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Desktop Search Engines Compared

Posted by timothy on from the operating-system-handicapped dept.

nutterButter writes "After Google created a stir with its desktop search engine, other engines gained more awareness in the public eye. Slate did a comparison of them and Google was not their top pick; Copernic was. I tried it - and am quite impressed."

7 of 361 comments (clear)

  1. history search by FrenZon · · Score: 5, Informative

    The biggest use (and what makes it a necessity for me now) I have for a desktop search tool is searching for a webpage I partially remember visiting a few weeks ago, but need more information from. GDS indexes the content of all pages as you visit them, making finding them relatively easy - as far as I could tell (tested over half an hour), Copernic only indexed title and URL, which was of much less use.

    A minor point for the geekier here - GDS can also be activated using quicksearch URLs from IE or Firefox, which is handy for those used to getting everything from one field.

  2. Some GNOME folks look to be working on it. by Chuck+Chunder · · Score: 5, Informative

    Beagle is a search tool that ransacks your personal information space to find whatever you're looking for. Beagle can search in many different domains.

    The latest edition of the Beagle newsletter has just been released.

    --
    Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
  3. Re:Linux anyone? by ken_devon · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wow. The timing on this article is uncanny. I installed Beagle yesterday, and I'm already addicted to it - it indexes documents, mail and web pages as they're accessed, and updates it search results in real time.

  4. Re:Why is desktop search so hot? by mOoZik · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, it CAN search inside of files, contrary to your post. The results can then be arranged by size, type, folder, date, etc. Isn't that enough?

    --
    A blog like any other.
  5. Re:Apple's coming out with something like this... by Shanep · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's called Mac OS X Tiger.

    Actually, it is called Spotlight.

    Which will be a part of Tiger, the latest upcoming version of Mac OSX.

    --
    War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
  6. FYI, Copernic contains adware. by Shanep · · Score: 4, Informative

    Copernic's Privacy Policy reveals that, "Copernic Technologies, Inc. works with third parties that transmit advertisements to the Copernic Agent and Copernic Desktop Search product families and Copernic Meta."

    --
    War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
  7. Take your pick by useosx · · Score: 4, Informative

    Please, the Mac shareware developers practically invented this genre:

    Launchbar (the first)

    Quicksilver The current favorite, and free.

    Butler About the same as Quicksilver, more features but not as slick.