Search Engine Showdown Reviews
Last updated Oct. 01, 2007.
by Greg R. Notess
These reviews discuss the search features, databases, and other aspects of interest to searchers. They are also linked from the search engine features, subject directory, and other comparison pages.
Web Search Engines |
Directories
Searchable News Databases
|
Dead Search Engines
These search engines used to offer their own database or unique search features. They have all abandoned their position in search, although they still may have some kind of search functionality. The linked reviews reflect how these search engines used to work.
- AlltheWeb [Switched to Yahoo! database in March 2004]
- AltaVista [Switched to Yahoo! database in March 2004]
- Britannica Directory [some Web sites still included in the commercial Britannica, but not in the free version]
- Deja.com [Defunct Usenet search, bought by Google and became Google Groups]
- Direct Hit [Defunct, redirecting to Teoma]
- Excite [Defunct as a separate database. Now uses an InfoSpace meta search]
- Excite News (NewsTracker) [Defunct]
- Flipper [Hidden Web databases from Quigo, defunct by Fall 2003]
- Go [Defunct as a separate database, took over Infoseek, switched to Overture, then to Google]
- Go (Infoseek) News [Defunct]
- Infoseek [Defunct as a separate database, bought by Disney for Go, then abandoned in favor of Overture]
- HotBot [Dropped Inktomi database in early 2005, now only a multi-search of Google and Ask Jeeves]
- InvisibleWeb.com [a hidden Web directory, defunct by 2003]
- iWon [Old Inktomi version defunct. Now uses Google "sponsored" ads and Web and image databases]
- LookSmart [Directory
- Lycos [Switched to Yahoo!/Inktomi database in April 2004 and Ask Jeeves in 2005.]
- Magellan [Dead, redirects to WebCrawler]
- MessageKing [Defunct Web forum search engine as of Fall 2003]
- MSN Search [predecessor of Live Search]
- NBCi (formerly Snap) [Defunct, now uses metasearch engine Dogpile]
- NBCi Live Directory (formerly Snap) [Defunct directory]
- Northern Light [Defunct as a Web search engine as of 2002.]
- Northern Light Current News [Dead. Updates ceased as of Feb. 28, 2003.]
- Openfind [Under "reconstruction" as of 2003]
- Teoma [Dead, technology bought and now used by Ask.com]
- WebCrawler [Defunct as a separate database. Now uses an InfoSpace meta search]
- WebTop [Dead]
- WiseNut [Died in 2007]