Comments on: Ask.com becoming the search engine that could

Search engine is gaining ground and snagging business from rivals in move to focus on technology, not ads.

[Sea of Cortez]

only real alternative to Google & Yahoo monopolies

If you guys really want an alternative to the Google & Yahoo monopolies it is not Ask, it is this revolutionary new search engine called Anoox
www.anoox.com

It is simply awesome. If you dont know why, check this out:
http://www.anoox.com/Take-the-web-back.jsp

I must say in 20 years in the IT business I have never seen anything like this Anoox search engine. They are just so radical!
And such a good buy too :)
OTN, our mid size company we have shifted most of
our Advertising to Anoox and as a result we have slightly increased sales, but we have cut the cost of our monthly Ad expenses by like 80%.
But actually there are many other reasons to love Anoox, check out that page I posted above, to see what I mean. I mean if you want to see monopolies loose and people win for a change, you will like them. If however you are beholden to Google or Yahoo, such as Ad sense web master, you wont.

[Tomcat Adam]

I'll use AnooX...

...when the results don't need a load page, and aren't 50% porn sites on the first page.

[truks]

ASK maps beats google's

I like Ask's waypoint capability for their mapping. I have thought many times when using google maps that I would like to be able to designate my own points on a map route, and now Ask has it. Cool. So maybe they are doing more than just copying the big boys. Maybe they are doing a little bit of leading, and competition is good.

[torque2k]

Not working for Mac/Firefox 2.0 user...

I was geeked when I saw this tidbit, but on OS X 10.4.8 under Firefox 2.0, I can't add a location. No error, just nothing. Safari is worse, it doesn't show the "web 2.0" interface which Firefox shows.

Anxiously awaiting updates to this, though!

[marileev]

Google Follower

Ask.com's new look is the google'ization of search no matter how you spin it.

[jachamp]

ask ben edelman

how ask.com is able to do so well...i think he'll have a story to tell you...

start reading right about here...

http://www.benedelman.org/spyware/ask-toolbars/

[Buzz_Friendly]

I think Ask would say

the toolbars are Helpware ;--)

[Dachi]

A little too late

They could have decrapified a long time ago, but like most million/year execs they couldn't see past the next weeks numbers and "more ads=more money" but only for a short period of time.

Social network sites used to amount to for pay personal sites, but myspace let people collaborate without charging money.

Bandwidth used to be expensive, so most web sites could not afford to offer video downloads without tons of ads, waiting in queues, or for pay members only servers. At some point bandwidth got cheap enough that video downloads didn't require all that crap and Youtube was one of the first to notice.

The established companies mostly lack what it takes to stand back and say "hey, we don't have to crap things up like this anymore"

Take for example free email, that was mostly limited to a criminally insufficient 3 or 5 meg unless you pay for the upgrade until one or 2 people take notice that costs have come down enough to offer a gig of free email.

They major players got lucky with email because you can't take you address with you when you leave, but for most other things it has left the rest of the companies scrambling to stay relevant.

ask.com is a dinosaur now, and it isn't anyone elses fault but their own. They will need more than just "me too" mentality to get back in.

If you want to know what the next big thing is, say to yourself, what would be popular if you could do it now, but too expensive to offer for free? Think about that, then when that thing gets cheap enough to offer for free be ready for it.

[Ilgaz]

Getting rid of Jeeves? In what logic?

They are paying for getting rid of "Jeeves" personality which
people liked. I still can't believe they removed their own invention
which is hundreds of millions worth.