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hbgator

Sun 17 May, 2009


WolframAlpha: move over Google?

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A revolutionary new search engine that computes answers rather than pointing to websites will be launched officially today amid heated talk that it could challenge the might of Google.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Wolfram Alpha,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> named after Stephen Wolfram,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> the British-born computer scientist and inventor behind the project,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> takes a query and uses computational power to crunch through huge databases.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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The service can compute the distance between two cities,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> the population of a country at a specific date and the position of the Space Shuttle at a given moment.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> The user does not have to search through links provided by the engine;<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> the answer comes immediately and,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> if appropriate,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> is accompanied by charts or graphs.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> What it does that Google,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> at the moment,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> cannot do is provide answers to questions that have not been answered already.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>*<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> WolframAlpha:<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> move over Google?<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>*<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> Google�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�s search for crisis solution
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The new service,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> available at wolframalpha.com,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> was previewed several months ago amid industry speculation that it could be a <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�Google killer�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> Dr Wolfram,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> however,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> is at pains to point out that his brainchild is a <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�computational knowledge engine�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> not a traditional search engine.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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A physics prodigy who earned a PhD aged 20,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> Dr Wolfram,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> 49,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> founded Wolfram Research,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> in Illinois,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> which develops advanced software called Mathematica,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> used mainly by scientists.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> Mathematica has built up a number of databases and Wolfram Alpha is an attempt to bring them to a wider audience.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> The service is free but the company plans to include advertising eventually and to offer paid versions with extra features.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> Dr Wolfram said that Wolfram Alpha was a <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�long-term project�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> and he hoped to broaden the databases that it uses.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Danny Sullivan,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> the website,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> said:<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�They're saying they're not trying to wipe out Google,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> but they feel they do the kinds of searches that Google doesn't handle.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> If you're trying to get facts,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> this might be a handy kind of encyclopedia for you.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>�<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Last week Google previewed a new experimental service called Google Squared,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> which will automatically produce spreadsheets of information from search terms


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Mop

Sun 24 May, 2009


Re: WolframAlpha: move over Google?

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Sounds interesting.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>:D