Friday, February 19, 2010

Ubuntu's New Yahoo Search Engine - Is It Up To The Task?

Anybody who is interested should know by now that Ubuntu is switching from Google to Yahoo as its default search engine. Of course this change can be reverted very easily for those who prefer Google. However, it is the n00bs that will be most affected by the change as they will most probably just continue using the default search engine in blissful ignorance.



From my experience in forums, the biggest problem I see with new users is that they do not know how/what to search for when faced with a problem. And this is where the search engine used becomes vital to quickly finding a possible answer. What is the point in scolding new users for not searching before asking if the default search engine does not bring the most relevant information to them. More so when the user searches for vague or inaccurate terms.



So, I decided to put the two search engines to the test. I did a few searches on both engines using terms that I think new users would use and for problems new users would likely face. The 10 links below will run the same search in both engines. You be the judge of how good the results are and how fast they were provided. Here we go!





What is your conclusion? Which engine provided the better results? Does the search engine really make a difference? What other searches would a new user run? Leave a comment below!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

What was Apple Thinking?

If you don't know already, Apple announced their new tablet yesterday. The name? iPad. What where they thinking? This inevitably brought the 12 year old out of the Internet's collective closet with the abundance of feminine hygiene product jokes. And as if to add salt to injury, have a look at the Trending Topics on Twitter hours after the launch. Pretty hilarious!




Twitter Trending Topics - iTampon


Monday, January 18, 2010

LQ Votes Again!

We have the Grammys, the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Webbys and the LQ Members' Choice Awards! Yes folks, it is that time of the year - time for the 2009 LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards!



For as long as I've been using Linux, the Linux Questions site and forums have been a wealth of help, ideas and knowledge. It is probably the largest non distro specific Linux forum out there with over 420,000 registered members. Every year members of the Linux Questions community vote for their favorite applications, programming languages, distributions, toolkit, desktop environment and more! It is a great way to show your support and appreciation for the projects you love and use, to find projects that are sparking others' interest and feel the pulse of what's beating in the the heart of the Linux world.



Voting ends on February 9th. So head over, register (if you're not already registered) and vote!