New analytical systems, new interfaces in recent months, the news search engines has been rich. What exists today will change tomorrow.
Without them, the Internet would be a huge treasure hunt without a true starting point. Certainly, he could always go through "portals", somewhat similar to Internet directories. But this would still be very uncomfortable. It must admit that we simply can no longer do without search engines. And, a fortiori, the greatest among them Google.
Near-synonymous with the Internet, it became more than 95% of USA and 90% of world population, the door number one for web. Just look at the panic that seizes the Web where, for a moment, Google has missed. Since January 31, 2009, when the site has, for almost an hour, all sites classified as potentially hazardous and secure links to them.
Today, Google is a reflex that even if they know the address of a site, users are accustomed to enter his name in the search rather than typing the address directly in the browser . Do not you do well to visit the station, for example? We are accustomed to the litany of blue links that appear in response to our research, and whose presentation has changed little over ten years, This means, since the launch of Google in 1998. A completely different approach
So... The world of search engines is agitated in recent months. New players are emerging. Firstly, Microsoft, trying to recover some percentage of market share it has never managed to achieve with its old engine, Live Search. But also new arrivals, more strange, as WolframAlpha. Others too, such as Yahoo, trying to reposition themselves.
To support their own engine, they attempt to revolutionize the very concept of the engine by asking a simple question: do people really want to get something on the Internet? Or rather, when users search the Net, looking really sites?
Microsoft responds clearly not. For the software giant, most people want facts and that helps them make decisions. They rarely want to find sites. At Yahoo, we express it differently, speaking of the "death of the ten blue links", these ten links are now classic response to a search. In other words, it does not look that people want, but find. Responses should be better adapted, and immediately complete. When you enter the name of your city and the name of another city, chances are that you're looking for schedules of trains or planes. Would it not evil from the search engine you see right away this information? Welcome to the world of "decision engines" in the terminology chosen by Microsoft.
Another major change underway in the research, the pursuit of immediacy: the Internet is constantly changing. The information is increasingly delivered in real time, through systems like Twitter, which allows you to send comments to 140 characters. Bing, the engine of Microsoft, has just begun to index live reviews of personalities, while Google is preparing to integrate its search engine news.
The site is far from over, but it gives an overview of changes expected in the coming months.
How it works?
Search engines on the Internet that have proven technologies resume from the early days of computing: it is neither more than very large databases. Their work can be decomposed into several stages: they begin by gathering information. This means, in the case of the Internet, retrieve all pages of all sites. They follow all the links found on the pages found, to go get more and more pages. This collection is automated and performed by programs that are called "spam."
The retrieved pages are then stored on hundreds of disk drives in data centers. Programs are then charged to retrieve the data pages to "understand". The texts are analyzed, the links are listed as well as auxiliary information (author of the page, page address, etc..). All data are then indexed, that is to say that the occurrences of each word will be counted on each page, and all will be entered in a database. Finally, these data are classified. The same word can be found simultaneously on millions of different pages. We must therefore make a classification that will decide that for a given query, this site comes in first and another in the twenty-five millionth place ...
The strength and reputation of a search engine depends primarily on the quality its classification. The formulas used by each other to make this classification are jealously guarded secret. The last step is the easiest site search engine provides an input field and displays, in response to requests, the list of top ranked links. But beware, as you see in this case, the deal is changing fundamentally, and the nature of the operation of search engines is about to be changed.
For Microsoft, the success its new search engine is essential. Present in this area for as long as Google successively with MSN Search, Windows Live Search and Live Search, the software giant never managed to meet enough users. At any time, he has managed to exceed even that the third place, largely outclassed by Google and Yahoo! (5.5% of internet users worldwide).
In June 1 last, Microsoft has launched new search engine, which has completely replaced the existing engines.
Previously known under the code name Kumo, Bing introduces some new and has managed to attract Internet users in its first weeks of life.
But success is far from the meeting ... If the United States, where it is available in final, he scored some points, reaching almost 10% market share while still remaining behind Yahoo! in France, where it is available in beta form, its appearance did not change the classification: it remains at Live Search and only 1.5% of Internet users have chosen. However, we believe that Bing should be tested. We will reveal the essential from the English version, full of discovery.
A colorful search
They are fighting as we can, and Microsoft has chosen, first and foremost, to shake the graphical approach of traditional search engines: not white, but a full-color illustrations that changes daily. Like Google, Bing offers support for input, with a list of suggested keywords that appear gradually and when entering text ... for the English version only for now.
concerning the results page, the interface becomes more white, with just a reminder of daily image, a textbox and a list of blue links. That's classic, in fact? Well no, there are new, but sufficiently well integrated to avoid being annoying.
First addition, always in English, describing the relationship is, mostly, much more complete than traditional sites. The reason? Just let drag the mouse over a link for the appearance, right, a vertical gray with a orange circle in the center. Approaching the mice of this motif appears in a separate window, a summary of the contents of the site to which the link points.
