[Web4lib] Searchmash, the other Google serach engine

[Patricia F Anderson]

A number of people have sent me messages off-list asking what I liked 
about A9 that is different from the way it is now. I replied to one of 
them, and will paste that reply here for others to see.

---------------

What's different is the functionality supported.  It used to be hugely 
customizable. You can still do some of it, but it is harder to do. They 
also kept your search history and pages visited, as well as your preferred 
search tools, and this history has now been thrown away. I had been using 
A9 to test search strategies for articles I was writing, and I was broken 
hearted to lose this databank without any warning. I wrote to them about 
getting back the history file, and they said no dice, they just threw out 
all the data.

I had set up a lot of custom search sets, one group for history searches, 
another for image searching, another for medical and health. Loved the 
flexibility of it. Loved being able to sign in and get my favorite search 
tools all set up the way I like it from any computer. That went away, too. 
I can configure prefs, but they don't allow sign in and I have to set them 
up again everywhere I go. They set up THEIR prefs for easy access, but 
they aren't *MY* prefs.

I set up a test custom search set in the new A9 at work, but can't get to 
it at home. And once I set up a test set, it won't let me make another 
test set for a different function. It also seems to have locked me out of 
editing the sets I already made. So I have a blank one with nothing in it, 
and can't edit it; and then I have another for "libraries" that supposedly 
contains every library with an A9 interface, and can't add new ones as 
they come up, or delete something if I find it isn't really a library 
opac. Maybe it is the browser I'm using or the platform I'm on, but I 
can't get it to work. Maybe this is me having trouble figuring it out, but 
wouldn't that say that there are some problems with the new interface and 
its usability?

And I will never forgive them for throwing away my data without giving me 
a chance to save it. I would have gone through my search history and saved 
the whole thing as HTML rather than lose it. That is going to hurt me for 
a long time. Lots of things I didn't keep records of because I was 
trusting that it was in A9. That will teach me, eh? I was so upset I 
didn't buy anything from Amazon for a month. I'm thinking of switching to 
B&N, but probably won't.

<http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/marginalspace/archives/2006/10/once_upon_a_tim.html>

---------------

Best wishes, all,

Patricia Anderson, pfa at umich.edu

On Tue, 5 Dec 2006, Patricia F Anderson wrote:

> The idea I'm seeing is that it is not so much a different algorithm or 
> different results as that this is their playground for how they might provide 
> the results in a different way. What I noticed in particular is the checkbox 
> for highlighting Wikipedia results. I am wondering if they are considering 
> the approach previously used by A9 as a net-wise federated search tool. I 
> absolutely *loved* A9, but then it went totally splat with their recent 
> changes. I don't use it anymore, and would be thrilled to bits if someone 
> else started offering the functionality that used to be at A9. If Google is 
> thinking about it, more power to them.
>
> Wishfully thinking,
>
> Patricia Anderson, pfa at umich.edu
>
> On Tue, 5 Dec 2006, Gandhi, Adity wrote:
>
>> Google definitely comes up with interesting stuff every now and then.
>> However, I am just wondering why does need to come up with yet another
>> search engine, when it already has one (which is out there and well
>> recognized).
>> 
>> I don't understand by the term, "Different algorithm" cause I don't see
>> any difference in the search results at all. They appear exactly the
>> same.
>> 
>> Shall we consider it as a strategy of marketing it differently?
>> 
>> @dity Gandhi
>> gandhi.adity at ocls.info
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
>> [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Junus, Ranti
>> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 4:26 PM
>> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
>> Subject: [Web4lib] Searchmash, the other Google serach engine
>> 
>> Google apparently just released another search engine with different
>> search algorithm, SearchMash, at http://www.searchmash.com/
>> 
>> Interesting.
>> 
>> ranti.
>> 
>> --
>> Ranti Junus - Web Services
>> 100 Main Library W441
>> Michigan State University
>> East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
>> +1.517.432.6123 ext. 231
>> +1.517.432.8374 (fax)
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