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Microsoft Releases Book Search

Posted by samzenpus on from the bill-can-find-that-book dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft is releasing its Live Search Books, a rival to Google's Book Search, in test, or beta, version in the US. The digital archive will include books from the collections of the British Library, the University of California and the University of Toronto. Books from three other institutions will be added in January 2007. All the books currently included in the project will be non-copyrighted but later it will also add copyrighted work that publishers have given permission to include in the project."

14 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Publisher info by AugustZephyr · · Score: 5, Informative

    Publisher information for adding content to Windows Live Book Search through the Windows Live Book Search Publisher Program can be found here: http://publisher.live.com/

    1. Re:Publisher info by stoolpigeon · · Score: 4, Informative

      and to search books http://books.live.com/
       
      i've never used the live search before - so maybe this is obvious to people who do, but it is pretty cool. just by searching on some generic words i'm getting back some very interesting books.

      --
      It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
  2. Re:Wasn't this expected? by El+Lobo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And you mean that Linux (an Unix CLONE!!!!!) is better in originality? For crying out loud :-)

    --
    It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
  3. Google did it a long time ago by xtal · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Anyone remember print.google.com?

    I'm waiting for google to buy a huge book publisher next, put the whole catalog up, and sell ads..

    --
    ..don't panic
  4. Playing tag with google ... by Gopal.V · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I see some sort of strategy here - something very similar to what MSFT adopted against Apple, very succesfully - Building something that is cheaper, virtually the same - almost.

    But the same rules may not apply in the world of online tools. Where GOOG is actually borrowing content to attract their actual product (i.e the users) whom them can then sell to customers (i,e advertisers) - Microsoft doesn't seem to have such a clear cut monetization plan from the looks of it. Seems to be more a case of dump enough money to smother the competitor approach, which I doubt will work with Google today.

    I for one, would be more scared of Amazon and other publishers rather than such a half-hearted (peanut butter) effort by MSFT.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
  5. Re:Wasn't this expected? by rucs_hack · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is, and always has been, microsofts MO, it's nothing new.

    They never move into a market unless someone is already there.

    It's the same mentality as long distance runners not taking the lead/avoiding it until the race is almost over. let the other runners have all the problems keeping ahead, then move in at the end.

    It doesn't seem to be working against google though, interesting that.

    And we'll see a 'Microsoft officially aproved' Linux real soon, called SUSE SP1.

  6. More than so by El+Lobo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    3 larger universities in Sweden (the one I work for is one of them) are about to add theyselve to MS Live Search book program. They are in the talking at this moment. This will give the project access to 30000+ volumes of books/researchs in scientific and humanitary fields.

    --
    It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
  7. The thinnest of books by YourMoneyOrYourDuck · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder if "Microsoft Innovation - Volumes 1-12" are going to make it into the index

    1. Re:The thinnest of books by archen · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Lack of innovation jokes aside, what does this buy Microsoft exactly? I can understand Google's craziness due to their goal of indexing the world's information - and as such Google also tends to have many projects that don't yield profitable results. But Microsoft? This is a software company first. Maybe a search engine company in a way. Yet I don't see how indexing books gains them ANYTHING, aside from just doing what Google is doing... because it's doing it. Much like a little little kid who emulates his father hammering things to "fix" them, but not understanding the purpose of the hammering, nor doing it in a manner that actually fixes anything.

  8. Duplication of Effort by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What a wasted duplication of effort. I'd rather have both companies get together and make one good product for all of us to use at either half the cost, or twice the breadth and quality.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
    1. Re:Duplication of Effort by silentounce · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If both companies got together then prices most likely wouldn't be less and the quality wouldn't be near as great. Keep it the way it is.

      --
      There are many tongues to talk, and but few heads to think. -Victor Hugo
    2. Re:Duplication of Effort by Stinky+Fartface · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nonsense. Competition is good for the industry. While Microsoft are hardly known for being innovators, they have proven an ability to evolve an established idea. Google's book search will become better because of the competition Microsoft poses.

  9. Oh, for Pete's Sake by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Please Microsoft, do something new that's not copying Apple and Google.

    Let's all now go look at Google Labs and predict the next 12 Microsoft products....

    --
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    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  10. Re:Wasn't this expected? by Kopl · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you want to show anger towards linux, I recommend choosing a different path than complaining about it being built to standards like Posix and SUS.

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    Disagree with me? Tell me why, but follow these rules.