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171 Comments
- EMFK, on 05/27/2009, -5/+57"Almost" being the keyword here.
- evilregis, on 05/27/2009, -5/+50Search sucks? Hardly. I can find just about anything I want with Google in a few seconds. That is hardly broken.
- OfNumbers, on 05/27/2009, -1/+34I'm sorry, your keyword returned too many search results.
- awtripp, on 05/27/2009, -6/+38You're doing it wrong.
- marmotjmarmot, on 05/27/2009, -13/+39Microsoft is here to help? That's right up there with "Hi, I'm from the Government, and I just want to help" as one of the most feared phrases ever.
- mannypacmans, on 05/27/2009, -11/+35microsoft is almost..... as always
- TimDigg, on 05/27/2009, -3/+21No amount of advertising will make me switch from google...
Seems like a waste of money on Microsoft's part...
As a consumer, I have no idea how to "rate" a search engine...if I typed in "IBM" on just about ANY search engine, it would take me to IBM.com
I use Google, because of the clean interface, they're making money off of me, even though it doesn't feel like it...even the Gmail ads I barely notice
Microsoft needs to learn that it can't ADVERTISE it's way into business, whether its search or mobile music, or anything else...
I use MS Office 2007, because its a good product, not because of advertising - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -0/+18Here's a question: With an advertising budget of $80M for this initiative, do we think Microsoft is trying to "fix" search or merely trying to convince us that they have?
- Eat1, on 05/27/2009, -2/+19I like the Bird's Eye view
- waydee, on 05/27/2009, -5/+21I've been buried for this before but Live Image Search is very good, absolutely no reason to use the web search though.
- Phearce, on 05/27/2009, -1/+17Agreed. I like how in the article Microsoft assumes that the performance of Live is similar to Google:
"Only a quarter of searches return a good result — meaning an answer to a question (think a stock price), a satisfying search engine result or a happy ad click. And, if that’s the case for Live.com — it’s going to be similar for Google and Yahoo, according to Weitz."
Um, no. That's exactly why I don't use Live: Only a quarter of searches return a good result. - jonwise80, on 05/27/2009, -2/+17FTA: "Given Live.com’s brand never resonated with users, re-branding is a good way to try to draw users from their relationship with their current favorite search box"
Isn't "Live.com" already like the billionth time Microsoft has re-branded their crappy web offerings? What kind of idiot would assume that another re-branding is going to give them the boost they need this time? - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -2/+14"why would they throw away $800M if they didnt think they've made a winning product?"
As a guy who was around when Word 1.0 was released, let me assure you: Where Microsoft is concerned, there's no correlation between the two. - jjustin01, on 05/27/2009, -0/+12@stack14, let's think about how much money they've thrown away on Vista and that product has turned out to be far from a "winning" product.
Disclaimer: I am not bashing Vista or Microsoft. I am a user of Vista, Win7 and Ubuntu. I am merely stating an observation. And sorry stacks14 if there was intended sarcasm in your statement. - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -3/+15Yea, you definitely need to learn how to search properly.
- sodoh, on 05/27/2009, -1/+13Maybe MS is using part of that 80 million advertising budget to spam Digg with stories (article says it is 100 million now).
As mentioned before the Live Search for the most part sucks compared to Google. This time with URLs
Can you tell me how "java.lang.outofMemoryException" works.
Live: http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=java.lang.ou ...
Google: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=java.lang.outofme ...
Also the search results are biased towards Microsoft. For example:
"migrating from exchange to Lotus Notes"
Live: http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=migrating+fr ...
Top results are "Migrating from lotus notes to exchange"
Google: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=fi ... - useraccess, on 05/27/2009, -3/+13Do you work for Microsoft?
- FKnight, on 05/27/2009, -0/+10FTA:
The data shows rampant clicking by many on the back button, while others get desperate enough to look to the second page of results. And when that doesn’t work, the users try again, coming up with slightly different terms. That’s about half of the searches.
Only a quarter of searches return a good result — meaning an answer to a question (think a stock price), a satisfying search engine result or a happy ad click.
And, if that’s the case for Live.com — it’s going to be similar for Google and Yahoo, according to Weitz.
That failure is good news, Microsoft argues, since it means there’s room for search engines, like Bing, to improve.
-------
What I got out of the above was this:
"Since Live.Com's search results suck and aren't helpful to most people, we're just going to assume that Google's search results suck too, even though we have nothing to base that on."
Correct me if I'm wrong -- but does Microsoft's research methodology seem a bit dodgy? They're looking at metrics from their ***** search engine and using the results to determine that Google's search engine is just as *****, even though everyone knows it isn't?
I mean, really --- comparing a sucky product to a successful one by only looking at the sucky one and applying what you find to both? Did Microsoft's researchers graduate Junior High? This really goes beyond all logic and based only on this, I predict a failure. - srodolff, on 05/27/2009, -5/+14If search sucks then.....
