[Web4lib] Google limit of 1,000 results

[K.G. Schneider]

> > Can we define the end of the web, i.e. can we have knowledge about
> > every webpage that exists?  And is finding the last webpage
> > meaningful even if we can't define the end of the web?
> 
> I'm not talking about defining the "end of the web", simply the end
> of the Google search results. This end is defined (and redefined on a
> regular basis) by Google.

I'll go farther than Roy on this. The Web is a human endeavor and a finite
resource, and Google is a tool that for all of its mystery ("Secret's in the
sauce," to borrow a line from Fried Green Tomatoes) ultimately can only
solve for X where X represents its secret search sauce and Y is the content
currently on the Web. If no one has created a page on squirrels who knit,
then it cannot be on the Web (though I just fixed that problem, eh?).  At
any rate, yes, there is an end. There is an end to what Google can do and
there is an end to the amount of content discoverable on the Web. Those two
things may be changing all the time but there is still nothing divine about
Google or the Web. 

Part of Google's success is the ability of a commercial company to sell the
world on the concept that Google has solved all problems related to
information discovery and retrieval. I use Google every day, but I don't
think it's the answer to everything, and I believe if we do not ask the big
questions we do a disservice to our communities. We're not candy-stripers
for Google, we're information professionals, and we bring interesting and
valuable points to the table... even if we're invisible to the Big G. 
 
Karen G. Schneider
kgs at bluehighways.com