Network Computing is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Google Enters Hunt for Desktops: Page 2 of 2

Both dtSearch Desktop and ISYS: Desktop offer hit highlighting, support more than 100 file types in multiple languages and provide complete control over local file indexing. These products let you build multiple indexes and query them with more tools than Google's simple Boolean and natural-language searches. Through sophisticated command-line queries using Boolean connectors, proximity operators and pattern matching, you can reduce the irrelevant clutter retrieved by simple searches.

Many users will welcome Google on their desktops. The new search engine will augment standard search tools found in operating systems and applications. And if the desktop search market becomes a popularity contest, Google's entry will get some notice. But for now, there are better, if lesser-known, alternatives. To vie with those competitors, Google must put some more meat on its release.