Wolfram Alpha

Discussion in 'All Other Search Engines' started by lifeplayer, May 18, 2009.

  1. #1
    Did anyone heard about wolfram alpha, it is the first Intelligent Search Engine which using built-in algorithms and growing collection of data to compute the answer.

    This search engine get a a lot of positive comment from the experts. Waiting
    What do you think on this search engine?
     
    lifeplayer, May 18, 2009 IP
  2. crane

    crane Peon

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    #2
    i found it recently in few threads of this forum,
     
    crane, May 18, 2009 IP
  3. boxieblue

    boxieblue Peon

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  4. Slincon

    Slincon Well-Known Member

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    #4
    yeah I did a post on my impressions with wolfram on it.

    Long story short - it's more of a resource for encyclopedic information, rather than a search. If it does catch on, we'll see the emphasis on the middleman rather than actual websites - and by that I mean that Google's importance is in connecting people with relevant sites, whereas Wolfram is more about collecting information from numerous sources and then figuring out whether the information is credible or accurate based on the number of sources showing the same information, and returning the most accurate result. It's a shift from returning sites that may be relevant to the query towards returning the actual information that may be relevant.
     
    Slincon, May 18, 2009 IP
  5. RightMan

    RightMan Notable Member

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    #5
    If what you say is correct and if I have understood you correctly, I guess it would be more beneficial to search users but a little less for webmasters! :rolleyes:

    Correct me...if I am wrong in my assessment..please.

    Regards,

    RightMan
     
    RightMan, May 18, 2009 IP
  6. boxieblue

    boxieblue Peon

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    #6
    @rightman: something about your name tells me you have a knack for hitting the jackpot everything :p u are spot on (again?) it won't be of much use to you as a webmaster, unless you want to find information about other websites...i havent tried it yet, but i suppose it should show some information...

    thats an interesting question you have made me ask myself :D
    now please excuse me while i go and find out
     
    boxieblue, May 18, 2009 IP
  7. indyguidedotinfo

    indyguidedotinfo Notable Member

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    #7
    i have been putting some pretty basic auto and transportation questions in and and it sucks!. it only answers basic questions .
     
    indyguidedotinfo, May 18, 2009 IP
  8. olddocks

    olddocks Notable Member

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    #8
    olddocks, May 18, 2009 IP
  9. Slincon

    Slincon Well-Known Member

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    #9
    yup that's what it is - it went public on Sunday, although for some reason the press is claiming that it only goes public today. Either way you can try it out or check out my blog post to see the screenshots of it in action.

    My bet is that it won't gain enough traction to take over Google but wikipedia is going to have some serious competition. They'll probably rebrand the name - because wolfram (named after the founder - which has a suite of stuff behind him) doesn't sound too good or appealing.

    The level of information and awareness is really amazing, Wolfram isn't going to crush Google but it's a little ahead of it's time.
     
    Slincon, May 18, 2009 IP
  10. trichnosis

    trichnosis Prominent Member

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    #10
    i have heard about it but i do not think it can be a competitve search engine to the Google Kingdom:)
     
    trichnosis, May 18, 2009 IP
  11. devgex.com

    devgex.com Well-Known Member

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    #11
    Heard of it,
    eh if something like that was ever wanted don't you think the biggest online company -Google would have it already?!
    In my opinion, they are targeting only the expert-part of the internet users, but that is like one fifth of the internet or even less... Not going to succeed, 95% :)

    Google rox the world :D
     
    devgex.com, May 18, 2009 IP
  12. renlok

    renlok Well-Known Member

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    #12
    Im not sure what you guys think this is for but its a search for mainly engineering/maths related questions its very useful for thoese types of things as thats what its built for its a niche... thing (dont really know what to call it as its not a search engine) but it wont beat google but thats not what its for
     
    renlok, May 18, 2009 IP
  13. blankboxes

    blankboxes Banned

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    #13
    blankboxes, May 18, 2009 IP
  14. wnxmojo

    wnxmojo Peon

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    #14
    Besides the inherent math abilities, it seems more of a fact search engine then a true web search engine. Try searching for a city or a first name.

    You get facts and statistics from various sources but no reference as to where it found the information.
     
    wnxmojo, May 18, 2009 IP
  15. Lovely

    Lovely Well-Known Member

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    #15
    I come across it in some thread this forum, I have no try it, so I can not say how good it is.
     
    Lovely, May 18, 2009 IP
  16. thudufushi

    thudufushi Well-Known Member

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    #16
    Ive tried it a few times, more often than not i get the message, we do not know what to do with your query. When it does display information i quite like it. But its certainly no google killer, more of a competitor for wikipedia.
     
    thudufushi, May 19, 2009 IP
  17. LinkBliss

    LinkBliss Peon

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    #17
    It's for lots of different stuff.

    http://www59.wolframalpha.com/examples/

    Sport statistics, game reference, nutrition data, etc.

    I think it will be a very, very popular fact reference and calculating engine for everything.

    I am 58% percentile for BMI - http://www59.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=body+mass+index

    Check out my forum's element hierarchy - http://www59.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=mapforums.com

    You'll notice the "Search the web" links on the right point to Google searches :) they are not trying to compete with Google. This is not even a search engine. This is a universal fact finder and calculator.

    Anyway, Microsoft should try to buy it.

    Eric
     
    LinkBliss, May 19, 2009 IP
  18. Arionix

    Arionix Peon

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    #18
    I think it's a handy search engine that could run along side google rather than compete with it. If I'm looking for data within a specific subset of information, alpha could provide it and quickly. Google requires more manual "is this what I'm looking for" searching I find. Google: good for verbose information. Alpha: good for numeric specific information.

    That's how I see it panning out.
     
    Arionix, May 19, 2009 IP
  19. oxidati0n

    oxidati0n Peon

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    #19
    It's absolutely all over the press. I saw it in a newspaper I was reading today.
     
    oxidati0n, May 19, 2009 IP
  20. Javapro

    Javapro Peon

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    #20
    It is a nice search engine, the search result are fanatic. I fall in love with the search engine the very first time I used it.
     
    Javapro, May 22, 2009 IP