See also: Overviews, Links, Training, Newsgroups & Mailing Lists and the Tools listing pages.

• Comparison of Free Search Engines SearchTools.com, April 2006 by Yiling Chen
  Concentrates on indexing, query processing, retrieval and relevance. Covers Alkaline, Fluid Dynamic, ht://Dig, Juggernautsearch, mnoGoSearch, Perlfect, SWISH-E, Webinator, and Webglimpse. All of these search engines are are free, mainly on Unix, and many are open source software.
• Search Engines: The Hunt Is On Network Computing Magazine: October 16, 2000 by Avi Rappoport
  In-depth discussion of search engines for e-commerce and other web sites covers features and future trends, software vs. services, database vs. text searching, natural-language searching, and open-source search engines covering ht://Dig and mnoGoSearch (formerly UdmSearch). The testing included indexing over 150,000 pages, and covered administration tools, customization, search features, relevance ranking and search logs. Products were Ultraseek (then Inktomi Search) (which won Editor's Choice), AltaVista Search, and Excalibur RetrievalWare, services were Atomz Enterprise Search and Searchbutton Corporate, which has since addressed some of the shortcomings reported. Also included an email poll of Network Computing readers.
• Searching on James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door update August 27, 2000
  Cheerful personal discussion of how one technologist installed and evaluated free versions of remote search services, covering Atomz Search , FreeFind, PicoSearch, Searchbutton, SiteMiner, Thunderstone Webinator and whatUseek.
  
• Adding Search to Your Site webmonkey, March 1, 2000 by Avi Rappoport
  Describes remote search hosting services, how they work, how to set up your site and customize the look and feel.
  
• SearchTools Review of Remote Search Services September 27, 1999 (updated October 2, 2000) by Avi Rappoport
  Thorough discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of using remote search services, how well their indexing robots handle standards and links, search and relevance ranking features, search features, results customization, maintenance and reporting.
• Add search to your site CNET Builder.com, November 17, 1998 by Avi Rappoport
  A comprehensive set of instructions including background information, choosing the right site search engine for your site, testing and installing the software, designing the interface, and setting up a maintenance program. Includes many links to sites and products, summaries of some of the most attractive programs and an example of the installation process using the DNA Files web site.
• Entscheidung gegen den Compass Server (in German) late 1998, minor updates 1999, by Walter Hafner
  Evaluation compares Netscape Compass with ht://Dig, and PLWeb.
• SPEX: Evaluation Kits: Web Search Engines SPEX, 1998
  $4,000 evaluation kit covers AltaVista Search Intranet 97, Dataware BRS/Search and NetAnswer, Fulcrum Knowledge Network, Excalibur RetrievalWare, Verity Search 97 Information Server and ZyIndex. PLS got a write-in vote.
• Mac servers get more search tools MacWEEK, July 13, 1998 by Avi Rappoport
  Description of the benefits and issues of site search tools, including indexers vs. crawlers. Covers the features of iHound, Boolean Search, Phantom and WebSTAR Search.
• Serving Up Quality Searches Internet Computing, March, 1998 by Kevin Railsback
  Comprehensive comparative review of AltaVista eXtension 97, Integrated I-Search 3.0, Microsoft Index Server 2.0, Innotech Net Results 1.2, Verity Search 97 Information Server and Netscape Compass 3.0 (recommended).
• Web Developer.Com Guide To Search Engines Wes Sonnenreich and Tim MacInta: John Wiley & Sons, February 1998, ISBN 0471246387 $34.99.
  A wide-ranging book covering everything from the beginnings of the robot spiders crawling and indexing the web to analysis of the major webwide search engines to detailed information on installing and configuring six local site search tools. The programs covered are AltaVista Search Intranet, Excite for Web Servers, Harvest, ht://Dig, Phantom and Ultraseek. Also describes BDDBot: An ongoing collaborative project, to create a Java web server and search spider, using open source under the GNU public license. Use these links to buy from Amazon and you'll support this site.
• Bridging intranet profit and value Datamation, Dec. 1997/Jan. 1998 by C. Matthew Snow (page inaccessible as of 10/2001)
  Approaches the intranet search engine as a vital tool for staff to deploy in closing deals. A case study of intranet search tools improving ROI and improving corporate information management describes Parsons Brinckerhoff, a New York City engineering firm. They use Fulcrum Knowledge Network to set up conferencing, databases of work experience and more. Other search tools are covered more lightly, but include unique features, good and bad points, and user comments: AltaVista Search Intranet, Lycos/InMagic, Microsoft Index Server and Infoseek Ultraseek.
• Search tools hold their own MacWEEK, December 1, 1997, by April Streeter
  Short but thoughtful coverage, with user comments. Phantom, Social Engineering Search Server, Limit Point Software Boolean Search, Metasys Mango, Icatt iHound, and Virginia Systems WebSonar.
• University of Pennsylvania Search Tools Evaluation 28 November, 1997
  Includes requirements document; excellent testing results table covers indexing, results, updating, support and cost issues for AltaVista Search Intranet, Excite and Webinator; user test results and more.
• Buyer's Guide: Search Engines WebServer OnLine, 1997 by Lang Zerner
  Tables for platforms and configuration, indexing, document types, query languages. Covers AltaVista, Fulcrum, Microsoft Index Server, Compass (now from Netscape), PLWeb Turbo, Excalibur, Verity Search '97 and Ultraseek.
• US Department of Education, Cross-Site Indexing Project 1997
  Another good example of the process of choosing and installing a site search tool, in this case covering several Education Department sites. The group set up a requirements document, and tested Netscape Catalog (later replaced by Compass Server), InQuery, Verity Search '97 and Ultraseek, which they ultimately chose.
• Summary of Site Search Packages WebReview Nov. 21, 1997
  Chart covering Excite, Microsoft Index Server, ht://Dig, Verity Search97, Netscape Catalog and SWISH.
• Internal Search Engines Get You Where You Want To Go Network Computer, October 15, 1997, by Barry Nance.
  Good, thorough coverage of AltaVista eXtension 97, Folio siteDirector 3.1, Ultraseek 1.1, Inmagic/Lycos, DB/Text Intranet Spider, ISYS:Web 2.0, Phantom 2.0; Microsoft Index Server 3.0, Netscape Compass 3.0, Quadralay WebWorks Search 2.0, Verity IntelliServe 1.0, freeWAIS 0.3, WebGlimpse 4.0B1 and SWISH 1.1.
• Search Engines for Searching Your Site (bonus chapter from Webmastering for Dummies) by Daniel A. Tauber and Brenda Kienan, July 1997
  Description of the issues of search engines, including how to make results look good. Covers Excite for Web Servers, ht://Dig, SWISH and Microsoft Index Server.
• And Then There Was One... Search Engine Shootout TidBITS, May 19, 1997, by Adam C. Engst.
  Real-life testing of several site search tools for the Tidbits web site, covering various specialized solutions, Phantom, and Apple e.g. (which won).
• Web Site Search Engines (Appendices) The PIPER Letter: November, 1996
  Covers Basis Webserver , Excerpt, Excite, Folio, freeWAIS-sf, FrontPage, Fulcrum, Glimpse, ht://Dig, ICE, Isearch, PL Web, Swish, TEAMate, WebFind/WebIndex.

Page Updated 2002-12-18