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FEBRUARY 26, 2004 - Issue 24
"Secrets Pro LLC" is now "BriansBuzz.com LLC"
I've legally changed the name of the company that publishes Brian's Buzz on
Windows to — duh — "BriansBuzz.com LLC." This change was
needed because many people who gave a contribution to receive the
paid version
of Brian's Buzz didn't remember a line that flashed on their screen saying
the name "Secrets Pro LLC" would show up on their credit-card statements one
month later. (Some statements show only a company's name, not necessarily the
names of its products.)
This generated one or two inquiries a week to me or to
various credit-card companies. That's not a lot in proportion to the 6,230
people who've already contributed financially in order to make the improved,
paid version possible. But I say any confusion is too much! So
the new, more-obvious company name will start showing up on statements soon.
Thanks for your understanding. —Brian Livingston
TOP STORY - info you need to make Windows work
Readers say Google is losing its relevance
By Brian Livingston
I reported in eWeek on
Feb. 17
that my readers and I had found numerous specific examples of the Google.com
search engine failing to provide in its first 10 results good links for
fairly straight-forward technical searches. The apparent decline in relevance
is a very fitting subject for a follow-up story in today's Brian's Buzz, even
though Google of course isn't a Windows program. Google is used by so many
people in the information technology biz to research PC problems that the
search engine sometimes seems like an ever-present Windows utility.
I received far more reader responses than I expected after my column, entitled
"Google grumbles," appeared in eWeek. Today, I bring you a wide selection of
readers' experiences on this surprisingly emotional subject.
In my column, I used as illustrations Google's results on two different
searches. These queries were designed to find information on
(1) deleting Mac files that had been copied to Windows but couldn't be
removed due to illegal characters and (2) setting the default for
Windows XP file-open dialog boxes to the Details view, respectively:
windows delete mac files illegal names
xp open dialog default details
Google had little of relevance on these topics in its first
10 results. Clicking a tab at Google to switch to Google Groups (an archive of
Usenet posts), however, resulted in 10 links that were far better. And a
competitor, Teoma.com, which now powers the
Ask.com service, also had very pertinent results.
Google's director of search quality, Peter Norvig, told me by way of
explanation, "These are the types of questions that have always been best
answered on Google Groups — there are more good technical answers there
and fewer unrelated pages. I think this has always been the case and is not
due to any recent changes to Google or the Web."
My readers took both sides, some of them disagreeing with Norvig, others
defending his search firm's pre-eminence.
It's been a long, slow slide
Reader Jean Ichbiah was typical of those who wrote me to say that they'd
noticed a decline in Google's relevance for some time:
-
"Your article on Google, while raising the issue, severely underestimated the
huge degradation that has taken place in the past two years. There is a
race between Google and companies who advertise their products, and in this race
Google has been losing big, to the degree where it is now largely ineffective.
"Here's an example. Say you want to buy a DVD recorder and are looking for
comparative reviews to fine-tune your choice. So you do an advanced search and
use the phrase 'DVD recorder' and the word reviews. You get
256,000 results from stores selling you DVD recorders. In a nutshell, the
merchants have learned the tricks of getting positioned to the degree where
the service is now totally ineffective.
"I did the test with Teoma.com and the results are more precise and useful:
they are not as popular and merchants have not yet have the time to develop
good positioning techniques. In essence, they are two years behind Google
[in being gamed].
"It appears that it is a battle that Google can only lose, given that they are
outnumbered. On the other hand, when the word spreads, their IPO is not likely
to be as glorious as could have been anticipated."
Losing whole sites due to filtering
A similar perspective was provided by Simon Tam, the publisher of a blog site
that once had high rankings but suddenly disappeared entirely from the index:
-
"I was so glad to see your Feb. 16 column on Google in eWeek. Let me share
with you my personal experience with Google. The keyword is 'personal' because
my own Web pages are involved.
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"You see, I publish a pop-culture blog on Pyra Labs' Blogspot.com site on the
side. So every month for the last year I'd type in a series of searches to
check the Google rankings of some of my pages. Everything was fine until last
September, when some of my previously top-ranking pages suddenly disappeared
from Google's listings. The irony is Google is the parent company of Pyra
Labs.
"The response I got from Google was the standard corporate denial: they
claimed I was simply experiencing the normal fluctuations of rankings (I
paraphrase). It's one thing if my pages' rankings fell, but when they became
'invisible' to Google, there's a problem.
"That's when I noticed Google has added a filtering option. (Digression: I
think Google shouldn't be doing filtering at all — that's what Cyber Patrol
is for! But since the company is going public, I can imagine its legal team
recommending a filtering option.) And the one thing my 'missing' pages had in
common is some objectionable word in the form of a song title or artist name.
The default filter setting is set to block explicit images only, but I went
ahead and edited my pages to remove the offending words (yes, I censored
myself). Sure enough, these pages are now visible to Google again.
Hmmm....
"So it seems it's not just technical terms Google has problems with. I've been
meaning to try Teoma and
AllTheWeb; I'll definitely do it after
reading your column. I've never looked at Google Groups before. But your
column only confirms what I tried to tell Google — it's been going
downhill since last fall."
