Desktop Search Technologies
– Most desktop search engines build and maintain an index database to improve performance.
– Indexing usually takes place when the computer is idle.
– Voidtools Everything Search Engine can build its index from scratch in a few seconds.
– Vegnos Desktop Search Engine performs searches over filenames and file contents without building indices.
– Real-time indexing functions have been developed to provide up-to-date search results.
Benefits of Desktop Search
– Desktop search tools help users sift through desktop files, emails, attachments, and more.
– They allow users to find information on their own PC, including web browser history, e-mail archives, text documents, sound files, images, and video.
– Large firms are concerned about untapped productivity and security due to unstructured data stored on users’ PCs.
– Up to 80% of some companies’ data is locked up inside unstructured data.
– Companies often have structured or unstructured information stored in older file formats that they don’t have ready access to.
Microsoft vs. Google
– Desktop search attracted considerable attention during the struggle between Microsoft and Google.
– Both companies attempted to leverage their monopolies to strengthen their dominance.
– Google complained that users of Windows Vista couldn’t choose any competitors’ desktop search program over the built-in one.
– An agreement was reached between the US Justice Department and Microsoft to enable users to choose between the built-in and other desktop search programs.
– Google ended life for Google Desktop in September 2011.
Windows Desktop Search
– Indexing Service, released in August 1996, was replaced by Windows Desktop Search (WDS) in 2003.
– WDS brought content indexing to all Microsoft files and text-based formats.
– WDS introduced instant searching, allowing users to see results as they typed.
– Windows Search 3.1, released with Windows Vista, could search through both indexed and non-indexed locations seamlessly.
– Windows Search 4.0 is currently running on all PCs with Windows 7 and up.
Mac OS Desktop Search
– AppleSearch, introduced in 1994, allowed users to search all documents within their Macintosh computer.
– Sherlock, released in 1997, extended desktop search to the World Wide Web.
– Sherlock was included in every release of Mac OS from Mac OS 8 before being replaced by Spotlight and Dashboard in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.
– Spotlight, released with Mac OS X, is the current desktop search tool for Mac OS.
– AppleSearch had large resource requirements, including at least a 68040 processor and 5MB of RAM.
Linux desktop search options
– Wide range of desktop search options available for Linux users
– Options depend on the skill level and preferences of the user
– Options include desktop tools, command-shell functionality, and browser-based interfaces
– Users can create their own indexing using various packages
– Popular search commands include ‘find’ and ‘locate’
Ubuntu desktop search
– Ubuntu Linux didn’t have desktop search until release Feisty Fawn 7.04
– Tracker desktop search tool was introduced in Ubuntu
– Tracker provided basic file sorting and meta-data matching
– Support for searching through emails and instant messages was added
– Recoll was later added to Linux distributions, expanding search capabilities
openSUSE desktop search
– NEPOMUK was introduced in openSUSE with KDE4
– NEPOMUK allowed indexing of desktop content and email
– Semantic web technologies like RDF were used to annotate the database
– User feedback led to the replacement of NEPOMUK with the Baloo framework
– Baloo is based on Xapian and addresses indexing and search performance issues
See also
– List of desktop search engines
– Additional resources and tools for desktop search
References
– Brian Madden’s blogpost on desktop search in VDI and RDSH
– Anthony Ha’s article on Lookeen, a search tool for Outlook users
– Robert L. Mitchell’s article on X1 Desktop Search 8
– Computer Weekly’s special report on data security and desktop search
– BBC NEWS article on search wars affecting desktop computers
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Desktop search tools search within a user's own computer files as opposed to searching the Internet. These tools are designed to find information on the user's PC, including web browser history, e-mail archives, text documents, sound files, images, and video. A variety of desktop search programs are now available; see this list for examples. Most desktop search programs are standalone applications. Desktop search products are software alternatives to the search software included in the operating system, helping users sift through desktop files, emails, attachments, and more.
Desktop search emerged as a concern for large firms for two main reasons: untapped productivity and security. According to analyst firm Gartner, up to 80% of some companies' data is locked up inside unstructured data — the information stored on a user's PC, the directories (folders) and files they've created on a network, documents stored in repositories such as corporate intranets and a multitude of other locations. Moreover, many companies have structured or unstructured information stored in older file formats to which they don't have ready access.
The sector attracted considerable attention in the late 2004 to early 2005 period from the struggle between Microsoft and Google. According to market analysts, both companies were attempting to leverage their monopolies (of web browsers and search engines, respectively) to strengthen their dominance. Due to Google's complaint that users of Windows Vista cannot choose any competitor's desktop search program over the built-in one, an agreement was reached between US Justice Department and Microsoft that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 would enable users to choose between the built-in and other desktop search programs, and select which one is to be the default. As of September 2011, Google ended life for Google Desktop.
