Altavista vs. Altavista

[N. TOMAIUOLO, INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN, CCSU]

Dear Colleagues,
Please bear with the following.  When I first began searching AltaVista, I 
remember the location box on my browser connecting to www.altavista.com
Back then (a couple of years ago now), I was teaching students to use AltaVista 
and sending them to www.altavista.com; a few months after that I met some 
salespeople from Digital at a meeting and they explained why AltaVista was 
superior, etc.

My personal home page has a link to www.altavista.com and when I go there I 
receive excellent search results.  I noticed, however, that a bold disclaimer 
appears at www.altavista.com that reads:
AltaVista Technology Inc. is not affiliated with Digital Equipment Corporation, 
AltaVista Internet Search Software Inc. or the AltaVista Internet Search 
Service.  The AltaVista Internet Search Service may be found at 
www.digital.altavista.com

I must be out to lunch, but the screens look basically the same, both are called 
AltaVista, and yet I encounter this conundrum.  To illustrate my point why don't 
we consider this: An airplane engine has Pratt & Whitney stamped on it.  It 
works fine, but the fine print says Pratt & Whitney is not Affiliated with 
United Technologies, Pratt& Whitney Aircraft or etc. etc.  Could a colleague or 
a lurker from the engines themselves unravel this for me?

Thank you
Nicholas G. Tomaiuolo, MLS
Bibliographic Instruction Librarian
Central Connecticut State University Library
Reference Department
New Britain, CT  06050

http://library.ccsu.ctstateu.edu/~bibman
email=  tomaiuolon at ccsu.ctstateu.edu
phone=  (860) 832-2068
fax=    (860) 832-3409