Wikipedia

Desktop search

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Desktop search is the name for the emerging field of search tools which search the contents of a user's own computer files, rather than searching the Internet. The emphasis is on data mining all the information that is available on the user's PC, including web browser histories, e-mail archives, word-processor documents, and so on.

Technologies

The only way to achieve reasonable performance when searching several gigabytes of data is to build and maintain an index database. When indexing the files, desktop search tools collect three types of information about files:

  1. file and directory names
  2. meta data, such as titles, authors, comments
  3. content of supported documents.

To search within documents, the tools need to be able to parse many different types of document. This is achieved by using filters that interpret selected file formats. For example, Microsoft Office Filter is used to search inside MS Office documents.

Long-term goals for desktop search include the ability to search the contents of image files, sound files and video by context.

The sector has attracted considerable attention from the emerging struggle between Microsoft and Google. According to market analysts, both companies are attempting to leverage their monopolies (of web browsers and search engines, respectfully) to strengthen their dominance. This bring back memories of the browser wars of the 1990's.

Some of the players in this emerging search market segment are:

See Also

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