Amazon's A9.com Search Engine Goes Live

scapermoya writes "Today was the official launch day of Amazon's A9.com search engine, which has been in public beta for some time now. It uses results from Google, and adds some personalized features, like bookmarks and search history. Its Java-heavy inteface reminds me of Gmail, which is nice. It doesn't seem like it was designed to supplant Google, but rather to flesh out some things that a certain demographic of people might like."

Comments

No Toolbar For Gecko Users

[DrunkenTerror]

The A9 toolbar only works in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

A9 bowls a Googly


Karma: Coma, mostly due to Massive Attack

Re:No Toolbar For Gecko Users

[baeksu]

from http://toolbar.a9.com

quote:

*** Currently the A9 Toolbar runs only on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. We are working to extend the toolbar to other browsers. ***

endquote

Give them some slack, they said they're still working on making toolbars for other browsers, too.

Re:No Toolbar For Gecko Users

[ricotest]

According to the site itself:

*** Currently the A9 Toolbar runs only on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. We are working to extend the toolbar to other browsers. ***

Also:

Note: We are working on toolbars to support other browsers and other operating systems (and we're looking for great developers to join our team).

If they are hiring people to port the toolbar over, we should see a XUL or similar port very soon. Which apparently is required for some of the more advanced features of the site, such as adding diary entries.

Re:No Toolbar For Gecko Users

[dracken]

By the way, "Googly" is a cricket term. Some leg spinners (who usually turn the ball from the leg side of the batsman to the bat side of the batsman) can turn the ball in the opposite direction (from the bat to the leg) using their usual action. Usually it leaves the batsmen confused. So to "bowl a googly" is used in the sense of "play a trump card" or "leave the opposition confused".

-Dracken

java!=javascript

[Anonymous Coward]

not the same thing, not even nearly.

Get a 1.57% discount at Amazon too!

[bgarcia]

If you log into Amazon, and then go to a9.com and do a search, you will then get an automatic pi/2 discount on every purchase you make at Amazon!

More details available here

Re:Get a 1.57% discount at Amazon too!

[DrEldarion]

Some people seem to be having trouble getting the cookie. Going here helps.

Java-heavy interface?

[jpkunst]

Its Java-heavy interface

You mean Javascript-heavy interface?

JP

Old News

[moofdaddy]

Didn't we already read about this a couple of days ago?

Re:Two problems...

[ClippyHater]

Unclick the Images button on the right side. Problem solved. And since the service seems to cater towards personalization, perhaps it'll remember that you don't want images included in your results?

The books button was not automatically selected for me, so you actually have to actively be looking for info in books, it doesn't just serve up Amazon results.

So, in conclusion, pick the results you want.

Better than newgals.com :D

[elh_inny]

A9 seems a very good tool in searching some decent naked pictures. If by any chance it finds two similar pictures in a row then you can be sure there is whole series you're dealing with.
Unfortunately I've also found it to a perfect tool for all sickos. When I enter "nude girls" or similar term, plenty of the pictures showed girls that weren't even in their teens.
Of course I had all the content filters turned off, but I had no intention in watching such pictures and still I had to.

Re:The wrath of Google?

[Eriky]

You can use google commercially like this if you pay them. You can actually use google with the use of API's for free, for non commercial use.

See Google APIs for details

search for "amazon"

[coshx]

A search for "amazon" gives me the ad:

How to Cheat Amazon

and a search for "used books" doesn't even show amazon on the first page of results.

so either:
1) they're being fair and not taking advantage of their position (yet)
2) they're not business savvy enough

Re:Font?

[Donny Smith]

yes it does, and if you bothered to look at the few links they have on their home page, you would have seen you can set customized preferences which include font size setting

Oh, well...

Re:The wrath of Google?

[Finuvir]

Yes, you're missing the fact that Google makes most of its money from sub-licensing its search technology, including letting other engines serve their results for a fee.

JSP = Java; Re:java!=javascript

[g_braad]

But the page IS made on Java Server Pages/Servlets. So the reference to Java is correct. That it also uses Javascript is very normal... (Still, Sun and Netscape made the first implementation of Javascript together (First Netscape named it LiveScript). Javascript would 'supplement' Java applets. Javascript looks even a little similar to Java itself. Netscape even had a project to write Java dynamically in the form of Javascript: LiveConnect)

java != javascript

[Suppafly]

Its Java-heavy inteface reminds me of Gmail

Neither Gmail nor A9 have java-heavy interfaces, infact neither use java at all in their interfaces. Anyone who doesn't know the difference between java and javascript has no business submitting stories to slashdot.

Go Anonymous

[GeorgeH]

If you don't want Amazon tracking your searches, use http://generic.a9.com/, which doesn't look like it even sets any cookies.

USENET search

[cmeans]

Unless I missed it, there's no searching of USENET/groups.google.com. This is a mistake...it's the primary place I do my searching...

Re:Two problems...

[moonbender]

The web site information is provided by Alexa, a subsidiary of Amazon. They are an internet directory of sorts, they also have a ranking of the most popular web sites. On their homepage is yet another web search engine... powered by Google.

generic.A9.com

[starling]

From the same policy:

If you would prefer not to be recognized on our site, we recommend that you use our alternate service located at generic.A9.com. On generic.A9.com, we will not recognize your Amazon.com cookie and we will not save any information stored in your A9.com cookie other than your column preferences, which are stored in your A9.com cookie and used by generic.A9.com. Information we gather on generic.A9.com will not be used in our data analysis (other than to detect abuse) and will not be used to personalize the services we offer you.

That seems anonymous enough.

Re:Blame NetScape

[smcd]

Sun has also said since that it is the biggest mistake they ever made with the Java brand. It would be so much "purer" for the Java brand if JavaScript was still called LiveScript.

Re:Blame NetScape

[Anonymous Coward]

This confusion is intentional. NetScape's client-side scripting language was originally going to be called LiveScript. A fine name. However, just before shipping it, they decided that they wanted to tie in with Sun's new marketing juggernaut even though, aside from some superficial syntax similarities, the two languages have nothing in common. Hence Java/JavaScript.

(As long as we're gonna take a rip at intentionally confusiing users here):

Then in barges the 100-ton sweating gorilla which clarifies it all through marketing b.s. and obfuscation by calling it JavaScript "Active-X" in all their "browser" settings and warning messages ("This page requires Active-X ..." - WTF?).

RTFPP, idiot!!!

[tintub]

If you are really interested in privacy, read the Privacy Policy. The first thing I did was print it out, and lo and behold, if you don't want to be recognised, you can use their alternate service at http://generic.amazon.com. On generic.A9.com, they won't recognise your A9.com or Amazon.com cookie, and the information they gather will not be used in their data analysis.