Altavista vs. Altavista

[Vailey Oehlke]

Life is so ironic.  I read your message on an e-mail break from a search
tools handout I'm putting together.  Having read your posting I returned
to my task and went to the website The Spider's Apprentice
<http://www.monash.com/spidap.html> which discusses and reviews search
engines.  Check out the "Indepth Analysis" for Alta Vista, there is
"Spidap Tidbit" that answers your question.

Vailey Oehlke				Voice:  (503)736-6047
School Corps Librarian			Pager:  599-1784
Multnomah County Library		Fax:  (503)248-5441
205 NE Russell, Portland, OR  97212
		e-mail:	vaileyo at nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us

On Fri, 9 Jan 1998, N. TOMAIUOLO, INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN, CCSU wrote:

> 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
> 
> 
> 
>