Wolfram Alpha: Google Competitor Could Be Smarter Search Engine

The Independent:

The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US last week, takes the first step towards what many consider to be the internet's Holy Grail -- a global store of information that understands and responds to ordinary language in the same way a person does.

Although the system is still new, it has already produced massive interest and excitement among technology pundits and internet watchers.

Read the whole story: The Independent

Comments

[Palemoon]

It might become something some day, if only they could get it to work. Kinda lame to do news stories talking about how good and revolutionary it is, yet, it's not even operational.

Perhaps this is another instance of someone putting the cart in front of the horse?

[openhand]

No I think this is more like when you are on your hands and knees with your ear to the train tracks, and here is someone pointing out to you that it is a couple of yards away.

[GoogleMaster]

Google Master doesn't like it. Google Master says "no".

[newshawk14]

Does anyone know if this is the same Dr. Wolfram that founded Mathmatica?

[DRaymond]

Gee, anybody remember last year's Cuil? or Wikia Search? or....

Put me down as skeptical, very skeptical.

[Supercruize]

Doesnt roll with the tongue...

[binarystar]

How much would it cost to get an "article" like that written about one of my products?

[Jaybot]

Lets hope if fairs better in the real world than, 'A New Kind of Science".

[ssg13565]

You beat me to the punch. I was going to make a snide comment about the book.

When I bought it at a bargain price, I figured I was getting a lot of pages for my money. When I contemplated moving it with all my other goods across country, I decided it was better to give the book to a friend who wrote a dissertation on finite automata.

[nicole473]

Can't wait to use it!!

[RobertHenryEller]

Three points:

1) Before you can say that this or any other search engine will put Google "in the shade," you have to answer the question: What are most people searching for most of the time? My first guess is, most people are looking for "stuff," material or otherwise (i.e., data), not answers to questions.

2) I believe that intelligence is more about asking the right questions rather than "knowing" things which may or may not be the answers to the right questions. The implication: A tool which can answer questions is only as good as the quality of the questions posed. I'd like that such a tool would gain popularity, particularly if it led to people getting better at asking themselves and others the right questions.

3) A technology's ubiquity can be a big part of its value. Case in point: Microsoft OS.

[TRichards]

Google "Wolfram alpha" for the demo and you'll find that it is not a generalized search engine but primarily a tool for accessing scientific and measurable information. I get no sense that it is doing much by way of Internet searches since its data has been fact-checked. Perhaps, just perhaps, the "intelligence" can be adapted for more general information, but Wolfgang Alpha doesn't appear to be there.

That said, I'll personally find it welcome for its demographic and geographic data. And, for its areas of knowledge, it's a welcome addition.

The article said it will be released this month. I'll check for it daily.

But, no, it's not a Google killer. It's a different beast altogether. (It may, however, reduce the Wikopedia hits for several categories.)

[AlwaysRightLeftist]

"If it is not gobbled up by one of the industry superpowers, his company may well grow to become one of them in a small number of years, with most of us setting our default browser to be Wolfram Alpha."

Doug Lenat, Semanticun­iverse.com

I find it funny that this guy works for "SEMANTICu­niverse.co­m" yet refers to Wolfram Alpha as a browser. If it is indeed a browser, I'm not seeing this reference in the article. In which case, the article suc.ks.

[AlwaysRightLeftist]

This is good, in that it will hasten Google's advancement into using A.I.

[loki]

trust us, we are from harvard. The same educational institution that brought you the wall street collapse, the mortgage melt down, and american style anything goes for profit capitalism. All from the educational brainwashers at Harvard Ivy Greed extreme!

[loki]

look ma, cold fusion. but you cant see it, just take our word on it. now we want everyone to invest with us. Bernie madoff is our CFO.

[loki]

maybe but I doubt it. A tease these days is like death for software startups. They will not allow just anyone to use it, and since its from Harvard, its only people who will be sure to say only good things about it, even though it apparently doesnt do much more than a normal search. DogPile aleardy does better than just google, and you dont see it getting the upper leg on google. Dogpile searches with all the search engines at once. Wolfram Alpha is marketing at this stage at least. No product , just a website with a form for personal info? As far as anyone really knows, could be just a sight to gather personal info on people.