Comments on: Microsoft upgrades search

Windows Live Search beta features image search, customizable results. Toolbar unveiled, Live.com refreshed.

[JFDMit]

To beta or not to beta.

I have to laugh when M$ pokes fun at Google for the latter's habit of keeping its services in beta for months or years. Not for Microsoft the messy business of debugging its products based on the feedback of relatively small numbers of tech savvy users before releasing them on the wider world. No no no. Much better to get the mass market to pay for the privilege of beta testing its stuff.

And there's silly Google being honest with its users and telling them that the service isn't yet production ready until, and here's the tough part, it actually is production ready.

Another funny thing is that I have far fewer problems using Google's beta software than I do with any given piece of M$ code.

[booboo1243]

It took me 15 seconds to find the first bug...typical of MS products...

After I do a search I usually middle-click multiple results, which in Firefox opens tabs for each one. I can then flip through them, closing as I go and end up back at my search results without having to use a Back button between looking at each result. Middle click does nothing on results, no new tab or anything. My guess is MS intentionally will keep Firefox and other standards based, safe to use browsers from working properly. I won't even touch on the lack of results compared to the same search with Google or Yahoo. MS makes 1/2 baked apps, use the MS search and you get 1/2 baked results. Anyone surprised by that?

[open-mind]

Very Good Maps

Good detail almost everywhere. Much better photos than http://maps.google.com

I didn't think that was possible. Microsoft just impressed me. Google Earth combined with the MS data would really be sweet.

[open-mind]

Doesn't work on my Mac though.

That's a bummer. Doesn't like Safari, Mozilla, or IE. Just says loading and sits there. Even faking the user agent doesn't help.

Hope they fix that.

[johncln]

Wow, cool search

Search with in search, map point integration are cool

[open-mind]

Downplaying This?

I'm surprised this new site is not getting more press. It seems like a direct (and rather impressive) assault on Google, and yet this story is hiding in the corner of news.com with a lame little title of "Microsoft Upgrades Search".

And so there are only six replies to this story so far.

I don't get it. This seems like it should be big news.