I've just had to do a fresh Windows install so it still has its default search engine.
Too lazy to type "openoffice.org" in the address bar I typed "openoffice" and let Bing find it for me.
Or at least I thought it would, but it wasn't even listed. A few ads for downloads from non-OOo sites, and few references to it, but even adding "org" to the search didn't get me there.
It's hard to see how that could be unbiased results!
On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:27:29 +0100 Mark Rogers mark@quarella.co.uk allegedly wrote:
Too lazy to type "openoffice.org" in the address bar I typed "openoffice" and let Bing find it for me.
Or at least I thought it would, but it wasn't even listed. A few ads for downloads from non-OOo sites, and few references to it, but even adding "org" to the search didn't get me there.
It's hard to see how that could be unbiased results!
Works fine here (using bing from the firefox toolbar on a 'buntu box).
I don't have a windows box to try it on - but I can't see MS tailoring it's search results to block openoffice if you search from windows and not linux.
Mick
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mick wrote:
Works fine here (using bing from the firefox toolbar on a 'buntu box).
http://www.bing.com/search?q=openoffice
Results in order: Wikipedia page for OOo Sun.com page for OOo Obsolete download maintenance page for OOo 2.0.1 OOo services wiki OOo services wiki - Java OpenOffice homepage
So the most obvious result has come 6th.
Above the search result are paid-for listings from OpenOffice.2009-D0wnloadz.com and Open-Office-Full.com
Mark Rogers wrote:
mick wrote:
Works fine here (using bing from the firefox toolbar on a 'buntu box).
http://www.bing.com/search?q=openoffice
Results in order: Wikipedia page for OOo Sun.com page for OOo Obsolete download maintenance page for OOo 2.0.1 OOo services wiki OOo services wiki - Java OpenOffice homepage
So the most obvious result has come 6th.
Above the search result are paid-for listings from OpenOffice.2009-D0wnloadz.com and Open-Office-Full.com
Correct me if I am wrong, but is Bing not still in Beta?
Also, more to the point perhaps, why is it that big a deal, the entire first page of search results are related to the term you searched for. If you know the URL you want you would go to it directly anyway, and those results would be ample for someone looking for information on OOo.
Granted it is not perfect, but all the same, its not difficult to work out what link you need.
steveydoteu wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but is Bing not still in Beta?
No excuse for results being skewed, returning less results might be down to less mature indexes etc, but if MS are deliberately skewing search results in a pro Microsoft direction then Bing is and will always be broken.
So lets try a search for vista flaws
Front page of Bing top link is "Vista flaws are greatly exaggerated" other results are about patches for flaws, how vista has fewer flaws than OSX, and a article from the reg titled "Vista raises the bar for flaw finders" so generally all pretty positive sounding, not really a truly negative article on the front page.
Google search, First link is a compiled list of Vista flaws, followed by a old NYC article about some discovered security flaws, a couple of articles on the fairly recent remote reboot flaw that affects win 7 and vista and a youtube video of "Steve Ballmer admits to windows Vista flaws"
I think it is pretty clear there that one set of results are pretty representative and the other set has been tampered with somewhat. The remote reboot flaw is pretty big news as people were comparing it (probably unfairly) to the infamous teardrop attack of windows 95,NT4 days, yet I cannot find that at all in the Bing results unless you search for it specifically.
Wayne Stallwood wrote:
So lets try a search for vista flaws
In the interest of fairness I Googled for "google flaws" and the results seem fairly unbiased.
MS bill Bing as a "decision" engine. It's not that surprising that they are making biased decisions.
steveydoteu wrote:
Also, more to the point perhaps, why is it that big a deal, the entire first page of search results are related to the term you searched for. If you know the URL you want you would go to it directly anyway, and those results would be ample for someone looking for information on OOo.
Interesting to compare with a Bing search for Microsoft, which (quite correctly) biases the results to sites with microsoft in the domain name. To be fair, a Bing search for Google is similarly successful, although that would be a bit obvious if it wasn't.
Amusingly, given how closely MS guard their trademark on the name "Windows", a search for alternatives to windows is completely dominated by results for replacement windows (ie those things you stick in the wall to look out of).
I would actually prefer that Google had some competition in the search engine market, but unfortunately it doesn't currently look like Bing delivers that.
Then there's Quintura (www.quintura.com) which came up with the right OO site straight away. It's not always this good btw, but I find it comes in handy as an alternative.
Bev.
On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 10:19 AM, Wayne Stallwood ALUGlist@digimatic.co.uk wrote:
Mark Rogers wrote:
Above the search result are paid-for listings from OpenOffice.2009-D0wnloadz.com and Open-Office-Full.com
Yes but you have to admit that top sponsored link is a pretty good offer.
"Download OpenOffice Software today and Get Firefox Mozilla for Free!"
The sponsored links at the top and down the right hand side are all sites offering to sell openoffice.org. I've just realised why i never see them in firefox though, it's down to the Add-Block plugin.
Dennis
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Bev Nicolson -
Dennis Dryden -
Mark Rogers -
mick -
steveydoteu -
Wayne Stallwood