A rose by any other index would not smell as sweet
Nancy Kramer operates a photographic site,
DigitalPhotoArtistry.com,
which has given her the occasion to check regularly what Google is
linking to:
-
"Google has become totally illogical in its results. Many spammy and very
mediocre sites are in the top ten. Also, sites that have not been updated
for years are often number 1. Put the query orchid pictures into
Google and you'll get a site that states it has not been updated since
1997 as the number 1 site. It is on free space and uses someone else's
pictures and their bandwidth for the pictures. The person doing that site
has basically copied someone else's content. The site that was copied is
not even listed. Go figure. What I really need a search engine for is
fresh content. Stuff that is unchanged since 1997 should be in people's
bookmarks. ...
"I have a site that is in the top ten for red rose pictures but does
not even appear anywhere I can find for rose pictures. It has whole
sections with nothing but photos of roses, but Google considers that spam, I
guess, because I call them rose pictures. ... The thing that bothers me
most about this, since I am a programmer, is that this is totally illogical."
Other search engines start to appeal to users again
Several readers volunteered the names of search engines other than Google
that they now use more of the time or exclusively. The leading candidates
were AllTheWeb and
Dogpile.
Here's what I heard from a blogger named Sal from
Saltation.Blogspot.com:
-
"I read your article just now re Google's result-relevance problems. I agree
completely, and have noticed the problem growing over the last couple of years.
This is a great shame because, for all its faults, I still found Google's
results better than earlier engines such as
Metacrawler or
AltaVista.
"I've found a search engine which returns startlingly relevant results even
to the most cack-handedly expressed queries: AllTheWeb.com.
It's a relatively recent Norwegian startup, and the results are spookily
useful.
"For example, your search for sites advising how to delete Win files with
illegal Mac characters. Look at the first handful of sites returned by the
same query in AllTheWeb:
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?avkw=
fogg&cat=web&cs=utf-8&q=windows+delete+
mac+files+illegal+names&_sb_lang=pref
"A little more apposite, no?
"Alas, I have no financial interest in them. But I do like to see credit
where credit is due. For me, this engine has replaced Google for any nontrivial
search."
Ron Rubel is a fan, by comparison, of a meta search engine, one
that includes Google's links in its results:
-
"I used to use Google quite a bit, but found the same problem you just
described. Since then I have been using Dogpile. It gives answers by
relevance to the question and even gives choices as to which search
engine you may want to check out. I have just plain forgotten about
Google, as Dogpile will include any of their results in my search."
Brian, you used the wrong search string, you idiot
On the other hand, several readers wrote me to say that I hadn't chosen the
right search examples or should have tweaked them more carefully.
This was true of Bob Bailin, who provided the following:
-
"It really helps to use phrases when searching Google, rather than just
a list of common words.
"In your eWeek column, 2nd example, where you were looking to change
Windows XP's File Open dialog boxes to default to the Details View, you
searched for:
xp open dialog default details
and got no useful results. I searched for:
xp "file open" "details view" default
(note the quotes) and got relevant answers among the top 10.
"In other words, if you want to look for something about the File Open
command, look for "file open" and you'll automatically eliminate all
those matches dealing with tripping over open file cabinet drawers.
Will Manzer re-organized the same query in a different way:
-
"With the examples given, it would be hard for the engine to sort out
exactly what you were looking for. I was able to customize the query
slightly, and it returned very relevant results. My query was:
"open dialog" default "details view" "Windows XP"
"Using the quotes helps greatly. Granted, the Teoma site may figure the
relationships out better, but it may also miss an important article
regarding Office XP. What do you think?"
Finally, Kenneth C. Sherwood used different searches also. Please note that
his technique is to search Google using hyphens between word-pairs rather
than putting quote marks around them (Google ignores punctuation but treats
hyphenated words as a phrase):
-
"In my opinion, your 'problem' with Google lies in your apparent lack
of skill in properly — or appropriately — choosing search words.
"For your first example, I entered windows illegal-characters file-names
fix. My solution was found within Google's second major hit, at
AB-archives.com [scroll down to MacNames, a shareware program —BL].
"For your second example, I entered xp how-to-set default-view details.
My solution was found within Google's first hit, at
Annoyances.org.
"Appropriately choosing key words is a skill that must be developed
through exprience, particularly experience with Google and its 'ways.'
Too many key words can be as faulty as too few, for example. In your
first example, 'delete' and 'Mac' don't belong in a proper search ...
they may not be needed in text which will resolve your problem. In your
second example, simple use of Google's syntax rules (using hyphens or quotes
to group words into phrases) is in order.
"Friendly tip: Instead of clicking on Google's link for the site you want
to check, try clicking on the word "cached" within that listing. Your page
shows up with your key words highlighted, easing your task considerably."
All of this raises the question: If we now must re-arrange and tweak our
searches to get satisfactory results from Google — but other
search engines produce good results without tweaking — which is
the better search engine? And what's actually happened to Google?
Google still has far more features than its competitors, including a
vast resource of "Cached" links, a dynamic spelling checker, and so
forth. But the grumbles are getting louder and the natives are getting
restless.
