Yahoo goes Google-hunting with a new search engine
Yahoo is rolling out a brand new search engine today, with its own index and ranking mechanisms, casting aside its long-standing use of Google-powered search results. The move is bound to roil the industry and sets in motion a new race for the claim of web search champion.
Much as I like the Google search engine and their wonderful webmaster tools, thy’re been doing some scummy things lately, deliberately trying to wreck the homegrown world of bloggers who use a standard called XML and replace it with another, called Atom. Which might be ok, except Google is now refusing to allow XML on Blogger, which they own, rather than let people choose what they want. There have also been reports Google is downranking non-Bloggers blogs in their search engine results. All of which indicates Google is feeling maybe a bit too omnipotent.
As the acerbic Dave Winer, who helped create XML said today
Even though I think Google is a shitty company (disclaimer) I’m pretty sure Yahoo is too, even though I have less contact with them. Two shitty Silicon Valley companies competing is a billion percent better than one dominant shitty Silicon Valley company. And you can quote me on that (as I’m sure my detractors will). Am I ready to replace the Google button in my toolbar? Not yet. But with a few tweaks, I’ll be glad to do
This new Yahoo search, which from early reports is quite smart and capable, will be giving Google serious competition.
You can find it at Search.Yahoo.com