Why is everyone using Google happily and Google is the size of a small planet.
Search doesn't suck, Microsoft search sucks..... - norman619, on 05/27/2009, -3/+12It looks like it's not OK for the consumers to show a preference for anything. Once they do it means the company we favor will face all kinds of legal headaches from the government. Major success is punished not rewarded in our country. It looks like it's the same in the EU as well.
- mindragon, on 05/27/2009, -4/+13Am I the only one that is terribly worried about regulators poking their noses into companies such as Intel, Google and Microsoft? Personally, I don't like the fact that regulators have the power and opportunity to destroy thousands of jobs and de-advance technology just because of their "Crusade to Make our World Safer"(tm).
- wastern, on 05/27/2009, -2/+11People don't use search engines like they used to. I already pretty much know where I want to go, if I don't have a bookmark for it I just use the google search built into the browser to get there since I'm too lazy to type the urls, or don't want to remember what genius decided to go with a .net domain.
No amount of innovation is going to change that really. Google is quick and always gives what I want on the top hit or 2. I'll look it over when it comes out, but I have serious doubts that it will actually be game changing. Anything short and they don't have a chance and shouldn't be bothering - killhouse, on 05/27/2009, -2/+10Advertising will not change my mind, however if Microsoft make a better search engine than Google I will have no problem using it.
I will always use the best available product, I am not very brand loyal at all. - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -3/+11I'm not a person who thinks that Microsoft perpetrates a Hitler-like evil, but Hitler did say something interesting that makes me think of this situation. To paraphrase: If you tell a lot of little lies, people will discover your dishonesty and will not believe them. If you tell one or two big lies, everyone will believe what you say without question.
So. Tell me again about how Microsoft says that Google search doesn't work? - Warom, on 05/27/2009, -2/+10Typical Google:
1) Wikipedia page which you already looked at
2) Random blog with no information about what you searched
3) Youtube video
4) Unanswered Yahoo Answers question
5) Spam
6) Spam
7) Spam
8) Spam
9) Spam
10) Spam
11) Spam
12) Forum with the answer you wanted :)
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogle >
1 2 3(no body ever goes past page 3) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Next - wsfarrell, on 05/27/2009, -7/+15"a internet powerhouse"? You mean "an internet powerhouse"?
- Simplysped, on 05/27/2009, -0/+7let's hope it's not just hype like cuil
- oomfoofoo, on 05/27/2009, -8/+15astralknight is a member of the boycottnovell mafia. He trashes anything that is not Linux. Anyone that doesn't agree with everything the BN mafia says is labeled a microsoft shill. He's also apparantly, like other members of the BN mafia, an expert on absolutely everything.
- MWeather, on 05/27/2009, -1/+8Microsoft could only leverage it's monopoly into a 25% market share? That's not a failure, that's a monumental failure. They got better number than that from Windows ME.
- inactive, on 05/27/2009, -0/+7There's plenty of room for improvement.
- hardeep1singh, on 05/27/2009, -2/+9Probably they're using live search that's why they feel that way.
- HonoredMule, on 05/27/2009, -3/+10If only poor Microsoft wasn't locked out of the market by Google's vendor lock-in preventing 3rd party search engines.
Oh, that's right, the web is completely open and the only thing preventing Microsoft from seamlessly stepping in as search provider is a little brand recognition--the widespread and well-earned general opinion that Google is actually quite good and Microsoft sucks (at search). - Tenareth, on 05/27/2009, -1/+8This is Microsoft, they have succeeded with sub-par products all along, so obviously the technology is NOT the issue... it must be the name.
I mean "Excel" just sounded better than "1-2-3", "Word" is better than "Wordperfect" and "Powerpoint" ruled over "Freelance".
If they find the magic word, then everyone will forget that it isn't as good as the alternative and suddenly flock to them... at least it has worked in the past. - thefourcast, on 05/27/2009, -4/+10I personally never use MSN for search, Google then Yahoo but I like what Mahalo has been doing.
- CaptOblivious, on 05/27/2009, -0/+6Apparently part of the ad budget includes people paid to shill on Digg.
- wickensworth, on 05/27/2009, -1/+7Google has a search engine now? Why am I always the last to hear of these things?
- krisrm, on 05/27/2009, -1/+6I, for one, hope it stays that way until they can actually turn out a better product (likely never, but who knows?). If you look at where Microsoft stands right now, though:
-they're lagging severely behind Google and they know it
-their attempts to buy out Yahoo failed miserably (which would have given them a slightly better brand, better technology, and the added bonus of removing the only other real "search competitor", besides Google, of course)
-their brand still sucks, especially because Microsoft's made the whole MSN/Live thing so confusing... if someone told me to "meet them on Live", I probably wouldn't understand whether they were talking about Live messenger, XBOX Live/Games for Windows Live, <x-number of services branded under the "Live" name>. "Live Search" just isn't going to cut it, especially when your competitors have names like "Google" and "Yahoo"
So, I can sort of see where the name change thing comes from... they're getting awfully desperate.
