controversies, I don't see how Microsoft will be able to risk the temptation of tampering with search engine results. Both companies have very clear agendas. Microsoft's agenda is to push Microsoft products and line Microsoft pockets, while Google's agenda is to provide a low-overhead search engine while providing the best possible user experience. Edge: Most certainly Google.

      At the end of the day, there are two benefits we are likely to see. One of them is competition driving down the price of paid search engine advertisements. The other is whatever OS customization, system management, and automation techniques Microsoft cooks up in the process of building and maintaining the server farms. If Microsoft chooses to share this info, then Windows administrators can better secure their machines, and the Internet becomes a safer place. If not, then at least there's the chance that Microsoft's ludicrous claims about them having a shorter window from vulnerability discovery to patch availability than Linux can be shattered.

      --

      Yes, my only tool is a hammer. And you're starting to look like a nail.
    5. Re:nice.. by ax_42 · · Score: 1

      You forgot two:

      Market penetration

      Every luser who buys windows will be sent to the M$ search engine by default. Even if you can change the setting (of course you can, just fire up regedit and.......) most people won't.

      Which hopefully brings me to the next point:

      Abusing a monopoly position

      Which becomes an issue as soon as they start charging for services. Shouldn't take more then, say, 5 years for the courts to slap them on the wrist for that one. M$ abused their monopoly to kill Netscape's 70%+ marketshare, watch them try that stunt again.

    6. Re:nice.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet why do I think that Microsoft will succeed...

    7. Re:nice.. by Johnny+Mnemonic · · Score: 1


      Actually, I'd be very interested in how Microsoft decide to differentiate themselves in terms of a search product. Obviously, sinking this much money into a completely different search means they must have some sort of strategy for toppling Google off the throne, right?

      How about default search in all Microsoft based browsers? Anti-competitive, sure, but what do they care? In the 5 years it'll take to prosecute, there'll be no more Google, and the DOJ will be written another check. Since when does Microsoft compete on quality?

      --

      --
      $tar -xvf .sig.tar
    8. Re:nice.. by UserGoogol · · Score: 1

      Magic Beans:

      Although Microsoft has been known to have the resources in cows to acquire all the magic beans it could possibly need, it is a well known fact that Google is run by elves. Also, Microsoft would probably want to use their own proprietrary bean technologies which are not very magical at all.

      --
      "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
    9. Re:nice.. by Glamdrlng · · Score: 1

      That's a very good point. Now would be a very good time for google to star encouragung, rather than fighting, the adoption of the word google as an intransitive verb meaning to search the web. That way they could fight microsoft's market share with google's brand recognition.

      --

      Yes, my only tool is a hammer. And you're starting to look like a nail.
    10. Re:nice.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      ... Edge: Most likely Google. ...


      What a load of BS. When will people learn to
      stop dressing up their hopes and fantasies as
      if they were sound, technical arguments?

      I've been watching the computer industry for about
      20 years and there's one thing that's been pretty
      constant over that whole time: people who don't
      like Microsoft have been making elaborate,
      technical-sounding arguments explaining why
      everything MS plans to do will likely fail and
      how their competitors will blow them away.
      Ah, if wishing it only made it so!

      I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I've at least
      learned to separate my ability to judge
      objectively from my wishful imagination.

    11. Re:nice.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MS already runs huge server farms on Windows Server for Hotmail (and other services too, but Hotmail is the biggest). I doubt they'll have much trouble running a search engine.

      Whether the search engine is any good or not is a totally different issue, of course.

      Also:

      Microsoft's agenda is to push Microsoft products and line Microsoft pockets, while Google's agenda is to provide a low-overhead search engine while providing the best possible user experience.

      I think Google's agenda is pretty much the same as Microsoft's: Make lots of money. You may think the way Google goes about this is preferable to how MS does. But let's not pretend they're doing this for altruistic reasons.

  22. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They thought the same about Standard Oil and AT&T.
    One is dead and the other is rotting.

  23. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by MoonBuggy · · Score: 1

    I think it's the perfect time for Google to begin playing up it's less known features. Phone number search, calculator, translator, news, froogle etc.

    Now that there is a competitor in the search market that has the time and money to try competing with the Google algorithms (which are admitedly showing their vulnerability to link spamming now) Google should advertise their other extremely useful features which I'm sure much of their userbase doesn't even know exist. Not a major cross site campaign, but tips in the homepage would be a nice start.

  24. Remind me in six months by fuzzy12345 · · Score: 1
    What? July? Not just "2H2004"? Must be a hoax -- MS is never that specific.

    Seriously, it took a long time after Google was launched for it to beat Altavista. I expect the same will be true here.

    --

    Everybody's a libertarian 'till their neighbour's becomes a crack house.
    1. Re:Remind me in six months by ggvaidya · · Score: 1

      Altavista? I thought it beat Yahoo!

      (What happened to all those search engines anyways? You know, the ones that don't let you google?)

  25. Re:Good! Separate Ads and Results by davandhol · · Score: 1, Redundant

    What? Google separates them--Your search in the main part of the page and sponsored links to the side. Or are you referring to something else, because as far as I can see, Google does NOT mix paid results with relevant searches.

  26. How am I supposed to react to this... by noser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Users came to Google for the clean interface and stayed for the consistant results. I have known so many people who just use their search engine of choice through habit and never ever think to change. I'm sure we all can think of people who stubbornly cling to obscure legacy search engines like dogpile or even msn search (shiver)...

    These are the people who just use msn or aol default search tool, and then discover that it is not working for them. Sooner or later they eventually find their way to Google; what would ever make them leave?

    Casual internet users don't switch search engines out of curiosity. They have work to do and want answers fast. A new search offering would have to offer a simple, clean, easy to learn interface and consitantly great results to ever usurp Google. Or they could give away free money...

    1. Re:How am I supposed to react to this... by pohl · · Score: 2, Informative

      Excellent point. From my own personal experience, I became a habitual user of Alta Vista in the early days. Over time, Google became better in all respects except one: AltaVista still had the ability to search Usenet posts (which is very useful for troubleshooting tech issues!). But when AltaVista stopped allowing usenet searches, I became an immediate Google user. Eventually, Google Groups became available and "customer loyalty" set in. I can't imagine a scenario where that well-worn rut of hitting google is disrupted. They'd have to start sucking, and it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon.

      --

      The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...

    2. Re:How am I supposed to react to this... by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 1

      I would disagree with you in one instance that used to be fairly common- You are not satisfied with your results. It used to be a very common thing that I would go to lycos (then claiming the largest index), yahoo (then had the best results), and then altavista, hotbot, google, or whatever else came to mind. Eventually google rose to the top as its searches always produced what I was looking for. Now, you're right, I dont go elsewhere because google gets me the info I want.

      However, being at the top has its problems as the spammers are moving in. I recently did some searches for product names + review and all that came up were spam sites and people trying to sell me the product, and very few relevant reviews. Similarly, during my job search a few months ago I put "resume writing" and all the top hits were sites selling me RESUME WRITING KITS GUARANTEED TO WORK! only $50!. I just repeated the search and the situation is a little better (though not up to google standards), but the point being is that I don't think search engines have quite the inertia you think they do. If google stops producing, im not going down w/ the ship. Off to MSN or Yahoo I go.

    3. Re:How am I supposed to react to this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what would ever make them leave??? you make it sound as if you have to put in a lot of effort to use a different search engine. just type a url or bookmark it if you are that lazy...

    4. Re:How am I supposed to react to this... by Boglin · · Score: 1
      Or they could give away free money...
      because it worked so well for iWon.com
  27. Of course by The+Ancients · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I think Google pulled themselves into mindshare, due to their efforts. They haven't stood still, and are always attempting to improve on what they do. Kind of unlike a lot of other companies/products that gain market dominance (Microsoft bashers have your say, but there are many companies guilty of this).

    My (very) simple take on Google - the main search page is small and light and loads incredibly quickly (even while I'm saturating wor...err, my connection with por...uhh, linux binaries). The page has never really changed that much and is very familiar, but the technology behind the page is constantly being tweaked. Of course, (fair) competition is almost always a good thing.

    Google will always reign supreme, definitely.

    I don't think anything is definite - Google has a clear head start, but I don't think even Google are invincible. This will be a very interesting space to watch, indeed...

