October 15, 2004

Google Search Reveals Algorithms?

[Google seems to be featuring a lot on my blog recently, so I've created a new "Google" category, and added the previous posts to it.]

Google launched a Desktop Search product today, which indexes your hard drive and gives you a unified search interface for local and web content. People have already commented on how cunningly well-integrated it is (it sets up a webserver on your local machine so it can give you the familiar Google interface but with an extra tab for your stuff).

One interesting thing about this which hasn't been mentioned is that, for the first time, Google's secret indexing and search algorithms aren't stored away on some remote servers, or inside some expensive appliance bought by corporations, but are in software on your desktop. Of course the EULA forbids reverse engineering, but that prohibition isn't valid in all jurisdictions.

It'll be interesting to see what gets discovered over the next few months...

Posted by gerv at October 15, 2004 02:19 PM
Comments

I really doubt the search algorithm used to search your files is the same used to search the web. Page rank which is in the heart of www.google.com is rather meaningless withing the context of Word , Excel and IM chats ...
Still you never know ...

Posted by: Pat at October 15, 2004 03:04 PM

I'm actually curious about hoe the "desktop" link gets inserted into google.com when you are running the google desktop search.

Posted by: Jason Shindler at October 15, 2004 03:17 PM

I have a feeling the desktop client is grossly simplified.

Remember: it's looking for text within documents. It's definately not using pagerank. There's no linking taking place.

Posted by: Robert Accettura at October 15, 2004 03:26 PM

You may be right - perhaps there's nothing in there that Knuth didn't discover. But I would have thought they'd have used their expertise to do something nifty.

I'm actually curious about hoe the "desktop" link gets inserted into google.com when you are running the google desktop search.

As I understand it, they set up a mini-webserver on your local machine. When you view its home page, you get the standard Google interface plus the extra tab, all served up locally. Presumably there's an auto-update mechanism for when they change their interface.

Posted by: Gerv at October 15, 2004 03:41 PM

I've started analysing how the Google Desktop Search program works over at my site:

http://www.grack.com

I'm going to try to get all of the API calls documented so that people can write their own plugins.

Posted by: Matt Mastracci at October 15, 2004 03:55 PM

I wonder if they set a cookie or something, to get that Desktop link to show up? It is pretty neat how you can go to www.google.com at any point and get that new link.

Posted by: Scott at October 15, 2004 05:51 PM

I think it is someform of a helper. When I installed it, SpyBot's TeaTimer came up and told me it had added a registry entry for a browser helper.

Posted by: AJ at October 15, 2004 06:13 PM

What exactly does "Hacking for Christ" mean? Is this browser going to start singing Hymns?

Posted by: Follower at October 15, 2004 07:08 PM

Follower:
Gerv has some strong religious convictions. If it interests you, he has set up a page where you can read about them at http://www.gerv.net/christianity.html

Posted by: Greg at October 15, 2004 07:47 PM

Google explains how it inserts the local search results here: http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=10996.

Posted by: Nicholas C. Zakas at October 15, 2004 08:50 PM

I have another suggestion for studying Google's search algorithm: Gmail, Google's new free email. This is yet another new twist on using Google search technology. 411 @:
http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html

Posted by: Marian at October 16, 2004 12:29 AM

here is link i found which gives some understanding ..
http://www-db.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html

Posted by: rj at October 27, 2004 06:26 AM