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Google Wins Rights to Aussie Algorithm

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the new-tool-for-the-belt dept.

rcbutcher writes to tell us the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Google has just acquired the rights to a brand new text search algorithm invented by a University of NSW student. From the article: "Orion works as an add-on to existing search engines to improve the relevance of search and won praise from Microsoft founder Bill Gates last year. [...] Orion finds pages where the content is about a topic strongly related to the key word. It then returns a section of the page, and lists other topics related to the key word so the user can pick the most relevant."

9 of 211 comments (clear)

  1. Re:World Domination Algorithm by David+Hume · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Hmm, so let me get this straight, google just hired another computer scientist who has developed an amazing algorithm to search the web. Thats putting to many eggs in one basket, I think. Lets hope they don't "break."
    Yes, because the opportunity cost associated with hiring this guy are so great that Google won't be able to do anything else.
     
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    Only Women Bleed (Sex, Sharia remix)
  2. Challengin other search engines by d2_m_viant · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The algorithm is a problem-solving computational procedure and is the building block for all search engines like those operated by Google and Yahoo.

    No it's not. Otherwise they would've implemented it already. How can something be a building block if the thing they're referring to isn't built on it?

    Orion finds pages where the content is about a topic strongly related to the key word.

    Duh. Welcome to Google in the 1990's.

    The results to the query are displayed immediately in the form of expanded text extracts, giving the searcher the relevant information without having to go to the website - although there is still that option.

    What was stopping Google from creating something like this before? Is it just me or is this being hyped just a bit?

    ...won praise from Microsoft founder Bill Gates last year.

    That it's, enough said. Hope you got a receipt for that Google.

    1. Re:Challengin other search engines by SydShamino · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The algorithm is a problem-solving computational procedure and is the building block for all search engines like those operated by Google and Yahoo.

      No it's not. Otherwise they would've implemented it already. How can something be a building block if the thing they're referring to isn't built on it?

      I read that as An algorithm and treated it as a definition of algorithm for their less-attuned audience.

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      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    2. Re:Challengin other search engines by marko123 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ask anyone who has been written about in the media. I was personally amazed at:
      a) the amount of inaccuracies in the media
      b) the amount we trust the media to tell unbiased or factual truth

      --
      http://pcblues.com - Digits and Wood
  3. What's with the headline? by dfn_deux · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Since when are "wins" and "buys" interchangable verbs?

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    -*The above statement is printed entirely on recycled electrons*-
  4. Re:World Domination Algorithm by moosesocks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Mod parent up.

    This is more likely than not the motiviation behind this move.

    Even if google doesn't need this guy, you can be assured that Yahoo, Microsoft, and co. DO need this guy, and the fact that he may very well indeed positively contribute to Google's search algorithms makes it a good choice for google to hire this guy. In short, the risks associated with not hiring him are far too great.

    I for one am glad that Google is finally acquring technologies relating to their original business model rather than their string of oddball acquisitions lately...

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    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  5. Re:Very fishy by 0racle · · Score: 2, Insightful

    it is funny how various countries are putting a nationalistic spin on it

    Further proof that nationalism is BS. Where he was from or what part of the world he wrote it in is irrelevant and always is. A person wrote this.

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    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  6. Business as usual by donutello · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yet again. Micro$oft shows they can't innovate and only buy others innovation with their monopolistically acquired money.

    Oh, wait...

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    Mmmm.. Donuts
  7. Other algorithms have been around... by tgv · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The guy must have invented something absolutely bloody amazing. I mean, it's not like similar technology hasn't been around for ages now (check contributions to the TREC (http://trec.nist.gov/) conferences. Some of the submissions reach a level of sophistication Google can only dream of. And the algorithms are published.

    So, what's up with this "Orion" thing? What insanely great insight into language processing can a CS student have that whole teams of experts still didn't get?