Kumo vs Live Search | The Coffeehouse

nosajis

Can somebody give me the elevator pitch on why this Kumo thing is going to be different from live search? Why ANOTHER search engine? I must be missing something...right?

CannotResolveSymbol
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From how it appears right now, it's not. All indications show (although nothing's been officially announced) that Kumo is a codename for changes they're making to Live Search (particularly around the layout of search result pages), not a completely different search engine.

NitzWalsh

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#May 21st @ 9:31 AM

...which is too bad, as I find Live never gives me the results anywhere close to Google. I'm not using it out of some preference for aesthetics, it simply never finds what I need.

qvp

In reply to NitzWalsh

#May 21st @ 10:20 AM

If you want search results similar to Google, use Google. I don't know about everyone else, but I prefer that each search engine returns different results. I find that some of the best info is in obscure unknown sites and Google never finds them.

kriskdf

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#May 21st @ 9:31 AM

It's not a completely different search engine. That's just not how major engineering efforts are done (we don't toss out the entire code base every release). It is also more than layout changes. I'm proud of the stuff I work on here and I'm sure once everyone is ready, the elevator pitch will start.

jamie

In reply to kriskdf

#May 22nd @ 10:44 PM

wow. so you work there for sure.

man - id love to work at ms - but NOT in search

i feel bad for you

I saw the screenshot of kumo - id never use that...

ill check it once... for RESULTS

but i bet they are the same... as now... = not as good as simple

kriskdf

In reply to jamie

#May 22nd @ 10:49 PM

yes, I really work here. I must have lost my special Channel 9 MS badge during one of the upgrades (I haven't posted in a while). Also, please don't feel bad for me. I choose to work here and I like it.

jamie

In reply to kriskdf

#May 22nd @ 11:23 PM

ms: very nice (thumbs up) Smiley

Michael Griffiths
Fatalism.

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#May 21st @ 9:31 AM

Indeed.

I hope they change (improve) quite a bit more than the layout - screenshots of which look unimpressive. I think they look fine, but boring.

Live Search has been getting consistently better since it came out. Unfortunately, Microsoft started out 18-24 months behind Google (made up estimate based on my subjective and flawed interpretation of their respective search qualities), and they've stayed at least a year behind since. Google has matched or exceeded Microsoft's investment into search - moving into more areas of vertical search/etc - while Microsoft has done nothing special. Indeed, Microsoft has closed off vertical search products which compete with Google (book search, academic, etc).

WolframAlpha looks cute, and it's the type of experiment Microsoft should be performing. Or doing things that Google is doing - which is taking more risks with its search results, such as voting on links or adding notes - for all Steve Ballmer's claims that Microsoft is taking more risks. Microsoft is doing, or at least has done, nothing of the sort.

In any event, I currently expect Kumo to be disappointing - to move the bar forward a little bit, but still remain behind Google. A design change does not a product change make.

androidi

Where do they come up with these names. The first question when thinking of a name for search engine today should be: "how do you kumo it or how do you msn it or how do your live it".. and the answer is - you don't. I suppose you could just "search" it but then everyone would assume you searched with google. Smiley

eagle

In reply to androidi

#May 24th @ 10:10 AM

Now their calling it Bing, but it's still MSN Search

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tobleroneisbest
Jan Kratochvíl

The problem is, as S. Ballmer says, is that when user search, they expect those 10 blue links. And if you make it orange, the ordinary folks will be confused and won't return and here lies the problem.

On the other hand, and even I am suprised (and I'm kinda all-MS user) is how many people using Google go to the live.com every day just to see new picture and new hotspots.

And I really don't think that the results are THAT different. I mean, sure, sometimes they differ, but by my experience not a lot. I actuelly started using Live search "full-time" and the results are not significantly worse. On the other hand, you get better experience with searching pictures, better UI (at least I thing so), for the US users Cashback and in some cases (like links that lead to Wikipedia) you can select a sub-topic right in the search window.

Well, that's about how I see it . . .