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On the basis of the results from twenty five (25) test queries
the top eight (8) global WWW search engines are ranked here as follows:
The Infoseek search engine is clearly superior to all others on the basis of several test measures. The ease of use and simplicity of the Infoseek user interface also make it the strongest candidate for recommendation as the default search engine especially on public access workstations with Net access in college settings. The power of the artificial intelligence behind the engine makes using almost natural language queries possible. The search form is eminently configurable and supports very advanced search features. Online help is detailed and easy to follow and supports searching from the help pages. A very nice feature. Also a surprisingly strong contender is the relative newcomer to the search engine scene, HotBot from Inktomi. The relatively complex search interface, however, would require considerable end-user training and support in public access situations. Of note for their strong performances, also, are AltaVista and Excite! The simplicity and flexibility of their interfaces would also make them useful in public access areas. AltaVista has the unique feature that it allows users to key in terms for sorting search output. Excite! offers fuzzy logic for interpretation of natural language queries which can compensate, in part, for poorly constructed search queries. Not to be overlooked is the Yahoo! engine. The interface is very straightforward and the engine is linked to a very powerful and well-organized Internet directory. If a search engages one of Yahoo!'s Internet directory categories then the most relevant sites are only a few mouse clicks away. The engine excels far above others on questions which engage the directory listings. Yahoo!'s excellent hierarchical directory, alone, would make it a good choice for use in public access workstation areas. Each of the remaining search engines, Open Text Index, WebCrawler and Lycos, although not ranking highly on the objective measures, has features to recommend at least occasional use. WebCrawler's search interface, for example, is among the most appealing visually and simple to use, especially for younger users. Each has its own peculiar merits. Remember also, that a thorough Net search requires the use of several search engines. Each has features which complement the others. Each has slightly different index content, update cycles and output formats. The most experienced searchers will use a variety of search engines based on "feel" for content with regard to the search query. |
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