Google's Search Technology: PigeonRank™

Cliptin

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As a Google user, you're familiar with the speed and accuracy of a Google search. How exactly does Google manage to find the right results for every query as quickly as it does? The heart of Google's search technology is PigeonRank™, a system for ranking web pages developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University.

Building upon the breakthrough work of B. F. Skinner, Page and Brin reasoned that low cost pigeon clusters (PCs) could be used to compute the relative value of web pages faster than human editors or machine-based algorithms. And while Google has dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of our service on a daily basis, PigeonRank continues to provide the basis for all of our web search tools.
...
http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html
 

Prof.Wizard

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Back in 1999 I read an extensive article in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN about these new search engine technologies.

I don't know how it does it so fast (nor I care)... but the fact that Google searches and ranks links instead of pages is the reason behind its accuracy.

I wonder if anyone uses anything else nowdays. The Google Toolbar is the first thing I plug-in my IE6...
 

Fushigi

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A relative oldie but still a goodie. That's been on Google's site for some time; I first read it last year.

- Fushigi
 

Fushigi

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Cliptin said:
Google reveals PigeonRank technology - April 1, 2002

http://www.google.com/holidaylogos.html
Well, it sure feels like it was a long time ago. Then again, I've moved, gotten married, and changed job functions (& managers) all in the past 6 months, so forgive me if I'm off a bit; my mind is about fried.

Besides, 6 months in Internet-time is about 4 years in reality-time... :drnk:
 

Prof.Wizard

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Fushigi said:
Besides, 6 months in Internet-time is about 4 years in reality-time... :drnk:
Yeah, time here flies. I feel like I know you all from high school. :bglaugh:
 

Mercutio

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Prof.Wizard said:
I wonder if anyone uses anything else nowdays. The Google Toolbar is the first thing I plug-in my IE6...

From direct observation I can tell you that most clueless-types will click the retard-o-search button on IE, even if you stand there and TELL them to type "www.google.com" in the location bar.
 

Prof.Wizard

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Mercutio said:
From direct observation I can tell you that most clueless-types will click the retard-o-search button on IE, even if you stand there and TELL them to type "www.google.com" in the location bar.
OMG I know what you mean! I've seen many rookies doing this... :p
 

Cliptin

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Mercutio said:
Prof.Wizard said:
I wonder if anyone uses anything else nowdays. The Google Toolbar is the first thing I plug-in my IE6...

From direct observation I can tell you that most clueless-types will click the retard-o-search button on IE, even if you stand there and TELL them to type "www.google.com" in the location bar.

In the hundreds of desktops I've observed, I've never seen anyone use that feature. They all seem to know Yahoo though. Maybe it is a function of the Chicagoland area. :p
 
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