Results Sort
The most important novelties of Bing, who commenced to assert its status as hoped for "decision engine" are related to how the results are indexed. The terms used in the results pages can automatically generate "categories" of common types of research associated with this specific request, for additional keywords that are obvious.
For example, a search on " Barack Obama " allows Bing immediately arrange Barack ObamaBarack Obama certainly of interest to the visitor, and his History, his political positions, party affiliations, education etc.. A list of basic keywords, ranked by importance, is placed in the left column, on gray and orange. The categorization information is revealed to use, extremely practical. And gain time to find what we seek is really appreciable!
as a Well-known figure . He knows that the images of
Information prémâchée
Microsoft wants to go much further with Bing, providing the desired information directly, even before the user has made completely his research. Statistics do not lie: it is easier for a search engine to deduce directly the desire of a user depending on its application. Entering "cities", the user is seeking some information on transport for those cities. Typing the name of a restaurant, the user probably wants to know the details of the restaurant and critics. Typing the name of a digital camera, he certainly wants to know the best price.
In each case, Bing offers a service, going beyond the work of a traditional search engine. Research "Seattle Chicago " is displayed an arrow pointing directly to the prediction of changes in prices of airline tickets in the days to come. Clicking on the arrow engine launches price comparison ...
The search for a product can automatically display a sheet product, with notes of review sites, etc.. The French version actually uses the site Ciao, Bing integrated and accessible through the Shopping link.
Individual records also appear to restaurant reviews, as long as we want a pizza ... in New York.
More with Bing
Like Google, Bing offers specialized search engines to access the image, video, news or maps. The image search interface includes the main engine that we felt already much better than Google or Live Image Search.
Add to this the fact that the Internet offers more choice to filter images (size, type, color, frame). Research video has a big advantage over Google: A simple overview of the mouse video thumbnails displayed in the results page allows you to play the video itself, with sound. It is extremely convenient.
Taste Bing in final
It will still wait some months before they can qualify for Bing in its entirety to the public French. But in the meantime you can still find all the news, by visiting the U.S. website.
Once connected to the address http://www.bing.com, simply click on the link France, which falls in the top right of the page. In the page selection of countries that appears, click on United States - English. Now you're on the English version. To return to the French version, click on United States and choose France.
Should there be a synonym for search engine, it would certainly Google. In France, according to data from StatCounter, over 95% of searches performed using this service. Globally, the deal is substantially the same, with a Google encompassing 90% market share. Competitors are divided so that the crumbs left by the giant.
Such supremacy could induce a certain inertia: why change a formula that worked so well. Indeed, the white home page a search box, a Google Search button, a results page with the answers in the form of blue links, is almost similar to what we could see in 2001, launching French version of Google. But the resemblance is only apparent. For the fundamentals have remained unchanged, significant innovations have emerged gradually. The key word: do not change habits, while being more efficient. Two services in this direction have recently emerged: the suggestion of keywords and SearchWiki.
Others are more revolutionary, have already installed the English version of Google and will soon be available in French: the Search Options or search options. But Google takes a more radical break with a new tool, still in beta English release, Google Squared.
If absolutely everything, could be equated? So the Britain's thesis is Stephen Wolfram, engineering and father of Mathematica software.
In March 2009, at least, the Web was buzzing strongly about a new search engine. More than new, he promised to be revolutionary. the designer promised is would finally do what people expected of computers for fifty years to answer all their questions. The buzz was successful. The site was launched in May 2009, at www.wolframalpha.com. If not quite the hoped-for revolution, it is original and interesting , Waiting for version by Other languages.
We spoke with one engine
WolframAlpha capacity to understand questions in English, with normal syntax, the prompted designers decorate a « conversation engine ». the possible to have a fun conversation with WolframAlpha. For the most banal « Who are you? »,« How old are you? » , Etc.., WolframAlpha responds by making himself phrases.
Do not hesitate, if you are fluent in English, to the test. Particularly intelligent WolframAlpha is even able to understand when he does not speak English: the question « Qui es-tu ? » He Answer genially that he does not even French.
Universal Search Engine
After the surprise of natural language, the real revolution is WolframAlpha nevertheless, search engine requires, content of information that provides the engine does not a series of links as search result, but is present Facts! WolframAlpha, from a very complex program, based largely on the software Mathematica, using the Internet as a huge database from which it can "calculate" responses.
A date? WolframAlpha you return all important events that occurred that day, the phases of the moon at that moment, etc.. A city? There you locate, he give people the time he did ... The name of a company? The history of actions will be presented. A famous man? He will find his main biographical information. A mathematical formula? There you will trace the curves function. You want to compare data? Enter, for example, "France vs. Germany" ...
Practice WolframAlpha offers even download the answer sheet in PDF format. The evidence is that WolframAlpha is extraordinary ... In any case, it does not replace Google or Bing, but it may eventually become a fierce opponent for Wikipedia. Its only real limitation is that it stops at the knowledge "computable". But try it you'll be surprised at the extent of things WolframAlpha estimates calculated.
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