Slashdot Mirror


Microsoft Claims Worlds Best Search Engine Soon

kw writes "Microsoft will introduce a search engine better than Google in six months in the United States and Britain followed by Europe, its European president said on Wednesday. "What we're saying is that in six months' time we'll be more relevant in the U.S. market place than Google," said Neil Holloway, Microsoft president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. That timing would presumably coincide more or less with the launch of Vista."

7 of 536 comments (clear)

  1. same trick as msn search by pimpimpim · · Score: 5, Interesting

    maybe Vista will have a default link to this site for everything that you do in Vista, more or less like the trick in IE now where any misspelling will lead you to msn search by default. That way you'll get the "more hits than google" allright. Still won't make you a good search engine though.

    --
    molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
  2. OK, Maybe... by ursabear · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So perhaps maybe Microsoft can build a search engine solution that is "better" than Google. Of course, there's no way to know until it is useable.

    However - and this is big - how can Microsoft change the habits and behavior of many millions of users? Google has almost become synonymous with "web search" in the hearts and minds of millions. Particularly among the folks under 20 (lots and lots of people in my life), the phrase "Google it" is used maybe more than once a day. I like to use much of Google as it is - familiar, reliable (as much as I need it to be), and always extremely quick.

    Can Microsoft become more important and more used than Google? I guess anything's possible, but I think time might tell us otherwise.

  3. Do you remember by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    AltaVista ?

    "However - and this is big - how can Microsoft change the habits and behavior of many millions of users?"

    AltaVista used to be *the* search engine a long time ago. So you could go back a few years and ask the same question about Google.

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  4. Haven't we heard this before? by a_nonamiss · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Forgive me for sounding cynical, but we've been hearing a steady stream of these announcements for years now from multiple companies.

    If they were going to have a search engine better than Google, they would just do it, not announce it 6 months in advance. What, do they think that we need to prepare for this momentous event? Like our society isn't ready for a search engine of this power yet, so they need to warn us 6 months in advance to give us time to prepare?

    Stop making announcements and do it already.

    --
    -Arthur
    Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
  5. Re:suuuuure.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    No, really it is true. Here is a copy of the beta code that I obtained through some shady contacts:

    <HTML>
    <HEAD>
    <TITLE>Microsoft Search Engine</TITLE>
    <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh"
    CONTENT="0; URL=http://www.google.com/>
    </HEAD>
    <BODY>
    Wher e do you want to go today?
    </BODY>
    </HTML>
  6. Vista phising protection by diegocgteleline.es · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In vista (in IE7, actually), everytime you enter a url in the browser, the browser sends the url to microsoft to know if the url is safe or not

    This is sold as a "phising protection" - microsoft has a list of "bad" sites and the browser will know when you're being a victim of phising.

    On the other hand, this is also a useful trick to know what pages are visiting the 90% of the world population, a really interesting data source for a search engine.

    1. Re:Vista phising protection by GoodbyeBlueSky1 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      In vista (in IE7, actually), everytime you enter a url in the browser, the browser sends the url to microsoft to know if the url is safe or not
      This is true but you can turn this "feature" off.

      I think GP's point was how, once again, Microsoft will use their OS monopoly to compete unfairly in another market (here, search engines. somehow the concept of searching online has now become a market...)

      In other words, who cares if you can turn it off? Most users won't. How many people turned off that fucking Clippy thing in Office? Not enough of em.
      --
      why? forty-two.