    ..k

    1. Re:Of course by yagu · · Score: 2, Informative


      Here's a great video... if you'd like some info about how innovative and agile Google really is: Google Linux Cluster

  28. Can you say: Creditability? by dmobrien_2001 · · Score: 0

    I knew you couldn't. There is no way, a search thru M$ will ever be credible. Their current search puts M$ sites on top, M$ technologies before others, even hides other non-M$ technologies (remember the XFree86 fiasco/block which they have since removed -- but too late, Mr. Bill Gates)!

    1. Re:Can you say: Creditability? by igloo-x · · Score: 0

      What makes you think Google wouldn't do the same thing if they thought they could get away with it? What makes you think they haven't been, and they have been getting away with it?

      If anything, they're more likely to. You obviously hate MS (HURRRR M!CRO$HAFT) so much, what makes you think they won't play it straight with their search engine just to steal those few extra users from Google who're concerned about such things? Don't forget, Microsoft doesn't need the income, unlike Google.

      More anti-Microsoft rhetoric. You'd think that MS bashing would be too mainstream to bother with these days.

  29. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Dan+Farina · · Score: 1

    of course it works both ways....Microsoft is also a mortal entity.

  30. I can see it already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will they purposely give fewer hits for linux et al?

    If they do then their search engine will be just another commerical product. Not what you would call a gateway to the information highway, more like a toll booth.

    I suggest that the OSS communite build their own search engine, to rival MSN? .

  31. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Chess_the_cat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Could happen. Just like people say Kleenex when they mean a tissue and Aspirin when they mean ASA? Both are brand names but they're not used that way anymore. I can see the same happening to Google.

    --
    Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
  32. Re:Good! Separate Ads and Results by trinitrotoluene · · Score: 1

    I thought the only paid results on Google were the ones in the top right of the results page? Where it says "Sponsored links"?

    --
    boom boom boom
  33. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by BizidyDizidy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah, like Rome meant the world, IBM meant a computer, there was just "the phone company", etc. I'm sure no one competes with Hoover either.

    --
    The safest way to approach lava is to have another person with you and he goes first.
  34. online search world == interesting? by bsDaemon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Excuse me, I am sure I must be mistaken, but interesting is hardly the word i would use to describe this. What would be interesting to me? A free, non-profit, search engine. Not funded by advertising. It would sort of be like the PBS of the of the WWW.
    If I search for anything, pretty much the first hits are going to include Amazon.com advertising books about the subject. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of the web? I would like to see only the online information which is A) free (as in dollar bills) to access and B) actually acurate (ie, not written by jr. highschool history classes which leave out all of the details and most of the actual facts).
    Honestly, if it would also search articles in magazines and scientific/trade journals, and give me access to the full text, i may even be willing to actually PAY for the service. Something like, $10-$15 per month, even. This would greatly enhance the productivity of unversity students and professors.

    1. Re:online search world == interesting? by pjt33 · · Score: 2, Informative

      My technique for that is simple: use citeseer to get the names of the authors of a few relevant papers, and then use Google to find their home pages. A rather high proportion of academics have their papers for download, even if the journal which published them wants you to subscribe before you read more than the abstract.

    2. Re:online search world == interesting? by hng_rval · · Score: 1

      Try these, they cost money, but they provide the access you want.

      Lexis Nexus
      Factiva
      Gartner

      We get free access to these and a lot more at my university.

      --
      Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!
    3. Re:online search world == interesting? by kf6auf · · Score: 2, Informative

      So in my opinion there are 3 good websites on the internet:
      E-Print Archives
      Mathworld and Scienceworld
      Federation of American Scientists

      Of the three, 2 are distinctly not for profit, but rather so that scientists can get some work done again and who know's why wolfram put mathworld and scienceworld online. As far as more liberal arts stuff, the only online thing I know of is jstor.org and I think that might require paying for, but my university pays for it if it does. I found all those sites very useful and suggest that you check them out if you haven't already done so.

      -Scott

    4. Re:online search world == interesting? by dont_think_twice · · Score: 1

      You have the Free State Campaign in your sig, and yet you are advocating a PBS of the internet?

      Okay, I guess I finished the internet. I have seen everthing.

    5. Re:online search world == interesting? by bsDaemon · · Score: 1

      i don't like buying things because i am broke. The web pisses me off because all it wants to do is sell me shit. If i am trying to research something i just want the information, not bloody sales propaganda. Perhaps PBS was a poor choice of comparison, but the only one I can think of just now. However, I have no problem with non-profit organizations and there are a number of them which I have the utmost respect for.

    6. Re:online search world == interesting? by BuckaBooBob · · Score: 1

      Hmm... a Google Subscription Service? .. Honestly... 5-10$ a year for a paid ad free searches (if they overhaul to page ranking so there arn't so many commercial sites turning up all the time :) ).. I wouldn't think twice about it...

      --
      Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
  35. What do they want ? by lazy_arabica · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Will Microsoft try to take control in any existing domain related to computing ? They already have a monopoly on operating systems, messengers, and now they want to take control on search engines ? I know it's not new but, can't they really bear the idea that there is some company doing something better than them ?

    I don't know if they will succeed in replacing google as the leader search engine... but I wonder if it is not dangerous for a company to attempt extending its control on everything.

    1. Re:What do they want ? by Dan+Ost · · Score: 2, Interesting

      They already have a monopoly on operating systems, messengers, and now they want to take control on search engines?

      When did they get a monopoly on messengers? When I look around, I see lots
      of AIM, Jabber, and ICQ users, but I've never seen anyone use Microsoft's
      messenger. Is my sample out of touch with the rest of reality?

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    2. Re:What do they want ? by pe1chl · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They have the money to control everything, and no way to spend it on improvement of their existing products.
      (they don't think that fixing bugs is improving the product)

      SO they start looking around and finding things to control.
      The top search engine uses their biggest competitor OS, so that needs to be gone.
      Also it provides a large knowledgebase about competing systems, that must be eradicated.
      Once MS controls the search engine business, they can influence the documents that the world is going to read. Less positive info about Linux, more about Windows.

      Of course they will tell you that the above isn't true, but they told that before and things always turned out to be different later.

    3. Re:What do they want ? by w8300v-2 · · Score: 1

      I'll answer this in a second.... Just as soon as I get off my Microsoft Toilet(tm), wash my hands with Microsoft Antibacterial Soap(tm), and finish drinking my Microsoft Cherry Cola(tm).

    4. Re:What do they want ? by Bl33d4merican · · Score: 1

      They already have a monopoly on operating systems, messengers, and now they want to take control on search engines Messengers? Ever heard of...oh, I dunno...AOL IM, ICQ, Yahoo, IRC, and catch-alls like Trillian and DeadAIM? Last time I checked MSN Messenger was NOT a monopoly...especially since it's a free program anyway. M$ may have a huge monopoly in some areas, but let's point fingers where there's actually a problem, shall we? Not to mention the fact that nobody would actually switch from Google (which certainly now has the closest thing to a monopoly in that area) to an M$ search engine unless M$ had a better product...in which case, they deserve to have more users.

      --

      Every windows user is a sadomasochist.

    5. Re:What do they want ? by lazy_arabica · · Score: 1

      Ok, may be it is not true in your countries. However, where I live, in France, the most used messenger is msn, and competitors are far behind it. When someone wants to contact you via Internet, he first asks : "Do you have msn ?"

      Of course, don't know about foreign countries...

    6. Re:What do they want ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am not suprised to see that the French have already surrendered to the Microsoft monopoly. ;)

    7. Re:What do they want ? by KiwiSurfer · · Score: 1

      Here in New Zealand, ICQ used to the the most popular IM program in the late 1990's. Now, however, almost everyone has migrated over to MSN. Almost everyone I know that use IM use MSN Messenger. They use it cos its easy to use and cos everyone else in NZ use it.

    8. Re:What do they want ? by toddestan · · Score: 1

      From what I have seen at college in the US, everyone uses either MSN or AIM. Before XP (or in other words, before MSN Messenger was bundled into Windows) most everyone used AIM, and a few used Yahoo. But now Yahoo has joined ICQ in the fringes, and it seems that AIM is losing to MSN. No one uses Jabber. Kind of sad, really.

  36. Re:Good! Separate Ads and Results by gspr · · Score: 1

    Uh? Google displays the paid ads separately, if you haven't noticed.

  37. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by matusa · · Score: 1

    careful, you just proved yourself incorrect. Do Hoover and Coke have 100% market share?

  38. I certainly hope it is ready in time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After all it should be ready when the new XP Service Pack comes out, so that MS can once again offer windows user a great XPeriance by again tightly integrating something into windows.

    I just wonder when they will try to convince us, that a search engine is an integral part of an OS after all.