If I were them, though, I'd be seriously evaluating the possibility of actually competing with Google. They can change their name as many times as they'd like, but if they give me a search engine that's cluttered full of ads and isn't trustworthy to return relevant results at least at the same rate as Google, I don't think *anyone* will be able to justify using them, and since they're throwing so much money at a new brand, it's quite possible they've forgotten what "Search" *actually* means... - KaivenTor, on 05/27/2009, -4/+9Somebody over at Microsoft needs to stand up to their marketing department and remind them that no amount of name changing is going to help unless they fix and polish what they already have.
- netant, on 05/27/2009, -0/+5That's part of Google's competitors' problem. For this particular arena, its NOT ENOUGH to generate searches comparable to Google's. Google does not impose costs to the user that would encourage them to look at alternatives. If any competitor is going to take user share from Google, they're going to have to provide A SUPERIOR search experience.
Also, Google obviously throws a huge amount of resources towards search operations. No startup is going to be able to match Google's breadth unless their magic algorithm removes the "need" to catalog every webpage on earth.
What I don't get, with all of Microsoft's money, why do they pay for such STUPID marketers and advertising agencies? Its obvious that putting lipstick and a thong on pig is not going to draw people away from Google. How do they preserve market share by throwing money advertising an inferior product? It may work for cars and canned beans, but its not going to work for computers and search. - deslock, on 05/27/2009, -0/+5There's tons of room for improvement. I use google and still have lots of frustration like:
All engines do a piss-poor job of categorizing results (I'd like to see links to social media sites for the topic, separated from stores, separated from wikis and references, separated from reviews...). They do a bad job understanding context so group results and let me decide.
As mentioned in the article, I'd like an engine that is smart enough string together related searches and show groups of results from each refined search. I'm sure I'm not the only person that opens 5 tabs of variations on the same search because each search gave one or two useful links and the rest was garbage.
Product searches throw the same lame results of unordered retailers... would be great to see groupings to reviews of the product, user comments from various sites related to the product, etc. Froogle was an epic fail in this category.
When I'm searching for code help, definitions, etc. for the work I'm doing, I get 95% results to someone's lame course I can take to learn how to deploy Samba in an enterprise or chapter names in some book. Great, thanks.
Local searches could really use some work...
And how about non-store name related local searches. What I wouldn't give to be able to simply say "no fee ATM" and get a map of the locations near me. I have a google phone for goodness sake so it can easily GPS that kind of thing. Heck it could use IP address for non-mobile devices to determine general location (the city at least). - Tornado54, on 05/27/2009, -5/+10I really hope they get it right. Whether you like Google or not, nobody can deny that competition is a good thing and sadly so far Google has had very little of it.
- Tenareth, on 05/27/2009, -2/+7The only problem with search right now is something Microsoft won't want to fix... people are pushing companies that sell stuff above actual articles about things. Since Microsoft (outside of XBox, which doesn't really talk to corporate) has always been against computers as a hobby. It is about big business and profits.
However, Google is very good at filtering that crap out if you ask the question right, key is to use simple keywords like "how to" and you'll suddenly get what you wanted in the first place. - craigtmackenzie, on 05/27/2009, -0/+5shame those qualifications mean nothing in certain tech circles, at least not where i've worked. and that company was OWNED by Microsoft!
- norman619, on 05/27/2009, -7/+12Google has too much control? Control of what exactly? I am free to use whatever search engine I like.
Damn it! I forgot all about the chip they implanted in my brain as I slept. Nevermind! - Myztry, on 05/27/2009, -2/+6All markets solidify to two main players. The dominant leader and the primary competitor. And they tend to stay that way for a long time with change being the exception rather than the rule.
If Microsoft don't get in now - they are as good as locked out. And that would be the beginning of the end.
Position. Position. Position. Leverage is everything to Microsoft. Their product never succeed on technical merit. $80M will seem like pocket change by the time they finishing trying to buy their way into position. - wastern, on 05/27/2009, -2/+6Google's whole thing is to collect and index the worlds information. He who controls the information, controls the world
They live by the "don't be evil" rule. But what if they had a chance of heart? They have petabytes of data on damn near everyone and everything.
/removes tin foil hat
I love google's products and services, I use them extensively - inactive, on 05/27/2009, -0/+4Their slogan is clearly 'Be openly evil'.
- ultrafez, on 05/27/2009, -1/+5Grow up. Everyone has their own opinions about Microsoft, so rather than very cleverly using the "$" in their name, why not articulate your point of view using words?
- Frostek, on 05/27/2009, -0/+4Yes, but apart from those... no competition! /s
- wastern, on 05/27/2009, -0/+4Microsoft is a tech giant and they are throwing yet another hat into the ring against google. Will they fail? Most likely. But its news none the less.
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