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Search Engine Software
A search engine is, basically, a constantly-updating database of information (sometimes very specific information, oft-times very general information) that provides users with methods of sorting through and retrieving information as needed.
Search engines get their information by accepting submitted information from users and by using software agent programs (sometimes referred to as “web crawlers,” “spiders,” or “robots”) programs to search and collect data from web pages posted on the internet. Search engine software can then index that information--entire pages or just web addresses (URLs)--making it available for reference and referral. Early versions of search engines were limited in that they collected and presented information in very specific ways--ways that weren't always user-friendly. Modern, user-friendly search engine software came into wider use in the early 1990's when “web crawler” programs were tied to indexing programs. There are a good number of unique search engine models powered by search engine software available nowadays. Some sites use their software to present simple search engine functions while others try to present a more comprehensive experience (including, for example, dictionaries, news reports, and other services which go beyond merely providing a catalog of sites to peruse. (It is possible for search engine software to make a site “too” comprehensive, allowing search engines to present so many pages for perusal that the search for the information needed becomes unwieldy.) Benefits and Limitations Search engine software can help sort through the ever-burgeoning mass of news, information, opinion, images, and other data being presented on the internet each and every day. It allows this information to be accessed quickly and in depth, pointing the way to sites that may be relevant towards solving whatever problem is at hand. Good search engine software will rank sites and information on relevance based on the words or phrases entered by users attempting searches, making it more likely that useful information can and will be quickly and easily accessed. On the other side, even the best search engine software, and thus the best search engines, cannot cover the breadth of the vast internet frontier, so, as a matter of course, some relevant information may go uncollected. On average though, search engine software makes the business of collecting, referencing, and utilizing information on the internet a much more efficient and time-saving task.
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