Slashdot Mirror
EU to Develop Search Engine
William Robinson writes "Digital Media is reporting that French President Jacques Chirac is making plans for a European search engine called "Quaero" to rival US internet companies such as Yahoo and Google. From the article: 'Those involved in the Quaero project, including Thomson, France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, have said that it will be much more than a typical search engine. It will provide an array of multimedia tools for identifying and indexing images, sound and text. Quaero will also reportedly include a powerful translating tool which will be able to 'understand' audio as well as text. The developers plan to make Quaero available on all platforms, including PCs, mobile devices and digital TVs.'"
Welcome to the great technological pissing war.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - January 16, 2011 - Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) today announced it acquired France, a country located in Western Europe, mostly associated with fine cheeses, wine, berets, and the 5-yr old search engine "Quaero".
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
The real reason is to filter out certain results on the query "French Military History".
Really little content in the article, a representative sample of which is "The ambitious project will probably not be available anytime in the near future. Quaero is still in the earliest stages of development, so early that none of the major players have yet ventured a guess as to how much the project might cost. When Quaero does launch, it will have a great deal of catching up to do."
So basically, a bunch of European telecoms companies are discussing how to compete with Google. And this is news why? Nothing to see here.
Query: "King Richard the Lionheart"
Results: 1. "I fart in your general direction".
Seriously, though - I definitely think there's a market for an effective multimedia search engine: imagine being able to whistle a song into your mic, for example and being told what it was called.
Argh.
As much as I'd like to see something like this happen - it's a huge project, led by SEVERAL governments and telecom companies, neither of which are exactly known for efficiency or technical brilliance. And it doesn't seem like there's much profit incentive, which makes it even less likely to be finished efficiently...
It's great that the EU is trying to assert itself in this area - having the US control 90% of the internet's technology is exactly the type of monoculture that is decried on the desktop - but is there any way this project won't end up crushed under the weight of its own bureaucracy?
ClutterMe.com - easiest site creation on the Net. Just click and type.
It will also include a multi-lingual pony.
You know, I thought marketing vaporware claims were bad, but political marketing vaporware, now that's whole new dimensions of vapor. It's bad enough when marketing has excessive influence on tech development, can you imagine what it'll be like when politicians are involved as a matter of "national prestige"? I have not the humor chops to properly satirize that.
Shades of the Nixon-Khrushchev "kitchen debate".
The Soviets turned their national scientific and research genius into making *one* perfect washing machine, as the foolish Americans splintered their effort among competing companies tearing each other to shreds in destructive competition over shape and color.
"Today, we are behind you. Soon we will be even with you, and we shall pass you, in glorious progress toward perfect socialism and communism!" (or something like that).
How can feeble, fractured American enterprises like Yahoo and Google survive competition with the might of central, coordinated European industrial policy???
Right.
Something like its a search engine that after you enter in a query, it rudely refuses.
In Soviet Russia, backwards is everything.
:wq
Check out http://www.quaero.com/ [quaero.com] - its a marketing company from Charlotte, North Carolina.
And they're pretty damn good at viral marketing if they even get the President of France to advertise for them.
Tell your friends about xenu.net
that France was looking to invent a "circular transportation facilitation device." Could I get someone to confirm that?
Blessed be he who reads this post, Cursed be he who tells my boss.
Sounds delicious! I'll have two, no onions.
"It's a wonderful idea. But it doesn't work." -- Tad Danielewski
1. Try and come up with a domain name that isn't ambiguous in how it's said or spelt.
2. Start asking us EU citizens if we'd mind you spending our cash on something that isn't really required
3. get out of the mindset that the internet is somehow defined by geographical borders and edges - just what is an EU search engine? Does it just search the EU? What?
4. How about attacking the problem of low tech-esteem in Europe not by building a government-sponsered programme (which no doubt will require taxpayers money to be thrown at it year on year), but by fostering an environment where private tech companies can flourish (like in the US).
