Provided by Evansville University as a companion LASE (Limited Area Search Engine) to its Argos search engine (discussed in the November 1, 1996 Scout Report), Hippias is "a peer-reviewed search engine that provides access to philosophy-related resources on the [web]." Edited by Peter Suber of Earlham College (maintainer of one of the best known philosophy meta-pages on the Internet), Hippias...

iMesh is a file-sharing program, like Gnutella, that allows users to locate and download audio, image, and video files from the computers of other iMesh users. Searches can be conducted using iMesh or through the iMesh Website. The latest version includes several useful features, such as simultaneous downloads, the option to select which files you want to share and control which files your...

The Internet Guide is a no-nonsense site intended for Internet newbies. It consists of several short articles that discuss the basics of Internet navigation, common terms and phrases, Netiquette, and much more. Some specific technologies are also mentioned, such as Telnet and newsgroups. The Guide occasionally refers to various products or services; however, it does not endorse any particular...

If you are reading this Internet Scout report, you most likely have used a search engine before and may have wondered what makes some websites show up on Google and others not. This Topic in Depth provides some background information on search engines. The first website from Webopedia gives an overview of how search engines work (1) provides more information on the mechanics of search engines and...

Branding itself "the world's most private metasearch engine," Ixquick also features a clean and simple interface. Ixquick indexes fourteen search engines and directories, though users can pick and choose between them if they desire. The real appeal of Ixquick, however, is its "star rating" system for reporting results. While some metasearch engines might be fooled by irrelevant entries at the top...

Yet another in a large collection of metasearch engines, METAEUREKA distinguishes itself by its no-nonsense format -- no graphics, ads, or anything really except the search box and your results. It also includes a very useful feature for users concerned with the "freshness" of their search returns. Clicking on the Site Info link under each result produces a small pop-up window which lists, among...

In late June 1999, Netscape announced a new search service built on its Open Directory Project (reviewed in the November 20, 1998 Scout Report), its Smart Browsing technology, and the services of Google.com (reviewed in the June 4, 1999 Scout Report). Probably the nicest new feature for current Netscape browser users is that they can now simply type the word "search," followed by a space and the...

Unveiled on July 6, this new area simplifies searches at the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Website. The page features a site-wide keyword search engine and four targeted search tools. The first of these, the Electronic Catalog, helps users find NCES publications and data products, with several search methods, and related information, including a listing of the most popular NCES...

In April 2004, NPR produced a five-part series to "look at the business of search engines." The stories address how search engines have grown over the years in terms of developing new technologies, expanding public reach, and ultimately becoming a profit-making (and competitive) enterprise. This website offers audio clips of the radio shows along with links to related websites.

The OAIster project(last reviewed in the March 15, 2002 Scout Report), is now up and running. The OAIster search interface allows users the opportunity to freely access and search a wide variety of digital resources from various institutions. The database currently contains 274,062 records from 56 institutions, with each record leading to an actual digital collection hosted at an institution....