  39. Troll?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    From the Slashdot FAQ:

    Troll -- A Troll is similar to Flamebait, but slightly more refined. This is a prank comment intended to provoke indignant (or just confused) responses. A Troll might mix up vital facts or otherwise distort reality, to make other readers react with helpful "corrections." Trolling is the online equivalent of intentionally dialing wrong numbers just to waste other people's time.

    Now please tell me how the parent comment is a troll again. Or did it get modded down just because you didn't agree with this opinion.

  40. Search is dead? by natefanaro · · Score: 2, Funny

    So how long is it before we start seeing the headlines "Google is dead!"

    (Not that I want to see google go, but everything else is dead. Apple, Tivo, BSD, and etc.)

  41. Re:Good! Separate Ads and Results by MoonFog · · Score: 1

    Exactly, I think the grandparent here misunderstood the entire thing. The new msn search engine will actually look more like Google does now. It's the MSN search engine that DOES display paid ads in with the search results. I hate browsing to page 2 to find the first relevant result.

  42. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 1

    I'd have to agree. If a better search engine comes out, it will require a lot of money in advertising and a heck of a good engine to beat out google.

    look at Q-Tip... The king of cotton swabs, but I can't remember a time when anybody called a cotton swab anything but a 'q-tip'.

  43. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by lightningrod220 · · Score: 1

    In a lot of places, in homes, Google has become a verb: a lot of people say "I'll google it". If someone doesn't understand something, they Google it. Even if they have dial-up, it's easier to "google" something than it is to look it up elsewhere. MSN.com is a great start page, but I don't really like its search engine. It's not that great, IMHO.

  44. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by TwistedSquare · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure you can compare an empire to a company, as for IBM they may have been used as the word for PCs before my time, or in another country, so you may be right about that one. Hoover I admit are nowhere these days, but thats mainly because of that whole free flights scandal..

  45. Microsoft's efforts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pardon my slightly off-topic post but I missed my chance with the AOL article yesterday.

    It seems pretty clear that Microsoft is bent on controlling every aspect of computing. This search engine technology marks their foothold in providing content (as does MSN). Yesterday's mention of AOL marks their foothold in providing access to content (as does MSN). They're also involved in everything from peripheral hardware to the BIOS to the operating system to the browser (and other web content software). Ok, this is all rather obvious.

    Looking at this body of involvement I see two areas of growth. Microsoft will not content themselves until they are involved with the very core of the internet. They need their own backbone. As an ultra-slim MCI emerges from bankruptcy later this year, they'll be a very juicy target, especially considering they own UUNET.

    As mentioned, Microsoft has a foothold in every part of the computer up to my very fingertips with their own keyboards. The other area of growth is my hands themselves. More and more peripherals will be coming with the secure computing initiative that will be used to securely identify the user. There are already biometric devices, ho hum. But, Microsoft has already started expressing interest in RFID technology. Your own embedded RFID will eventually be your user authentication method.

    In conclusion (a very obvious one): This is the Computer Age. Microsoft aims to make themselves synonymous with the very word "computer" and they're doing a pretty darn good job. As everything in the world ends up with some computer in it (think RFIDs), Microsoft will gain global dominance and a strangehold on every industry. If this isn't a monopoly, I don't know what is.

  46. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by minus_273 · · Score: 2

    You havent been around on the net for a very long time have you? I remember about 8 years ago or so when yahoo reigned supreme. It was huge portal second behing only AOL. Things were great. Everyone went to Yahoo to perform searches.. heck, "do you yahoo?" was something i heard all the time.
    Where is yahoo now?

    --
    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  47. No they won't! by ggvaidya · · Score: 3, Interesting

    No way! If a good competitor comes up, they're going to push their brandname as much as possible, and out-swamp google.

    Google became number one through a combination of good technology (very good search algorithm, large number of computer clusters) and brilliant marketing (simple, ad-free, no-clutter, to-the-point interface; getting their search algorithm and computer statistics into magazines like Reader's Digest, etc).

    Everybody's trying to embrace-and-extend this now, which means the push is towards a simple, utilatarian search giving relevant results. If somebody can do all this and give us something better, we'll switch over. Naturally, it'll be in the new company's best interests to use even smarter marketing to make us forget all about Google and not think about going back. As long as the verb "google" is associated with searching the web, this new company won't be able to beat Them.

  48. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by jrockway · · Score: 2, Insightful

    IBM doesn't have mindshare anymore, but try to go anwhere without seeing an IBM logo. Cash registers, clocks, everything. They make lots of Business Machines, hence their name International Business Machines. They make a lot more than computers. (And they support Linux, so fuck their competitiors :D)

    --
    My other car is first.
  49. When is Google like BSD? by Eberlin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I mean we've heard it before and I'm starting to believe it -- Google is dying. When you're the top search engine out there, people start wanting to make a living spamming, scamming, and (google)bombing the algorithm just so they show up first.

    Continuing to improve is a must. That doesn't necessarily mean expanding to blogging and giving away free e-mails and stuff. Just give me the appropriate results to my searches, separate the ads from (informative) content, and keep things as simple as possible. It's tough when everyone's gunning for you, but you can't sit still -- the search engine war should be won by the engine that gives the best results.

    Google -- I'm pulling for you. I really am. Don't Netscape your way into oblivion, please. Yahoo will likely compete on merit. MS will play "default with OS" against you. I really hope you'll make it out ahead.

    1. Re:When is Google like BSD? by shaitand · · Score: 1

      The MSN homepage has been the default IE homepage since IE4 and win98. This is hardly a new card MS will be playing, google has been beating their primary tactic for a very long time now.

    2. Re:When is Google like BSD? by rokzy · · Score: 1

      I'd love Google to start "punishing" sites:

      Your page has text almost the same colour as the background? -1000 points for you! (or whatever's large enough to push them to the bottom).

      something to stop all this BS that's only there to fool people.

      plus, official sites should almost always be at the top, If it isn't then whoever's at the top is probably scamming.

    3. Re:When is Google like BSD? by Keeper · · Score: 1

      The problem is that it is easy to find ways around the punishments.

      In your example, all a webpage author would have to do is use a small, solid colored background image to set the "background" color, instead of via html code.

    4. Re:When is Google like BSD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      This is hardly a new card MS will be playing, google has been beating their primary tactic for a very long time now.

      Nielsen's Top 5 Search Destinations for February has Google at the top with 40% of the audience, MSN and Yahoo tied for second at 30% each. In a long race it is never safe to count Microsoft out.

  50. They are catching up with Google! by FyRE666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    As can be seen here, a search for litigious bastards brings Microsoft's pet puppets up at the top of the result list ;-)

  51. the msnbot faq by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you take the time to look at the MSNBot FAQ, you will find it has a striking resemblance to the GoogleBot FAQ

    Sadly, I know someone that works on this stuff.

  52. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by JoeBaldwin · · Score: 1

    IBM have mindshare among us. Quite a lot of it.

  53. sample search results by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Searching for "Linux", for example, will get you this

  54. Prediction: FLOP! by hot_Karls_bad_cavern · · Score: 1

    ...unless they plan to BUY google in April!!!

    [tinfoil]oh shit...i bet the deal has already gone through!!! what have they done!?[/tinfoil]

    Thank you, that is all.

  55. You can preview the new engine here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    beta.search.msn.com

  56. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by JoeBaldwin · · Score: 1

    Standard Oil is far from dead. ExxonMobil, BP Amoco, ChevronTexaco...All of those have roots in Standard Oil. ExxonMobil even uses it as a brand name FFS (Esso-S.O).

    I get your point though.

  57. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by CGP314 · · Score: 1

    Just because I need to xerox something doesn't mean I have to use that company. The world needed a verb that means `to look for something on the internet' and now it has one.


    -Colin

  58. This alone will sink it by astrashe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This alone will sink it:

    Redetzki said MSN will list three paid listings at the top of every search result, of which at least two will be advertisements sold directly by MSN.

    People don't want the search results to come in 4th on the list -- they want it at the top.

    Also, I found this quote to be sort of funny:

    "We're really close to finding out what really strikes consumers as the most relevant search results," said Karen Redetzki, an MSN product manager.

    They don't know, but they're really close to finding out what consumers want. Even the word "consumers" says a lot about their mindset. We're just there to buy stuff.

    99/100 of my google searches don't have anything to do with buying stuff. But when I do want to buy something, I use google because it's the engine I'm used to.