In Europe, ".com" is not ubiquitous. Instead, the common format is to use the .xx country-based TLD. Or, if you are going to be EU-wide, as suggested in the article, then you would be Quaero.eu and not some silly .com
.xx results slightly over .com results. Or perhaps boosting links which get .xx links TO them instead of *all* links (translation: what is more important to Europeans, as valued by links, ranks higher than generic-global links). Or perhaps they'll give greater wait to .eu based clicks as votes.
:o
Additionally, who knows what kind of alternative algorithm tweak they might give results. For example, boosting
There are any number of ways to adjust the complex search result forumlas. Google is *not* the only game in town, even if they have been the best at it so far.
Don't playa-hate, Googlefanbois! See what Quaero comes up with, first. Hell, even dare to TRY it!
Vive le concurrence!
Q:Why re-invent the wheel?
A:Ego
Also, it's not European companies, it's a European govenrment subsidising European companies.
You can mod me down, but you cannot call me a coward.
In this you are very wrong. This is all about politics: get control of vital resources. EU views USA with Bush II in power with deep scepticism, and tries to wrestle as much control as they can since USA has become sort of unreliable. Quite simply, enemies of USA is scared more than ever and close allies are apprehensive. Those that thinks this is good are fools (not that I suggest that you thinks so).
Since most of Europe has 'hate speech' laws, how much of the net will this search engine be forced to block?
[b.belong('us') for b in bases if b.owner() == 'you']
the market isn't in charge of healthcare in America. Healthcare here is recovering from a hobbling brought on by the insistence that your employer is responsible for your health and because insurance companies dilute the sting of the overpriced costs. So before it gets better, it has to get worse. But if it's left to the same pressures that drive stereos, gym memberships and washing machines, it would be a non-issue.
And you really expect a self serving religious movement to exercise compassion efficiently? Compassionate people excercise compassion, not community organizations. Get enough money in an org and the greedy come in and push the compassion right out the door.
You are checking your backups, aren't you?
The following bit of info may shock some people so please, little kids leave the room, adults brace youreselve.
GOOGLE SUCKS AS A SEARCH ENGINE
Anyone still around? Good, we judge google by its peers and its peers are the totall crappers so by comparison google looks pretty good. BUT imagine that the people at google had thought "Oh, there already is a search engine no need to make another." We would still be using altavista or something.
Google is fairly good at returning pages regarding obscure linux error messages. When however your search should include words in common usage or possible of a retail product or god forbid be associated in anyway with the adult industry then you are floundering in page after page of crap results.
There is an even worse problem. Despite all what the fanboys will tell you Google is a business. A business that now not just provides search and ads but is becoming a content broker itself.
Could google one day prefer its own pages over others? For now the opposite it seems, I can't get google to return its own videos that it sells BUT some goverments might feel that internet search has become such an important tool that there is some importance to having an alternative to just depending on the US.
America is a funny country, ever since WW2 america has been complaining that it has to do foot the bill for the entire world defence. Europe thinks of creating a european army and the US gets upset. US taxpayer pay for the free GPS of the entire world and they complain. EU makes it own version and americans get upset.
Here is a suggestion for americans, you run your country your way and we run ours our way.
What you are missing is that not every goverment has the same motives. Perhaps some feel that not being a slave to america is a good thing. Since you aren't paying for it with your taxes what business is it of yours?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Typical for Slashdot to get this wrong. This isn't an EU project. It's a collaboration between the French and German governments (and in fact they are only collaborating to encourage French and German companies to develop a search engine).
Freedom is not increased by mere diminuation of government. Anarchy is freedom for the strong and slavery for the weak.
But if it's left to the same pressures that drive stereos, gym memberships and washing machines, it would be a non-issue.
This is, most likely, not the case. Healthcare, like gasoline, fresh water, and electricity is less an elective service, and more of a utility. In order to survive, you will most likely need health care at some point. It is highly unlikely that you will shop around while your appendix is bursting. And ultimately, you will pay whatever they tell you to pay, because you could die without it. In fact, a company could raise its profits considerably by raising the cost of curing whatever Bill Gates happens to have at the moment to 1 billion dollars. Huge profits and you only have to pay a few doctors to do it. Forget everyone else; you were only getting 20 bucks profit off of them anyhow. I realize this is an extreme example, but I use it to illustrate a principle.
