Posted 9:30 AM

A solution searching for a problem

Search engines and search technology have taken up an inordinate amount of news space lately - much of it not particularly "new" news. One example os the San Jose Mercury News' discovery last week("Google debut losing luster"- caution, may require registration) that the Google IPO won't be a bonanza for first day buyers. Of course, Google announced that info months ago. Then there was the hoopla announcing Microsoft, using MSN technology, would challenge Google & Yahoo at internet searches. Too bad that the "technology" isn't very good. ("Searching for the ideal search engine") Now there's reports that Microsoft's new desktop search tool (due on Longhorn) is a Security risk ("Digging into Microsoft's search efforts")!

In case no one was looking, MS operating systems already have a built in "search" which can build an index of everything on the local drive (the "security risk" that folks are talking about). But, it does seem that its security vendors (and people building other search engines) who are the ones throwing all the dirt. Before the vendor bearing warnings about his competitors!