    MS will probably make a lot of money, because a lot of people don't know any better. I've been installing the google toolbar for people, because it blocks pop-ups, and about half of the people who have gotten it from me say that their searches have improved a lot because they've started to use google.

    I had assumed that everyone was already using google, but the comments I've gotten suggest that isn't the case.

    But google is the company that's driving the industry. They're the people who worked out the best way for an engine to work. MS isn't bringing anything new to the table, fundamentally, other than an ability to use their software to drive people to their site.

    They're saying, basically, let's copy google to a large extent, except for a small number of changes that will make the site worse (ie., putting paid links at the top of the page instead of just over on the side), and use our position as a software vendor to drive traffic to our search engine.

    1. Re:This alone will sink it by Keeper · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They don't know, but they're really close to finding out what consumers want. Even the word "consumers" says a lot about their mindset. We're just there to buy stuff.

      The word consumer implies nothing about "buying stuff." A consumer is a person who 'consumes' a product or service. A consumer in this context is someone who uses their search engine.

    2. Re:This alone will sink it by astrashe · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I understand your point, but I still stand by mine, for two reasons.

      First of all, words have nuances. "Prostitute" and "whore" mean the same thing, in a mechanical sense - the definition is the same. But one is derrogatory, and the other isn't.

      I believe that there are nuances in the word "consumer", that it comes out of a certain corporate mindset.

      And second of all, the entire article is about how MSN plans to sell ads on the search engine. People buy ads to sell people stuff. So I think they really are thinking of their users as consumers.

      The article talks about where the ads are going to appear on page, how many ads will show up before the first real hit is displayed, and how some ads will be on the top while others will be on the side. It talks about how at least two of the three top ads will be sold directly by MSN, but the third might, or might not be sold by the companies that are selling ads for MSN now. It talks about whether or not those companies will be able to continue to do that, and how their roles will change.

      This is a different sort of discussion than the one that surrounded google when it was launched. With google, it was all about PageRank, and about how to make searches more useful. When google talks about their service, the discussion tends to be user-centric. The article we have here is advertiser-centric.

      I think it's a real difference in perspective, and I think it's one of the bedrock reasons why Google is better, and will continue to be better, than any MSN search engine.

      And I think the MSN corporate wonk's use of the word "consumer" is indicative of that. It's a small thing, and it doesn't prove anything, but it's a sign.

    3. Re:This alone will sink it by ax_42 · · Score: 1

      "Prostitute" and "whore" mean the same thing, in a mechanical sense - the definition is the same. But one is derrogatory, and the other isn't.


      I dunno where you come from, but in the real world those are both derogatory. Try "escort" for a classic euphemism or watch some good sci-fi and recognise the term "companion" :)

      Firefly rocks!
    4. Re:This alone will sink it by CentrX · · Score: 1

      "Prostitute" is a pretty straightforward word for someone who offers his or her body to sexual activities for hire. It is derogatory by virtue of what this means, not by virtue of the additional meaning by epithet that the word "whore" holds. One who does not find the practice disgusting would not find the word "prostitute" to be derogatory as it is a precise description of the practice which they do not find worthy of derogation, whereas "whore" is derogatory and also implies an extra lewdness and will likely be considered derogatory no matter how benign or pleasant one considers sex for hire

      "Escort" and "companion" are, as you say, euphemisms: a substitution of a comparatively favorable word for a more precise and less favorable word. These euphemisms may be less derogatory, but because they are not accurate descriptors.

      --

      "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson
  59. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by LBArrettAnderson · · Score: 1

    but i doubt very many said "do you yahoo" and thought it meant "do you use yahoo's search engine".

    i know i never did. It is very common, and easily understood, that when someone says "google it" that means "search for it".... and although "search for it using google" is not necessarily implied, that's what people do; they use google.

  60. Facts wrong, but we should look at it by ggvaidya · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't get "paid results mixed with relevant ones" on my google!

    That said, I agree with the parent - we shouldn't let our anti-M$ blinkers keep us from taking a look. Maybe particularly since it's Microsoft - these are the guys who made IBM, Apple and CP/M cry, and who got rid of Lotus 123, Wordstar, Visio, Astound and half-a-dozen other major (and good) products defunct. Just because they haven't done much other than rattle their jewellry and hire evil goons in the last coupla years doesn't mean they aren't very, very dangerous.

  61. Longhorn Delays? by polyp2000 · · Score: 1

    Maybe they want to get their search engine out there, up and running before they lock Longhorn into it.

    --
    Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
  62. what happens when you search for orwell? by kraksmoka · · Score: 3, Funny

    does m$ delete all references to themselves and big gates? hehe.

    --
    "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." - Rahm Emanuel
  63. Re:And the power system is? by pigscanfly.ca · · Score: 1

    I actually did some work on a system likes this not to long ago.
    The problem is since most of the scientific journals,etc. are walled gardens (IE you have to pay to access or be a member of university XYZ) it can get very complicated to actually get something like that to work.

  64. Heh by Tirinal · · Score: 4, Funny

    "We're really close to finding out what really strikes consumers as the most relevant search results," said Karen Redetzki, an MSN product manager.

    Tranalation: After several years of weekly strategy meetings with high-paid analysts and consultants we have discovered that people do not, in fact, want advertisements to be displayed with search results.

    --
    ~Tirinal
    1. Re:Heh by lazy_arabica · · Score: 1
      "We're really close to finding out what really strikes consumers as the most relevant search results," said Karen Redetzki, an MSN product manager.

      Tranalation: After several years of weekly strategy meetings with high-paid analysts and consultants we have discovered that people do not, in fact, want advertisements to be displayed with search results.


      Or may be have they simply understood new users will use their search engine if it is made the default homepage in Internet Explorer ? Sure this will be done. And another lawsuit ; another 4 or 5 years of a western-like story.
  65. File this one under by unassimilatible · · Score: 1
    "Reasons to go on living."

    --
    Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
  66. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by extra+the+woos · · Score: 1

    I never even knew asparin was ever a brand name. You sure about this? I mean there's tons of companies that make products with the label of asparin, yet only one that actually can use the label of kleenex. So i'm not doubting you, i'm just curious as to how long ago asparin was a brand name and what happened so that everyone could use it on their products. I know that tylenol is a brand name and everyone else just labels it "APAP Pain Reliever" or whatever, same with naproxen sodium hehe.

    (yes i know its kinda off topic, but i'm curious, posting w/o bonus)

    --
    replacing it with NEW Folger's Crystals! (lets see if they notice the difference)
  67. Dependency hell. by Stallmanite · · Score: 1

    Friends depends on MSN messenger.
    Messenger depends on hotmail.
    Hotmail shows you msn.com and their stupid engine.
    Search their stupid engine for "GPL" get "SCO: IBM cannot enforce GPL"

    It all ties together. If they buy out AOL, MSN will become The One Messenger, and all hell breaks loose.

    1. Re:Dependency hell. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      What the hell is "Friends" and "Messenger"?

      And further, why would you use any of those things when there is Jabber (open source and free) and a zillion excellent Jabber clients (some open source, most or all free) which let you connect to ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, MSN and allow you to connect to as many others as people want to write transports for?

    2. Re:Dependency hell. by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Why not use Jabber?

      Because in my extremely technically literate circle of friends, I am the only person to use Jabber, and the only reason I bothered creating an account is because it works nicely in Trillian. I have never gotten a Jabber message in my life.

      The other IM protocols are sufficiently non-sucky to make me not care too much about Jabber. It's a great system, to be sure, but why should I take my time to evangelize it?

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    3. Re:Dependency hell. by Moofie · · Score: 1

      I stand corrected. I checked my log, and I've received two Jabber messages. Both of them were ill-formed HTML spams, in Spanish.

      Yay Jabber.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    4. Re:Dependency hell. by marcello_dl · · Score: 1

      Search their stupid engine for "GPL" get "SCO: IBM cannot enforce GPL"

      And get it as the first result! Unbelievable... Second comes gnu home, forth an actual license page.

      Google lists the license first, with gnu home as related second. Third OSI, fourth linux.org.

      So, just wonder which search engine i'll keep using...

      --
      ---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
  68. Re:Good! Separate Ads and Results by Zakabog · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Shouldn't this be modded up as funny or something? Deffiniely not interesting or insightful, but funny sure.

  69. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by mao+che+minh · · Score: 2

    It seems pretty clear that Microsoft is bent on controlling every aspect of computing. This search engine technology marks their foothold in providing content (as does MSN). Yesterday's mention of AOL marks their foothold in providing access to content (as does MSN). They're also involved in everything from peripheral hardware to the BIOS to the operating system to the browser (and other web content software). Ok, this is all rather obvious.