It is unlikely that the free market will ever take over your municipality's provision of water to your home, due to the incredible cost involved to compete over a low priced product. The same holds true with your current energy provider. Also, there is unlikely to be a business to spring up that will remove the dead people who had no health care littering your streets and causing disease, as this is the sort of thing that only governments, through some law or measure, have proven in the past that they will respond to.
Please remember, there have been several times in human history where the totally free market concept has been in full effect and found severely wanting.
The tech industry in america is floundering. Oh sure there are some success stories just check Apple, an all american product. Wich state is China in anyway?
It grew 16% last year. Instead, let's talk about Microsoft and Google. Those two companies compare favorably to most Europeon nations, on their own. But let's not silly facts get in the way of your ramblings.
2. I rather they spend it on this then on a war.
Awesome. Here's a bit of logic for you. "This is a good idea because I don't like America and they spend money on a war. This costs money, therefore it is good." That's grade A bullshit.
3. Perhaps a search engine that does not bow to the Chinese goverment in the name of the almighty dollar?
Do we really need to talk about the bullshit the French government does for it's almighty Franc? How about Nazi references? Be honest, wouldn't you be bitching just as much if google -hadn't- respected the wishes of China, and then you could say "Imperiliast America and google imposiing it's will on other nations for the almighty dollar". This is your best steaming pile, yet.
4. Yeah, because the top cellphone company is european and all your pc's are made in the US. No I rather we keep our model. So do the majority of EU voters. EU socialist, US capatalist. Move to location of your choice.
This is the best one yet. Clearly you refer to Nokia. A company that is #1 because it competes in the free market with no government benefits at all. And this is your evidence supporting "socialism". Isn't that... ironic? Err no, wait... It's just plain wrong.
It's more sophisticated that you might think:p /1488031
g le-Suche&meta== nazi&btnG=Rechercher&meta=- us&q=nazi&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
... Japan:% E8%F1%EA+%E2+Google&lr=
h tm
d _by_search_engines_in_Mainland_China
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/google/
http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article.ph
Notice:
http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&q=nazi&btnG=Goo
Ergebnisse 1 - 10 von ungefähr 28.300.000 für nazi. (0,03 Sekunden)
http://www.google.fr/search?hl=fr&ie=ISO-8859-1&q
Résultats 1 - 10 sur un total d'environ 28 300 000 pour nazi. (0,05 secondes)
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en
Results 1 - 10 of about 29,900,000 for nazi [definition]. (0.04 seconds)
See the search count numbers? Don't blame it on language. Lets search for Nazi in
http://www.google.co.jp/search?q=Nazi&btnG=%CF%EE
Nazi 29,900,000 1 - 10 (0.05 )
Neat, huh?
Keep in mind, unless you specify google to focus on your language, the search results should be _exactly_ the same across local sites. Except if they tamper with the results, which both Google and Yahoo do for Germany and France.
Research on Similar experiences with china:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china/
Sadly, you can't test the Chinese version from outside China. cyberlaw sometimes has a proxy running in China that will allow you to test it, but its currently down. A google filters those results based upon whether your IP block is Chinese or not.
Here's someone's test. You don't have to believe it, I guess:
http://www.dit-inc.us/report/google200409/google.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_blocke
Interestingly enough, looks like our Congress criters may be trying to change this behavior:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6026733.html
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
Look who's in the boat here - that reads like a who is who of the Public Fundinds Burning Society. Deutsche Telekom, France Telekom, both fornmer state monopolists, Thomson, french electronics giant and perpetual receiver of ample state subsidies. The rest is probably of similar calibre.
While your intent here is right and the wordplay is cute, that's deeply offensive to a great Italian car tradition that is way more succesfull and receptive to their customers needs than any EU buerocrats pet project ever could be.