Firing at the fans that flamed me
|
|
|
Microsoft has another stab at fixing its web search
ONE THING about Microsoft is for sure - it isn't very good at giving up the ghost
According to the Wall Street Journal (sub required), the Vole (tick: MSFT), is having another crack at attacking Google search, although by now it must be seriously lagging behind the two lads' baby.
The article quotes Satya Nadella, a VP for Microsoft's search group, as saying he believes the Vole can now compete with Google.
Live Search will be improved, while Microsoft will also trawl four times the number of sites it's looking at now.
We have the feeling that Microsoft is going to have to do a bit better than this to topple Messrs Google off their lofty perch.
Although why Microsoft feels it has to compete with every software company in the cosmos has always been somewhat of a mystery. µ
Share this:
Share
it's Microsoft.
they inundate, not innovate.
M$ have all the time and money in the world to sit it out as the lesser search for dumbass users who don't change their default search settings. I'm betting their grand vision that eventually it will be more used because lazy people have to take an extra step to use anything else and google will fade away as it is "practically the same". Why would M$ bother? Because if you have a search engine monopoly it can be a powerful method to present information in a format you want, datamine what people are searching for, and can be used for hiding or even censoring information you don't want people to see... just wait, do a search with M$'s search engine in 20 years (when it is the only major one left) and see how much anti-M$ info appears then... Sure I'm anti-M$ myself, but I feel the same about any search engine eventually getting a monopoly, almighty google included.
If Vista & Desktop search for XP are an indication of how good it will be then Google will wipe the floor with then again! I've encountered endless problems with Desktop Search from customers - error messages, files not found, users unable to search emails in Outlook etc etc. MS need to be able to fix this before widening their horizons any further! Computer users are getting more Savvy - the growth of Firefox is clear evidence of this and I think this is just the beginning...
Don't forget though that Microsoft is the default search engine on any Windows computer, and there are millions of them. So there are tons of users out there who don't change their search defaults, and so they are using Live search...that's a pretty good way to get market share with an inferior product.
Where's the motivation to move from Google to Live? Let me give you an exercise in laughter:

1. go to www.google.com
2. search for something
3. go to www.live.com
4. search for something

Does anything look different between these two sites? They have the same interface (sponsored sites, related searches and all.) The only thing I see different is the search results (which, btw, Google wins, hands down.) M$ has only succeeded in mimicing Google. Google does Google perfectly. Why would I go get Google anywhere other than Google? (And how many times can I say Google? Let's Google it!)

Microsoft: You want to introduce competition? You want to gain customers? Try this: Innovate! Copying may have worked in the 1980s & 1990s, but today, it's not going to get me to switch providers. You come up with a better product, then you can come knock on my door. Until then, I'll stick with Googling on Firefox. Thankyouverymuch.
Agreed. Search has already been done. Why bother unless you're taking it to the next level?