    Looking at this body of involvement I see two areas of growth. Microsoft will not content themselves until they are involved with the very core of the internet. They need their own backbone. As an ultra-slim MCI emerges from bankruptcy later this year, they'll be a very juicy target, especially considering they own UUNET.

    As mentioned, Microsoft has a foothold in every part of the computer up to my very fingertips with their own keyboards. The other area of growth is my hands themselves. More and more peripherals will be coming with the secure computing initiative that will be used to securely identify the user. There are already biometric devices, ho hum. But, Microsoft has already started expressing interest in RFID technology. Your own embedded RFID will eventually be your user authentication method.

    In conclusion (a very obvious one): This is the Computer Age. Microsoft aims to make themselves synonymous with the very word "computer" and they're doing a pretty darn good job. As everything in the world ends up with some computer in it (think RFIDs), Microsoft will gain global dominance and a strangehold on every industry. If this isn't a monopoly, I don't know what is.

  70. Enough already! by shaitand · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I hate MS as much as the next guy. But they can't exactly just set this as the default in IE and win the war like the majority of posters seem to be saying.

    Why not? They've done it with media player, IE, etc etc. Well they can't because they've been doing it for over 6yrs already and google rose to the top with MSN search as the default homepage and search in IE already!

    Install IE, open the browser, up pops the MSN search page. You think just because they make a new search engine and start pointing to it as the default rather than MSN it's going to suddenly kill google?

    I might have agreed 6yrs ago, but now having seen that at no time since they made it the default page with IE 4 in win98 has MSN EVER been the top search engine.. I'm afraid history has already shown otherwise sorry guys.

    Lets talk about how they cleaned up the search results for Xfree86 and linux and such before making this announcement (check em) and how they will undoubtedly bring the scewed results back if they succeed and become top search dog.

    1. Re:Enough already! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What they're looking for here is the same general tactic the Open Source movement has had. It's the "Good Enough" tactic. Being default alone isn't going to win it. It has to be "good enough." Think OpenOffice.org vs. MS Office. Not as feature-bloated, but "good enough" -- and if it's more convenient (as in the price is right), people would use it over MS Office.

      In the search engine case, if the default is "good enough" -- people will use it over something else.

    2. Re:Enough already! by Moofie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Who cares?

      Will Google be less good if it becomes less popular? No.

      Popularity and quality are on orthogonal axes.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    3. Re:Enough already! by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Actually, Google will become better as it becomes less popular, as all scum that games Google's results will move on to game MSN, and I won't care one bit.

    4. Re:Enough already! by Xenographic · · Score: 1

      It doesn't hurt that some of us instruct newbies better than that, either :]

      I teach a class on basic internet usage at a local library (ironically, in a lab donated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation).

      We all teach them, and always have taught them to use Google (and *never* the search button!) to perform internet searches.

      And I'm by no means the only teacher there who reccomends that (nor was I the first to do so).

      It may not be very many people, but we've been doing it at about 10 people per class for a long time now...

    5. Re:Enough already! by shaitand · · Score: 1

      Glad to hear it. We change the default homepage and search page on every pc we sell.

  71. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by mr_tommy · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm not sure that Google has killed thousands of people, extorted money from collonies, and levered social unbalance accross massive continents!

  72. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by notque · · Score: 1

    No kidding, just at work I've heard "Google it." and "Did you Google for it?" more than a few times.

    That it ususally the first thing I say when someone asks me a very simple question.

    --
    http://use.perl.org
  73. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    From: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blasp irin.htm

    The folks at Bayer came up with the name Aspirin, it comes from the 'A" in acetyl chloride, the "spir" in spiraea ulmaria (the plant they derived the salicylic acid from) and the 'in' was a then familiar name ending for medicines.

    Aspirin was first sold as a powder. In 1915, the first Aspirin tablets were made. Interestingly, Aspirin (R) and Heroin (R) were once trademarks belonging to Bayer. After Germany lost World War I, Bayer was forced to give up both trademarks as part of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

  74. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by notque · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This kind of brings up some interesting questions --

    What happens when/if someone develops a search engine that really is better (gasp! horror!) than Google? Will people still continue to use Google because it's entrenched in their brains? Will people say Google and mean another search engine?


    No. Used Hotbot for years because it was a much better search engine (to me at least.)

    Several people would search for the answer to a difficult question, I would find it easily faster than they did.

    When this started to stop, I inquired as to what search engine they used. Google was it.

    I turned many people on to Hotbot, and then I turned many people on to Google. When you need information quickly, you will use whatever is most effective.

    --
    http://use.perl.org
  75. "Does this defeat the purpose of the web"?! by ggvaidya · · Score: 2, Informative

    What on earth is the "purpose of the web"???

    Also, you probably shouldn't use Google to do research searches. Have you tried PubMed? It's one of the best, and free to search. Some non-free ones (which universities generally have subscription for) are BIOSIS Previews and ISI Web of Knowledge.

    As a side point, I frequently use Google to look up stuff for reports at university, and am generally surprised at just how relevant the search results are, for a non-scientific web search engine. Google on!

  76. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Orgazmus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Kinda like "Go SCO Yourself" will dissapear a couple of years from now?

    --
    The system had the verbosity of HTML combined with all the readability of compiled assembly viewed as bitmap images
  77. Re:Good! Separate Ads and Results by shaitand · · Score: 1

    Do a bit more digging, for as little as $200 you can get rank preference for your page.

  78. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Aspirin was a trademark of the Bayer company in germany, for the drug acetyl salicylic acid. But Bayer was nazi-affiliated* and America decided it didn't need to honour its trademark after the war. In many places outside the US, Bayer is still the only company allowed call its product aspirin.

    * (like Halliburton and the GOP... remember fascism means corporatism - if Bush had some charisma and intelligence, he could be Hitler...thankfully he's a bit of an idiot),

  79. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by rokzy · · Score: 1

    not just the simple ones either. Google is the first thing my PhD (astrophysics) supervisor tries for info.

    I use Firefox so with the integrated Google searching it's often quicker to just type a company name into Google than to guess whether it's .com or .co or hyphenated etc. I don't think MS can compete with this, they just have too much bloat. you can't get any simpler than Google, but there are millions of ways MS can screw it up, so statistically speaking their failure is practically guaranteed.

  80. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by AntiOrganic · · Score: 3, Insightful

    More like Kleenex, Band-Aids and Rollerblades.

  81. PARENT IS TROLL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    his posts are retarded and he just wants clicks to his site.

  82. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Nakito · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Indeed, once a brand name enters the common parlance, it has a life independent of the company that it stands for, even if that company loses its leadership position.

    Boss (handing you a stack of paper as he points to the Canon copier next to your desk): "Please xerox these documents."

    Boss (handing you a stack of reference citations as he points to the Microsoft search engine on your desktop): "Please google these terms."

    You might think it can't happen, but it can. The fact that Google is so dominant today is no guarantee of anything except that its name will probably remain recognizable as a verb for awhile. Google will have to continue to compete, and compete well, if it wants to stay on top. It was not very long ago that AltaVista ruled the search engine world, and it did not take very long for its user base to erode when Digital/Compaq failed to give it the priority it deserved.

  83. Example Of MS Search by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    MS search engine:
    Linux
    Results:

    1)How to migrate off of Linux and onto Microsoft
    Microsoft provides you an excellent and innovative path for migrating off your Linux...

    2)Linux is a Viral
    Microsoft has determined that Linux is...

    3)New study: MS is cheaper, more secure and more powerful than Linux...
    A recent study by the Microsoft Expert Evaluation Team has uncovered new data that shows users, finally, the benefits of MS products over Linux...

    bla, bla...

    10,000) Microsoft's search engine found NOT to be bias
    An independent study sponsored by MS, that puts critics question to rest, has found that MS does not bias certian search key words like Linux...

    Yes, I can see it now. An innovative research search engine by Microsoft... what could anybody else want?
    1. Re:Example Of MS Search by mccalli · · Score: 1
      MS search engine: Linux Results:
      (biased nonsense deleted)

      Hardly.

      Cheers,
      Ian

    2. Re:Example Of MS Search by Dunkelzahn · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actual results:

      #1. Amazon's Linux software store.

      #2. Linux Online (linux.org)

      #3. A linux utilities site.

      #4. Redhat.com

      #5. Linux.com

      --
      .
    3. Re:Example Of MS Search by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, yes, your are correct today. But this a sarcastic view of what it could be in the future.

