NWE Help: Web: Searching: Search Engines

NWE Home :: Help :: Web :: Searching

Search engines are generally faster than the meta-search engines and also offer sophisticated search options that can help you increase the relevance of your results. They may also represent URLs not actively promoted, such as University or other non-commerical sites. Many of these sites offer very specific options. Caveat lector.

• Alltheweb: Alltheweb promises speed and often delivers. It's partially an ad for Dell, so it lacks those annoying banners.
• Alta Vista: Orignally started to advertise Digital's Alpha servers, Alta Vista has grown and is now one of the best-known of all search resources. However, it's just been sold (3 July 1999) and will become a &$@!# "portal" site. Sigh.
• Excite: Excite is now geared towards customization -- with "My Excite," you can make Excite look more or less like you want to.
• Google: Google uses super-cool algorithms to produce very accurate searches. Highly recommended.
• Go Network: Infoseek was sucked into Disney's Go Network. It also allows a high degree of customization.
• HotBot: Wired Digital's search engine Hotbot has great search options, reasonable speed, and a good database. It now offers index options as well.
• Lycos: Lycos began at Carnegie Mellon University but has expended drastically.
• Northern Light: Northern Light indexes a collection of journals, books, magazines, and other references. It uses a nifty folder organization system to make searching easier. Can be a bit slow.