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Microsoft Finalizes Its Desktop Search Software
Smelly Toejam writes "After a five month testing phase, Microsoft has released a final version of its much hyped desktop-search software. Major updates cited include the ability to pick and choose which files to index, and how often." From the article: "Microsoft is vying for new credibility in the multibillion-dollar Web search market dominated by Google and Yahoo--and central to its campaign is the desktop. With its Longhorn launch slated for next year, Microsoft is developing enhanced search software that combines navigation for Web and desktop files straight from the operating system. The toolbar is a step toward that goal."
P.S. Sorry. I forgot that Microsoft is now committed to security.
Even if it's from Microsoft, competition is _always_ good. I use linux so I don't really care who releases desktop searches for windows, but I support Microsoft's and Google's efforts to make the windows desktop easier to use.
Otherwise... It's MS. Better not let it send anything through your firewall!
Although this is clearly a direct response to Google's Desktop Search, I feel that Microsoft should have had this built-into the OS a long long time ago! It's their own OS for crying out loud.. The default Windows OS file search function was ridiculously slow and had severe limitations.
Microsoft's first priority should be to close the holes in its products that let viruses, spyware, spambots, mushrooms, toadstools, or whatever grow in their customers' computers.
This desktop search tool will just be one more thing to have to shut off.
If left on, it will
That last point is arguably Not Completely Bad, since the machines are supposed to work for us, and not the other way around. The trouble is that it encourages the user to be lazy, putting all of their files into one big bucket. Then, when it comes time to upgrade or migrate to another machine, you've got to move all of that stuff, whether it's needed or not.
Microsoft as a company can't stand it if someone else has a feature they don't have. Couple that with the mindset that adding a security applet or layer on top of what's there already is the way to go, and you get insecure bloatware.
How long before Windows collapses under its own weight?
sigs, as if you care.
Yes, but the fact that Microsoft is talking about letting the user specify how often indexing occurs makes it sound like they're not indexing on the fly, as content is created / changed on the filesystem, but rather on a fixed schedule.
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Another funny thing about Windows is the calculator. Try to calculate 1+2*3 in standard mode and the repeat the process in scientific mode. Different results :)
Between this and tabbed browsing, MS will be up on all the latest trends of 2004(and earlier)! We are so proud of you guys!!
But Microsoft has a history of always having to catchup right?
I mean, Microsoft is not a great leader, but a great follower, and then it crushes it's competition with it's monopolistic practices.
What chance really does have GDS and the others, if MS integrates this into the OS?
Most of the folks use the things because they are already there.
Most of my friends use Windows Media Player because it's already there, IE because it's already there, and don't bother looking around because the're used to them, even if the features they have are not great or even insecure.
Why spend 5 minutes opening IE (It's already there, remember?), browse to www.getfirefox.com, wait for the installable to download and *then* start browsing?
They don't care it's more "secure", nor want to wait the download.
It even happened to me. I was an avid ICQ user, and once, just once, tried messenger because i was on dialup and didn't want to download ICQ. Now, i don't use ICQ anymore, but messenger. Damn it. And I like it.
So, even if a piece of program has nice features, and *it's free* (thats important), how can it compete if the average user don't care about the "niceness" of it?
Fiu.