    4. Re:Example Of MS Search by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Well, yes, your are correct today. But this a sarcastic view of what it could be in the future.
      So basically you're saying you're full of shit today, but someday you might not be?

      Forgive me if I don't hold my breath.

  84. Sort of funny... by Dunkelzahn · · Score: 1

    Earlier this morning, a forum site that I help run was getting swamped by about ten 'guests' that traced from Microsoft, and I told one of the other admins that it looked like Microsoft is getting ready to roll out their new search engine because their bots were spidering us alot more than the usual two or three guests we got from the old-style MSN search bots.

    --
    .
  85. I use the new yahoo search by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I used to use Google exclusively.

    Yahoo search produces better results at times. Perhaps it has an idea of the proximity of words to each other, something Google seems to sorely lack.

    The downside is Yahoo search is slower, sometimes much slower.

    I find this Google fatalism silly. You assume that Google cannot be improved upon. I see absolutely no evidence that this is true.

  86. New feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From now on, first result displayed when searching for "Linux" will be www.microsoft.com/windows/. At present, it's a made-up study that shows why is Windows more cost-effective solution than Linux.

  87. MS Vaporware(TM) by inkswamp · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Yet another instance of "we've got something real cool coming real soon so don't get too wrapped up in the other guys and especially don't go investing your money in them... God forbid!" If MS would get rid of the people they have writing all these fantastic PR releases and hire more people to work on this stuff, maybe they could actually get some of this stuff out and in people's hands. I mean, c'mon... every time some other company has a great idea, MS is hot on their heels with "something just like it real soon but even better!" They have an iTunes Music Store and an "iPod killer" coming... real soon. They have Longhorn coming... real soon (just not as soon as we originally said!) They have a Google-killer... real soon.

    How many times can MS get away with crying wolf like this?

    --
    --Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
    1. Re:MS Vaporware(TM) by ax_42 · · Score: 1

      Don't forget, SQL Server is also just around the corner too -- right after they fix all their security issues.......

    2. Re:MS Vaporware(TM) by mvdde_xh · · Score: 1
      How many times can MS get away with crying wolf like this?

      They have been doing it for years and years, so I would have to say people believe and listen to them, just about every time.

      And along those lines they president of my software company asked us when we are going to start using ".net" that he has been hearing about on TV. He was absolutely convinced that we needed to be using this .net, even though he couldn't define what .net was. We were asking if he meant server, or studio, or C#, and he said "yeah all that stuff". Might be time to update my resume.

    3. Re:MS Vaporware(TM) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Damn, dude... I've been in exactly that situation. My boss had a bug up his ass recently about setting up blogs on our company web site for our clients and customers and I kept asking him what he intended to use the blogs for and what exactly the customers and clients would need them for. He just kept insisting that blogs needed to be set up. Fortunately, one of his bosses nixed the plan before I put it too much time on it. However, before that, I managed to get him to admit that he had no clue what a blog was, just that it was hot at the moment so he was sure we needed to offer them to our customers (I won't go into details, but in our business blogs would make no sense.)

      May need to do some resume updating myself.

      --ps

  88. How it will work by hng_rval · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What I've heard through the grapevine about this new search is that it will be more interactive.

    When you type in a search for "apple" the search engine doesn't know if you mean Apple Computers or Apples the fruit. MSN search will ask you.

    This example is kind of obvious (just type Apple Computers into google), but there are less obvious searches where the interaction could really make a difference.

    Don't count MS out. If they do enable better searches they could win this battle.

    --
    Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!
  89. *shakes head* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    *smack*

  90. The beta is very similar to Google by dkaimal · · Score: 1

    Seems like they are really taking their embrace and extend policy all the way along. The beta.search.msn.com already implements Google features like the site search. Try searching for something like Linux site:sun.com to search within just the Sun site.
    Already a lot of the results turned up in searches seem pretty close to what Google turns up. The news links are up there pretty much like Google again and the page is a lot lighter than most standard MS pages. The search is pretty quick too, though it doesnt yet tell us how long the search took!
    The only think missing is "I am lucky" button.

    --
    Can I borrow your sig?
  91. Well... by Decameron81 · · Score: 1

    MSN is not going to beat google anytime soon in my opinion. Not unless google makes some silly decision. And the reason why I think this may sound a bit stupid to some:

    When I want to do online searches, I just open the browser and type www.google.com. I never click on the search button (that some browsers have). And it's not just me. Most of the people I know do exactly the same thing. It's a sort of automatic behaviour.

    Now one could argue that MS can try to put search buttons all over the place that lead to MSN, or even embed an MSN searching feature right into their OS, but given how immediate www.google.com has become to many of us, they will also have to fight against such a reflex in most people. Google is not just a name. For most people it is a sinonym of "web searching".

    But that's just my opinion... who knows what could happen in a few years.

    Diego Rey

    --
    diegoT
    1. Re:Well... by Garabito · · Score: 0

      MSN is not going to beat google anytime soon in my opinion. Not unless google makes some silly decision.

      I fear google to actually make stupid decisions. When I read that they want to make other things like "embed google search into handheld devices", reminds me when Netscape became involved with Sun's Java thin clients.

    2. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I don't type very well when I've got my feet propped up on the desk and a beer in my left hand so I click on the search engine icon in IE and it takes me straight to google. If your to stupid to change the default quit pissing and moaning about it.

  92. WRONG, WRONG AND JUST PLAIN WRONG by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People say 'aspirin' all the time too and that was a brand name. Just because Google has made it's way into the vernacular as a term for searching the Internet, doesn't mean people will be using Google to Google. A brand name DOES NOT make a business.

    People don't use Google for the sake of using Google, they use Google to find stuff. If another search engine helps them find stuff more easily, people WILL switch.

  93. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Jugalator · · Score: 1

    Google has been pushed into the common vocabulary, like Hoover has for vacuum cleaners and Coke has for soft drinks. It has mind share, and a lot of it.

    Google will always reign supreme, definitely.


    Yes, most people will carry on using Google... The question is for how long. An eternity is a damn long time, and I think we'll see a very competing search engine in at least a decade or so. I think it's likely this one will be MSN because of Microsoft's dominance in the business.

    I'm already seeing the downfall of Google in some areas, where many searches I do just return commercial sites which are trying to fool Google. Google tries to fight this by tweaking their ranking algorithm -- usually unsucessfully so far. I think they need to do some major revisions to their ranking system to reclaim their throne in next generation search engines. I highly doubt Google is the Ultimate Search Engine there'll ever be. What do I now... Maybe we have barely seen anything yet.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  94. *crosses fingers* by DJ-Dodger · · Score: 1

    Maybe this one will be able to find me a Mahito recipe on the internet.

    1. Re:*crosses fingers* by dporowski · · Score: 1

      You may have more luck if you spell it correctly.

      "Mojito". It's essentially a rum and coke with lime.

  95. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Jugalator · · Score: 1

    Neither do you say "just cola" when you tell someone to get something to drink. I think this is just an irrelevant minor advantage Google has, and we will once again see proof that Internet is the most fluctuating medium in the world by the next generation shift in search engine technology. We have basically only had one yet when Google entered the scene.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  96. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Jugalator · · Score: 1

    Will people still continue to use Google because it's entrenched in their brains?

    Not me

    Will people say Google and mean another search engine?

    No

    But then again, maybe I belong to a minority.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  97. AV by TSNV · · Score: 0

    I should point out that although Google is the top for quick-and-dirty searches, it's not capable - unlike AV - of embedded Boolean searches. I don't know how many times I've needed to know something (like the font that Telus uses in its advertisements, as a recent example) and Google can't help me. When this occurs, I head to AV's advanved - REALLY advanced - search, and pop in telus AND (font OR typeface). Boom, I find a pdf of their marketing strategy and policy that Google could never have found. It's true that AV only has about one sixth of Google's database, but that's largely because it has no gratuitous blogs. Don't count AV as dead just because AV does!

    --
    If there is hope, it lies in the prowles.
  98. Head start? by jasonhamilton · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What are you talking about? Only a few years ago and people were talking about how Altavista was unbeatable.

    --
    SearchIRC - Now with live chat directory!
  99. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Moofie · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Uh, you seem to be missing a very big point.

    If you want to use a different copier, you have to go buy one.

    If you want to use a different search engine, you type a URL into your browser.

    There is no brand lock-in on the Web.

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  100. Virii will be available in May by baomike · · Score: 1

    At the rate MS does things the virii and worms will
    beat them to market.

