Google Outperforms MSN Search in Accuracy Test
Bill Gates's new search engine, MSN Search, may have come close to matching Google's accuracy, but the results of a test by The Times reveal that the internet's best-known brand still has a significant lead. In a test of various search queries, Google outperformed MSN Search in several areas, including finding relevant links and suggesting corrections for misspelled words.
Key Takeaways:
- Google was found to be more accurate than MSN Search in retrieving relevant links, particularly for misspelled words. For example, when searching for "Ofstead", Google suggested that the correct spelling was "Ofsted", while MSN Search only returned a search result for the incorrect spelling.
- Google was able to find six different examples of Bill Gates' personal wealth, while MSN Search only returned one direct link and a confusing search suggestion.
- The test also revealed that Google was able to link directly to the Manchester page of the Ofsted website, while MSN Search only linked to the Ofsted home page.
- Google outperformed MSN Search in suggesting corrections for misspelled words, with the only exception being the search term "Oftstead", which completely flummoxed Microsoft.
Statistics:
- Google was able to find six different examples of Bill Gates' personal wealth, ranging from $30 billion to $60 billion.
- The Forbes survey, generally considered to be the most authoritative estimate of Bill Gates' wealth, placed his fortune at $47 billion.
- Google was able to suggest corrections for 4 out of 5 search terms with misspellings, while MSN Search only suggested corrections for 1 out of 5 search terms.
- The test was conducted by The Times in 2005.
Sources:
- The Times (2005)
- Microsoft (MSN Search)