Desktop Search

Michael Gartenberg | December 13, 2004, 12:39 PM

Looks like it will be a desktop search day with the "beta" release of the msn desktop search tool. I'm not going to review it extensively, there's a lot of that out there already and after using it last week for a few days, I removed it from my machine. I will share a few thoughts on the subject.

1. To all the press out there, this is not a new thing. Desktop search has been around for many many years. What's interesting this time around is the relationship of these things to web search and the implications.

2. Desktop search tools, like disk compression, TCP/IP stacks and video conferencing apps are now free from a perceived market value. If you're selling a desktop search tool, please do not write me to tell me that I'm wrong. I've been through this discussion before with the disk compression, TCP/IP stack and Video conferencing app folks. Actually, there are a few ways I think you can make some money here.

3. Desktop search tools will be driven by three things, based on level of disk organization, current web search preference and the data that needs searching. Focus on those three criteria and you'll know what product is best for you. For example, the bulk of my searchable is in ms office format and I use aol as my IM client. A lot of what I need to search is the unstructured stuff in Outlook and I use Google for my web searches. For me, Google desktop search combined with Lookout for my Outlook .PST is the best combination. Your mileage will vary.