  101. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You, sir, are an ignoramus,

  102. relevant to who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    msn said they were working on making their results more relevant to consumers. this is one of their many fatal flaws. googe gives relevance democratically, so they are making the results relevant to people. are you a person or a consumer?

  103. Re:Searching for Linux on MSN - xfree86 update by SocietyoftheFist · · Score: 1

    At least searching for xfree86 doesn't bring up porn now.

    http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=xfree86&FOR M= SMCRT

  104. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What an uninformed comment. You are talking about something that has ZERO switching cost. How much time/money does it cost someone to enter Microsoft's search URL instead of Google'? Even more to the point, I'm sure Microsoft will integrate it into IE, so it will take more effort to use Google.

    Do you think people will forget the word "search"? As in, "I would like to Google something without Google, but I forgot what I used to say when I wanted to Google before Google".

  105. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh come on. Look at Vaseline (R). They have the "petroleum jelly" market locked up, because it's hard to name another brand. Google (R) will do the same thing in the "search" market. ;)

  106. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by SoSueMe · · Score: 1

    we just had an article proclaim that TiVo's going to die yesterday..

    Did they?

  107. It's not all about search results dammit! by cbreaker · · Score: 1

    I can usually find pretty much the same web sites no matter what search page I use. But I use Google because when I go to www.google.com there's one image, three lines of text total and a couple links. The page loads fast.

    I don't need to see the news, weather, articles, flash animations, the time and date, the world affairs, the best deals on travel, and everything else you can imagine all the the front page. If I need those things I will use google to search for them.

    Google will remain #1 until they change their front page to be full of bullshit like MSN, Yahoo, etc.

    --
    - It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
  108. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by SoSueMe · · Score: 1

    I don't think MS can compete with this...

    Does the phrase "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish", ring any bells?

  109. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Shakrai · · Score: 1
    Just like the Roman and British Empires, IBM, Netscape, East India Company, and all the other things this exact idiotic comment was made about.

    Don't forget: The Titanic is unsinkable!

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  110. Works well so far! by Enrico+Pulatzo · · Score: 1

    MSN Search for "google"

    Good for them.

  111. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by SoSueMe · · Score: 1

    "tips in the homepage would be a nice start,"/i>

    Please see this, it shows you how to "Google" more effectively.

  112. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by SoSueMe · · Score: 1

    Once more with the "preview" button.

    "tips in the homepage would be a nice start,"

    Please see this, it shows you how to "Google" more effectively.

  113. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... and Microsoft has taken notice!

    As the follower they have always been, thwey think they can now take over, once someone else has identified the market!

    Ya know what, fuck 'em! I have used nbcnews after they took 'em over: I find nothing works very well exccept in IE; not even IE 5.0, it requires IE 6! Fuck 'em, just fuck 'em; they never have any kind of customer needs at heart, customers are only the sheep they can use to increase their market share!

  114. Is it just all bullshit? by blueworm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Who else thinks this is bullshit?

    I know when I started googling more it had nothing to do with "search technology" but with the relative nakedness of google's page compared with Yahoo's. The less you put on the search page besides the search itself, the more I'll love it!

  115. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by neko9 · · Score: 1

    ...and about every picture on the web that is faked or looks unbelievable people say: that's shoped! of course it doesn't mean that exactly Photoshop is used to fake that picture...

  116. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by michael_cain · · Score: 1
    It seems pretty clear that Microsoft is bent on controlling every aspect of computing... Microsoft aims to make themselves synonymous with the very word "computer" and they're doing a pretty darn good job.

    If this comes to pass, it will be interesting to watch and see what effect it has on the rapid innovation that has characterized the history of software. Despite their claims, I don't see where MS is much of an innovator. Of the things that are making money for them now, they didn't invent word processing, spreadsheets, data base servers, GUIs, Web browsers, network media players, e-mail clients, online communities, interactive television, or PDAs. They have done a very good job of recognizing products once someone else has invented and introduced them, but they do not seem to be good at inventing new things themselves. They have the resources now -- cash on hand, staff, market leverage -- to arrive "late to the party" and still become dominant. But despite their claims to a $5B/year R&D budget, they don't seem to invent new stuff.

  117. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Eric+Damron · · Score: 1

    As I recall Netscape was in a similar position. Never under estimate Microsoft's power to abuse its monopoly position on its desktop.

    Let's look at what each side has:

    Google: Current dominance in the search engine market.

    Microsoft: Desktop OS monopoly running on over 95% of the PCs on the planet. A legal system that doesn't have the backbone to stop them from bundling their "search technology" into their OS. Billions of dollars to bribe our corrupt political system with campaign financing.

    Score: Google 0, Microsoft 1

    Google will be history within five to ten years unless our courts and political system gets taken back from corporate interests.

    --
    The race isn't always to the swift... but that's the way to bet!
  118. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by aidfarh · · Score: 1

    I've never used Hoover, and I don't like Coke.

    --
    There is no sig.
  119. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by neko9 · · Score: 1

    If this isn't a monopoly, I don't know what is.

    it's a World domination by Billgatus of Borg.

  120. see the difference by alphakappa · · Score: 1

    I searched for two items on the beta engine (top of my head- linux and apple - not related to whether they are competition for microsoft)
    Linux and Linux
    Apple and Apple

    The first results were from Amazon.com and the most relevant results (linux.org and apple.com) were somewhere down the list. Looks like their page ranking mechanism needs more work that what could be done by July.

    --
    "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
  121. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by BuckaBooBob · · Score: 1

    actually over the past Year Google has become less and less useful with people playing with page ranking... When I search for something Its a rare ocasion that I need to be directed to a Website where I can buy it... This is becomming all to common in my searches.. So when a New Search engine pops-up I give it a spin to see how many "Factual" hits I get rather than commercial hits.

    --
    Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
  122. Let's roll our own distributed search engine by cpghost · · Score: 1

    In a few years, most search engines would probably not be free anymore. Even Google (our all-times favorite) is going commercial, and as this story shows, only companies with deep pockets will be able to pay for the bandwidth and computing resources of a serious search engine. Would you trust such engines from being bias-free?

    All is not lost however. Let's roll our own search engine! A search engine from the users, for the users, and by the users. No, not for consumers, but for people interested in good results.

    Obviously, a simple robot hooked up on a modem or adsl line will not be sufficient. There's simply not enough bandwidth to crawl the Net. But there is enough bandwidth if we take a few hundreds (thousands) of nodes. Just like seti@home, a distributed search engine would consist of two parts: a more-or-less-centralized-database which would maintain the index and work-units, and thousand of client machines, which would fetch a list of URLs to crawl from the DB, crawl a few levels, and return partial indexing results back to the DB. The DB would then generate an index just like google and others.

    The beautiful part of this, is that it would scale very well: the more client machines participate, the faster will a new index be generated. The fewer participants, the longer the update intervals. That's all there is to it.

    Another advantage is that we could tune the results (and work-units) dynamically, by analyzing the query strings, and other criteria. It may very well happen that this search engine adapts itself to the need of its users _and_ participating crawlers. We could even get results that are currently very hard (of not impossible) to get with closed-source and closed-index engines: How's about searching in DNS (a la whois.sc)? How's about analyzing the popularity of query strings? All this could be possible with an open index!

    Ideas? Comments? Perhaps there's already something similar in sourceforge? Something that we could improve?

    --
    cpghost at Cordula's Web.
    1. Re:Let's roll our own distributed search engine by BubbleNOP · · Score: 1

      Grub is pretty close to what you're looking for. You can also see grab its source.

  123. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by BuckaBooBob · · Score: 1

    MS's search may or may not end up on top.. But typically they will not be able to stay on-top.. unlike most every other area they have reached dominance in they just cannot stick it in a "Objective reached" folder and toss a small team of people at it to keep it rolling in money... MS Fails to Truely Innovate.. what they can't aquire they dump money at and eventually come up with a product that is comparable and use thier desktop to lock out or prohibit competition... I don't think they will be able to use their time proven techniques to build a search engine and keep it on the top of the resource pile.

    --
    Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
  124. HOW TO KILL GOOGLE ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MSN search engine works by default from the Internet Explorer 'Address Bar'...

    Every time you use Internet Explorer:
    First it will go to the MSN search engine
    and then On That Page it has something like:
    'Go directly to the www.yadayada.com home page.'

    All Internet Explorer users would be forced to the MSN search engine by default, and click one more time to go to the page they were looking for...

    Expect to see it in the next Internet Explorer service patch...

