Desktop Search Tools: Comparing Yahoo, Google & Microsoft

Until recently I was using beta version of Yahoo Desktop Search called as X1 for searching my years of emails in outlook. I must admit it was one of the best search tool I ever used on desktop, has all the bells & whistles one needs, search as you type, search attachments, documents, Boolean search and so on. All of a sudden it stopped working without any warnings, probably because the beta had expire. The release version costs around $50, which seems reasonable given the rich feature-set it offers. However, paying for a search program seems odd. After all Google became what it is today by offering a good quality search service to the masses, all with no cost.

Needless to say I felt helpless on search after losing on the Yahoo’s search tool. Relying on Outlook 2007’s search for little things was a painful experience, given that Outlook 2007 takes a fair amount of time to just get started; on top of that, search on the fly is devastating. It's almost like having a flat tire on the driveway and taking a bus for errands. I decided to try alternatives. Tried Google Desktop Search first, which was slick, but found to be quiet intrusive. All of a sudden it listed my blog in a little side bar without me doing anything. I figured, it’s probably using my saved Gmail id in the browser to map by web presence. If it is what it is, then it’s invasion of privacy. So, decided to get rid of it and tried Windows Desktop Search (WDS). I had dreadful experience with beta versions of WDS, where CPU spike and instability in general was the norm. The release version seems slick and fast, the Deskbar comes handy, however, it’s not as powerful as X1. For now, I will stick with WDS and see how it goes.

In either case, I must say desktop search is a no longer a luxury, it’s rather a necessity to skim through the wealth of electronic data we have amassed so far on the desktop.

StartForce - Desktop on Your Browser

Just happened to spot this video on CNET about a cool new web application called as StartForce, the name chimes with SalesForce [.com], one of the prominent provider of software as a service (SAAS). My curiosity dictated upon me and made me create a quick account on the site. Registration was very simple. It is surprising to find how closely this application resembles a typical desktop (Linux or Windows). Presence of a start-button, popping up of menus and sub-menus, drag and drop, messenger, media player, files, sharing, and even a web browser. I decided to give the browser a try, which looked amazing too. The browser has the typical out of the box address bar, back and forward buttons, search options from sites like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Amazon, and so on.

Little bit of digging around here and there indicates that this application uses Ajax to present the user interface, and underneath uses services from other web 2.0 applications as Zoho and Box.net for file storage and collaboration. It appears that the application was first published for Japanese audience. The app seems very cool from the get go, but not sure if I will stick with it as it offers way too much than what you really need, at least that’s what I think for now.