| The objective of all search engine providers is | | | | revenues rose and it is closing the gap to Google's |
| epitomized by the ideal search often portrayed in the | | | | dominance. |
| popular television and movie series "Star Trek". When | | | | Some possible dark horses in the race may include |
| the captain issues a request for all information on a | | | | Clusty and Accoona. Clusty has some nifty clustering |
| Klingon spaceship, the search engine intuitively | | | | technology that can provide different categories |
| understands that he wants military information. It | | | | while Accoona has search abilities based on artificial |
| does not provide information on how much the | | | | intelligence. Accoona also has a large customer base |
| spaceship costs in the commercial market and where | | | | in China where the internet population is the biggest |
| it can be obtained, nor the scientific details that | | | | in the world surpassing that of U.S. |
| would interest an engineering student. | | | | This author's take: |
| Search engines are similar to rating agencies like | | | | Despite its pronouncements, Google will need a large |
| Moody and Standard & Poor's (S&P). These | | | | customer base to be able to provide "more |
| engines rate web pages similar to the way Moody | | | | personalized searches". Providing 2GB free email is the |
| would rate a company credit rating by giving it a | | | | first step, from which it can harvest a lot of raw |
| rank. Google's latest patent application are similar to | | | | data which many privacy advocates are strongly |
| the methods used by stock charting (technical | | | | oppose to. |
| analysis) - using the same ideas such as | | | | Google's plan to digitize all the books in the major |
| Rate-of-Change, Momentum and so forth. It is | | | | libraries may lead the company into a legal quagmire |
| comparable to Moody apply a patent for some of | | | | of copyright issues involving publishers and authors. |
| the methods use for ranking and henceforth, | | | | Maybe, the emergence of some "intelligent" browsers |
| restraining S&P from employing similar algorithms. | | | | with in-built artificial intelligence capabilities which can |
| The upcoming Sony Playstation 3 will have 1% the | | | | bypass search engine servers altogether - instead |
| processing power of a human brain. Given that most | | | | these agents would apply filters or weights according |
| people uses 10% of their brainpower, it is years | | | | to the wishes of the individual searcher. |
| away, not decades, that machines will have | | | | Google typifies the successful upstart - self-assured, |
| equivalent brainpower. | | | | confident and secretive, causing dismay to analysts |
| The respective percentages of all searches done in | | | | and fund managers. During its recent IPO (Initial Public |
| February 2005 are 36% for Google, 31% for Yahoo, | | | | Offering), Google bypassed the traditional route via |
| 16% for MSN and the rest shared by the smaller | | | | underwriters and brokers thus denying them a share |
| providers. As evident by these numbers, market | | | | of the spoils. This slap on the wrist would not go |
| share can fluctuate significantly over a few months. | | | | down too well with these lords of the financial world. |
| Microsoft is numero uno when it comes to desktops | | | | Should Google face some difficulties or stumbles, this |
| and internet browsers although it is facing challenges | | | | publicly traded company may give new meaning to |
| from Mozilla (internet browsers). Sony (the leader in | | | | the expression "When it rains, it pours". |
| game consoles), Linux (desktop). Given its large base | | | | Expect mergers, takeovers to be the norm. The real |
| of customers, this dogged competitor is flexing its | | | | leader of the internet would evolve from the diverse |
| muscles against Yahoo and Google. It is foolhardy to | | | | parties and it would include the Ebay-Paypal |
| write-off Microsoft, given its resilience, market-savvy, | | | | component. We live in interesting times. |
| financial resources and history of handling challenges | | | | Stan Seecrets' Postulate: "The imminent war for |
| from upstarts. MSN spiders are faster in indexing web | | | | world domination will be fought between the gods of |
| pages than its two main rivals. | | | | the internet and the gods of finance." |
| Yahoo is the perennial internet competitor. It has | | | | [This article may be freely reprinted providing it is |
| more than 100 million customers and has a presence | | | | published in its entirety, including the author's bio and |
| in every piece of the internet pie. Its search engine | | | | activating the link to the URL below. |