  125. 15 hits for Linus? by rixstep · · Score: 1

    Hey maybe the Microsofties will by now have figured out that terrible inexplicable bug in the code for their previous version so people only thought there were 14 links to 'Linux' all over the net!

    I'd suppose so at any rate - for if there are two things we can count on with Redmond, it's #1) always telling the truth and #2) always working hard.

  126. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by hopbine · · Score: 1

    Yes, but how many prefer Pepsi ?

    --
    Semper ubi sub ubi
  127. I'll give up Google by HangingChad · · Score: 1

    When MSFT pries my cold dead hands off of it.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  128. wonder if this one will break opera too? by handmedowns · · Score: 1

    http://people.opera.com/howcome/2003/2/msn/

    Maybe if we're lucky it'll work on more than just IE? MS sure has a great track record for Quality Assurance.

    --
    The road between democracy and tyranny is paved with secrecy in the name of security.
  129. Blocking it? by Eudial · · Score: 1

    Is there a way to make your apache block Microsofts search-engine?

    I sure don't want Microsoft to index MY sites! .htaccess perhaps?

    --
    GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
    1. Re:Blocking it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      robots.txt perhaps?

    2. Re:Blocking it? by Shinglor · · Score: 1

      That would be pretty funny if everyone blocked the MSN spider so that it contains no useful pages at all.

    3. Re:Blocking it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A robots.txt should be able to take care of it: http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/robots.html

    4. Re:Blocking it? by pe1chl · · Score: 1

      What is their User Agent string?
      Probably something like this:

      Googlebot/2.1 (compatible; MSN 1.0)

  130. Headline... by bradtes · · Score: 1

    MSN Rolling Out New Search Engine In July

    I can't decide which potshot to take...

    from the can't-walk-on-its-own-two-feet dept.

    or

    Cue the dung beetles.

  131. assumptions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You make the most disfavorable assumptions. MS will more likely modify that they use to meet their needs, rather than use the worst possible setup.

    I mean, this company stripped down XP to make a kernel for the Xbox. They surely know how to remove features from an OS.

    For all you know, MS is going to use a flotilla of Xboxes to spider webpages. Pretty cheap to them, especially if they use refurbished ones.

    1. Re:assumptions... by Glamdrlng · · Score: 1

      I don't believe I made any assumptions about what they would do. My intent was to approach both scenarios: a full-fledged server install vs. a sripped down custom install. The Xbox is a very good point, but then again the xbox is essentially a client, not a server. If they run on a modified kernel, in many ways it looks bad for them. It sends the message "We couldn't efficiently use this operating system we pimp out in this environment because it was too bloated. We managed to strip it down to the point that it was useful to us, but that's something only we can do, because it's our product."

      --

      Yes, my only tool is a hammer. And you're starting to look like a nail.
  132. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Galvatron · · Score: 1
    People will still use google for a while. I used to use Altavista, and it took me a while to transition to Google. In fact, I really didn't make the switch until it got to the point where Altavista had become virtually useless, and Google was orders of magnitude better. People rely on things that have worked in the past, and it takes a number of bad experiences before they'll admit that it's not very good anymore.

    I don't think "Google" will remain the generic word for websearching if people switch to another engine. For one thing, "google" is only a verb, not a noun. One might say "I googled for information on monkeys," but no one ever says "MSN has a google, but it's not very good." Also, most brands that become generic are simple, and replace unwieldly terms, often having fewer than half the syllables of the official generic term. For example: Kleenex vs. Facial Tissue, Xerox vs. Photocopier, or Band-Aid vs. Adhesive Bandage. Google is a longer word than "search."

    --
    "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
  133. Spider Agent Tag? by T-Ranger · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Boycot Microsoft search engine. Set your web server to refuse to talk to their spider.

  134. Re:Mod down parent. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Umm...you are a troll? Mod parent waaaaay down...

  135. Well they can't do anything else right by walter_kovacs · · Score: 1

    so why would they get search right? As a professional SEO though, I am dreading the day that free organic search engine traffic dries up.

  136. Mark Cuban's Mamma.com vs. Google vs. M$ vs. Yahoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can he conquer another market again?

    It's a longshot...

  137. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by yulek · · Score: 1
    that's true, but look how often someone asks for a Coke when they really want just any cola, or a Hoover when they just want a vacuum cleaner.

    this is especially true outside the US.

    in the philippines, for example, toothpaste is commonly referred to as Colgate, regardless of the actual brand.

    i have a feeling the same thing might happen to the this Google word that's been indoctrinated into the language.

    i agree, MS will have a tought time breaking into that mind share, but it's not as obvious as you make it seem.

    --
    in this age of communication i'm just not getting through
  138. Nothing MSN does is interesting. by blair1q · · Score: 1

    Though some of it borders on criminal.

    Anyone else getting cigarette ads when you're sent to MSN branded websites?

    Selling tobacco is murder.

  139. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by sjb2016 · · Score: 1

    * (like Halliburton and the GOP... remember fascism means corporatism - if Bush had some charisma and intelligence, he could be Hitler...thankfully he's a bit of an idiot),

    Because we all know that the Democrats political coffers are as clean as a virgin's honeypot. I think corporate influence on American politics has gone too far as well, but there is plenty of corporate money being accepted on both sides of the aisle.

  140. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by AstroDrabb · · Score: 1
    There is no brand lock-in on the Web
    Sure there is. Have you never been to one of those silly websites that says "Requires IE"? That is brand lock-in thanks to Microsoft's "embrace and extend" tactics.
    --
    If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land,
    it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison
  141. What does Google say to MSN? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SLAP BITCH! Do eveyone a favor, and just stay down.

  142. but don't forget by martin-boundary · · Score: 1
    Microsoft have the financial resources to hire *all* the Google engineers at five times their Google salary each. If they do that, Google is left without its most important asset. Edge: Microsoft.

    Unfortunately, it's not a level playing field.

  143. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    M$

    Oh c'mon, you were asking for it.

  144. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Moofie · · Score: 1

    No. I haven't been to any of those web sites. I seem to get along just fine without them.

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  145. This is an attempt to flatten Google IPO price by fingerfucker · · Score: 1

    If they say (paraphrased) "we are close to finding out what consumers are looking for...", I bet this rings a bell to 99% of people to realize that MSN's technology is probably nowhere close to success to beat Google.

    I dare to categorize this action of MS as nothing but a brutal business attempt to undermine the capital strength of Google once it goes IPO. Investor confidence is not just a coke-sniffing Wall Street stockbroker's fancy dictionary, it is something that will DRIVE the perceived value of Google either up or down.

    And it should be obvious that this type of PR coming from Microsoft at this time is nothing more but an attempt to make that direction 'down' instead of 'up'.

    This is not personal, this is business.

  146. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Tongo · · Score: 1

    So this means in 40 years I will be able to look at my grandkids and say:

    "You know, that word google y'all use?, used to be a website by th'namea google, oh musta been back in aught four. S'how th'word came ta be used in that 'ticler manner"

    And then they'll ask we what a website is....

  147. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by TheQuantumShift · · Score: 1

    Actually, no it won't. as long as "search the web" is the first thing 75% of people see when they open their browser. I've actually taken calls from people who complained thet when they input "livejournal" in the search, the first result isn't what they wanted. They then go on to get indignant when I suggest they type it in the address bar...

    --

    Shift happens. Fire it up.
  148. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is with the pluralization of corporate nouns?
    Did I miss a cool memo?

    IBM are
    Red Hat are
    Intel are
    data are
    The Executive Branch are

    Apparently, everything is like the Borg now, a hive mind across many corporeal entities that are to be addressed in the plural form...

  149. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >Google has been pushed into the common vocabulary, like Hoover has
    >for vacuum cleaners and Coke has
    for soft drinks. It has mind share, and a lot of
    >it.

    >Google will always reign supreme, definitely.

    Definitely. I was so impressed with your comment,
    I xeroxed off a dozen copies on my HP 1220.
    Well, got to go ... I'm off to google some stuff
    at msn.

  150. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry wrong parent...
    What is with the pluralization of corporate nouns?
    Did I miss a cool memo?

    IBM have
    why isn't this in the style guides or grammar refs?
    Its like writing:
    Red Hat are
    Intel are
    data are - I know the cool kids use this, but...
    The Bush Administration are

    Apparently, everything is like the Borg now, a hive mind across many corporeal entities that are to be addressed in the plural form...

  151. Re:Everyone will just carry on using Google though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, that worked for Netscape.