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New Google Toolbar Brings Browse By Name

Philipp Lenssen writes "The newest release of the Google Toolbar (Internet Explorer only) comes with a Browse by Name feature. It lets you enter keywords in the browser address bar, and when Google decides this is a sure bet you will be directly forwarded to the right page. Is this the return of Internet Keywords?"

26 of 340 comments (clear)

  1. lucky by dirvish · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So...it goes to the I'm Feeling Lucky link?

  2. Coming soon: by Neil+Blender · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Keywords for sale.

    1. Re:Coming soon: by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why is anyone who likens this to AOL, or mentions that Google (now a publically traded corporation) might use this as a source of profit getting modded down as troll or flamebait?

      Hell, you should be modded redundant. Of COURSE google will sell keywords.

      When it comes time to show numbers to investors, all their lovey-dovey altruistic bullshit will be forgotten.

      --
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    2. Re:Coming soon: by dswensen · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why is anyone who likens this to AOL, or mentions that Google (now a publically traded corporation) might use this as a source of profit getting modded down as troll or flamebait?

      The same reason cynical, knee-jerk, anti-corporate pessimism regularly gets modded Insightful?

    3. Re:Coming soon: by HeghmoH · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When it comes time to show numbers to investors, all their lovey-dovey altruistic bullshit will be forgotten.

      That "bullshit" is the entire reason Google is the 500-pound gorilla of search. They are the only search company anybody cares about precisely because they don't let money interfere with their search; ironically, this allows them to make more money. The investors won't try to screw the customer at all costs, they will want whatever makes more money, and Google has proven that not screwing the customer can win.

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  3. You mean... by keiferb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Like firefox's address bar already does? Type in a word or phrase and hit enter and you're directed to the equivalent of an "I'm feeling lucky" search on whatever you typed.

  4. Funny... by Drakonite · · Score: 5, Insightful
    My browser (firefox) does this already. Sometimes I end up at really weird pages, but as long as I type in something sane that has a definite homepage, it takes me there.

    I haven't looked under the hood but I suspect it's a glorified I'm Feeling Lucky google search. Doesn't seem very news worthy to me...

    --
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  5. Like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I've been doing natively in OS X for a couple of years (minus the toolbar) and recently with Firefox? Yeah, really cool and innovative. IE is sure to win the browser war

  6. Using correct search terms... by garcia · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Anytime I use decent search terms Google generally finds exactly what I am looking for within the first three links.

    Honestly I don't know how well "I'm Feeling Lucky" will work for most users. Hell, most people I know have to wade through their search results b/c they never know the right way to word their search terms.

  7. google takes over world by qopax · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So they can get to everybody. An invite isn't something you sign up for, it is something given to you, current users would give it to their close friends and relatives, who are prolly not technical users and know nothing about current tech news and development of something as bland as a new email service, but thus letting people know of how good it is, and making sure the word spreads out that much farther. wow, no wonder google mostly or only employs phd's...

    smart aren't they? also, google is still free, and I saw many people say they would be completely willing to pay for it on slashdot just because it is pretty much better than any other search engine that is currently available, and it is so damn fast. But Google doesn't need to slow down their conquest of the internet market, by doing something like making their services fee-based, at least not yet. First something as unimportant as a search engine. then an email service. next an efficient and elegant messenger with most features you need and enough userbase from gmail and google to make it the most popular messenger in the world. then a web browser with all these features integrated into a slick and resource efficient application, along with it a security package guarding your internet experience.

    then an operating system.

    then manufacturing it's own line of computers. most common type at first, but after maybe making it's own type of a portable computer system.

    sounds like Apple, in the way that it is so popular right now with the iPods, but only iPods, and the way their products are so elegant and clean and efficient. ut much less expensive than Apple, currently at least.

    Along the way probably Google will make a bad decision or in one of the processes I described something better than a Google's product would be released and would gain popularity and the plan would fall through. but Google probably isn't stupid enough to create a plan that isn't fault-tolerant. the course of this plan may take 15, maybe 20 years, and then Google will control humanity and make a cluster of human brains integrated with computers to find out the meaning of life?

    oh wait, that would be evil

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  8. Firefox & Safari by Feneric · · Score: 5, Insightful

    My first thought was "why MSIE only?" but then upon looking closer discovered that it only seems to be more or less replicating the facility already built into Firefox and Safari.

    Not too earth shattering, and just in time to catch a declining IE. Most of the folks who would download and install this are probably competent enough to download and install Firefox.

    1. Re:Firefox & Safari by garcia · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not too earth shattering, and just in time to catch a declining IE.

      Sorry but I don't exactly think it's all that important of a feature. It surely isn't anyting but bloat. Don't we normally complain about that with other pieces of software?

      Somehow when we talk about Mozilla/Firefox features that IE doesn't have it's never unnecessary.

    2. Re:Firefox & Safari by bheer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Most of the folks who would download and install this are probably competent enough to download and install Firefox.

