Who Will Out-Search Google?

Done any searching online recently? Chances are good that you have used Google to find what you want. And its a great choice too, because currently they have the best search engine around. But being great at searching isn’t really the same thing as being great at finding answers, here is what I mean. If you are looking for a definition of a word, a map of Utah or an old friend then Google’s current search technology works pretty well. But if you are looking for the answer to a specific question, well, you have to work a little harder.

Now, I am not criticizing Google too much as I actually like their service quite a bit. However, there have been plenty of times when I have gotten quite frustrated trying to massage my search criteria into something that will produce the results I need. Here is a perfect example. Recently I needed to look up some references regarding a Unix shell command called “time”. This proved to be a bit more difficult that I had hoped because I had to filter out, and sort through, a good deal of extra information. Clearly there is a need for a tool geared towards finding answers and not just searching millions of sites for matching text.

Call me optimistic but I was certain that when Microsoft became obsessed with beating Google that they would come out with a service like this. Clearly their MSN search wasn’t working out as well as they hoped so why not try a service for finding answers? Now, I realize there have been other sites that have attempted to this (ask Jeeves comes to mind) but none have really been all that successful.

When the next version of OS X comes out it is expected that spotlight will have more advanced search capabilities. It is possible (though unlikely in my opinion) that this new and improved spotlight will be able to search the web. If this functionality was added, and it was more intuitive and more easily refined, then I think Apple users would have a serious alternative to Google, Yahoo, MSN search and all the rest.

Though as I said before, I don’t think Apple will ever get into the business of online searching. However, that doesn’t mean that someone else shouldn’t consider making a better search tool. After all, Google is good, but they aren’t invincible. Why do you think they released Gmail? Or Google Maps? Or Google Calendar? Or any of their other free services and software? They have been doing this to tie their users into the Google network because they know that it is only a matter of time before a better search engine is created.

Now, they have plenty of smart people working for them and a whole lot of cash so they might be the ones who make their own product obsolete. But just in case Microsoft or Yahoo or some other start up beats them to it they want to have a back up plan for staying in business. The current way of searching won’t be around too much longer, a better method is one start-up away from making all of our lives easier.

Image: Tanja Gompf