      A lot of IE users have had Google's Toolbar installed for them by friends, admins, etc. And the toolbar updates itself silently, so no -- a lot of people using it now will not be installing it themselves.

      Btw, I've been using this browse-by-name feature for about a month now (when I use IE at all) -- why is this suddenly front-page /. news?

  9. Now THATs irony. by lifebouy · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Google, of all people should not be building an IE-only ANYTHING. They should know better.
    I think it's a bit ironic, too, that right when Firefox is taking the net by storm, Google puts out something which could give people an excuse not to quit thier IE addiction. "Oh I tried that firefox thing, but it couldn't load my google toolbar, so I went back to Internet Exploder"

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    1. Re:Now THATs irony. by PhrostyMcByte · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Google put out the toolbar in 2001, long before Firefox became popular. Why shouldn't they release it for IE? Mozilla and Firefox already have Google builtin. They want more people to use Google, this just makes it easier.

  10. Translation by Glonoinha · · Score: 1, Insightful

    When there is a positive match between all the keywords you typed and a significant AdWords purchasing advertiser, you will immediately be routed to the highest bidding site.

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    Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
  11. "Internet keywords" without the evil by IntelliTubbie · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is this the return of Internet Keywords?

    In one sense, Google has always been about "Internet keywords" -- accessing information by description rather than name. This simply streamlines the process of going to www.google.com, typing in the search terms, and hitting "I feel lucky" into a single step within the browser.

    So why did "Internet keywords" get such a bad rap the first time around? Because, contrary to Google's motto ("Don't be evil"), they were doing it to profit from selling keywords. While they claimed to be delivering information to users, they were really delivering users to advertisers.

    Thankfully, Google discovered that there's a sizeable market for honest technology that does what it says. To cite another example, this is also why user-controlled RSS has succeeded where deliverer-controlled "Push" technology failed so spectacularly.

    Cheers,
    IT

    --

    Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.

  12. heh by SinaSa · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Everyone is saying "Not too earth shattering" or "My browser already does this!".

    Who doesn't think google can do it better? Of course this will be a glorified "I'm feeling lucky" but google can probably make big bucks selling keywords, to the likes of movies promoters for new release movies (like AOL).

    This isn't the biggest chunk of news ever, obviously, but haven't we all seen something LESS newsworthy on /.?

    --
    --
    The last digit of pi is four.
  13. I seriously doubt that. by ZuperDee · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I do not think for a minute that replicating existing Firefox functionality was Google's main reason for not creating a Firefox version of this toolbar. The simple fact is, Google knows very well that IE, even with its recent troubles, STILL accounts for over 90 percent of all web browsing, and is therefore their primary target audience.

    Supposing it had been the other way around... Let's suppose that Firefox had been the one with 90 percent market share that was declining, while IE was rising... Do you seriously think Google would still be taking this course of action?!? Would you then still be saying that Google just wanted to bring IE on par with Firefox? I for one seriously doubt they would do that. And THAT is the point: Google is a business, just like any other. They are not here to evangelize ANY browser; they are here to make good BUSINESS decisions, and if supporting 90 percent of all people who just happen to be using IE is the way to do it, they will. I'd hate to break it to you, but the evidence is crystal clear: If Firefox were the one with 90 percent market share, things would be quite different, and Google probably would not be bothering with IE at that point.

  14. or by missing000 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    1. Re:or by Zigg · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Funny. The conclusion I drew was that while there's real criticism of Kerry's record (or lack thereof) in full swing, the best we're getting from the other side is a schoolyard "idiot" taunt.

  15. Re:Weird error by Darthmalt · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you click a link too quickly after it's posted you get the "Nothing to see here" page. just refresh a time or two and it'll come up

  16. Oy by .com+b4+.storm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A lot of high-mod posts on here are totally missing the point. The point isn't so much that IE is finally getting the equivelant of an "I'm feeling lucky" text box, it's getting one that is (supposedly) intelligent. When Google thinks the "I'm feeling lucky" link is what you want, it will take you there. If not, it takes you to the regular search results. That is what makes this (albeit questionably) interesting.

    --
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  17. Re:This is probably not aimed at us by callipygian-showsyst · · Score: 4, Insightful
    After all, how many readers use IE anyway?

    *I* do!

    I switched back to IE from Firefox because I got tired of bugs like this

  18. Re:Can be very glitchy on Intranets by cheekyboy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Dont you ever type in the address bar;

    "router" or
    "webmail" or
    "intranet" or
    "mp3server" ???????

    It should always check local DNS/Domains first, then try .com/.org/.net combos, then a www.{TEXT}.com/.net/.org combo, then do the search

    Ofcourse all this should be 100% defined in an xml config file and NOT be hardcoded

    --
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  19. Pop up blocker by gcaseye6677 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I hope they've fixed their popup blocker with this new version. It seems like some asshole marketroid has found a way around it to pop ads on the screen with the toolbar running. Yea, that's going to be a really successful ad campaign. Serve popups to people who have taken specific effort to block them. When will these idiots get a clue?