To send me more information about this, or to send me a tip on any other
subject, visit
WindowsSecrets.com/contact. You'll receive a gift certificate for a book,
CD, or DVD of your choice if you send me a comment that I print.
THIS WEEK'S HOT TIPS - news of the world of Windows
Use Setup.exe to install SBS if DVD won't boot
I wrote in my Jan. 29 review
of Small Business Server 2003 that rather than installing from the several
CD-ROMs that are provided, it's much quicker to install the software from the
single DVD that's hidden in the packaging.
If you're installing on a PC that can't boot from a DVD, I reported a
suggestion from Harry Breslford, an SBS consultant and author of
Windows Small Business
Server 2003 Best Practices, that you could "run the setup program by
launching CD1\i386\winnt32.exe, then run the rest of the install
from the DVD."
After that review was published, Brelsford passed along to me a comment
from a Microsoft SBS specialist, Charles Anthe. He notes that it would be
better, if you can't boot from a DVD, to run Setup.exe from the
root of the disc.
Exchange 2003 scans for hours during upgrade
Reader Nathan Tidd provides a critical warning for people who plan
to upgrade to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 separately from SBS 2003:
-
"This isn't relevant to your MS SBS review, however I feel this information
to be very important for those users considering an upgrade to Exchange
2003.
"During the setup process, it will get to "Configuring registry entries
for required machine-level settings." At this point, the setup appears to
stop and will stay there for hours, and even overnight.
"The issue is caused by the Badmail folder in Exchange. During the
process in the setup, it is scanning all of the files in the \exchsrvr
folder, and it will appear to crash or take days to complete. The Badmail
folder needs to be cleared before upgrading.
"I could not find any information on the Internet related to these issues,
so I thought I would share."
Microsoft has acknowledged that the Exchange 2003 upgrade seems
to hang in this way if there are many files in the Badmail folder. The
company recommends moving the files to a different location prior to you
running the upgrade. For info about this, see Knowledge Base article
822578. Also see this Microsoft comment on an Exchange
newsgroup.
New free site helps Windows developers
A new Web resource promises to be a convenient fount of wisdom for
everyone who develops applications for Windows.
WindowsDevCenter.com
is sponsored by O'Reilly & Associates, the publisher of numerous technical
books and the host of other developer hangouts that began earlier, such as
MacDevCenter.com and
LinuxDevCenter.com.
The Windows site was launched just a couple of weeks ago under the
editorial direction of Preston Gralla, the author of
Windows XP Hacks, an O'Reilly book full of XP tips and tricks.
Even if you're not an application developer, WindowsDevCenter features
original work that you may find important to have. For example, the site
currently features a
two-part article on the new security features of XP Service Pack 2,
an update that isn't expected to be publicly released by Microsoft until later
this year. There's a great amount of fresh material at this site, ripe
for the taking. More info
RECOMMENDED READING - my book reviews of tech topics
Exploiting Software: How to Break Code
New books on computer security keep coming out, thanks to heightened
awareness of a topic that too many people unfortunately
learned about the hard way. Exploiting Software is one
of the good efforts, with a hands-on approach that teaches those of
us who are responsible for Windows systems things that we need to know
before we're faced with a sudden attack. Avi Rubin, the well-known
security expert associated with Johns Hopkins University, has contributed
a foreword and calls the book "the best treatment of any kind that I have
seen on the topic of software vulnerabilities." Those are strong words,
but this is a strong book.
More info
FORWARDING INSTRUCTIONS - news gains value when it's shared
Please share this information with your colleagues
You're encouraged to refer your friends and colleagues to this free
newsletter. Because most e-mail programs don't correctly display a formatted
message that's been forwarded, simply call people's attention to
the permanent Web address of this issue:
BriansBuzz.com/w/040226.
HERE'S A TIP - you'll get a better newsletter if you choose the paid version
You're reading the free version of Brian's Buzz on Windows
Subscribers to the paid version receive additional information in each issue.
Some of the extras this week are:
- Internet Explorer weakness reveals passwords.
Almost every version of IE has some exposure to this surprisingly widespread
SSL flaw in Windows. It's so pervasive that Microsoft may not even try
to repair it and still hasn't issued a security bulletin about it.
- Workarounds for IE. Naturally, I give you some workarounds
that can reduce your risk from the IE weakness above, including a free utility
that can alert you to attacks and prevent any damage from being done.
- A Microsoft patch that I recommend you don't install.
The Redmond software giant has done it again — released a "critical"
update that is nothing of the sort. I explain why you can safely ignore
this one.
- SBS 2003 and Exchange Server require little-known settings.
Microsoft acknowledges that Exchange will soon shut down if you don't insert
a 1-line fix into a configuration file. You also need to move several
files and folders off the main boot partition. I explain what you need to
know about both things.
In addition to this issue's special paid content, if you upgrade to a paid
subscription you'll (1) receive access to all previous paid content —
including full-text search; (2) receive the coming 24 issues of the newsletter's
paid version; and (3) have an opportunity at least four times a year to
download valuable content that I've licensed for you.
You choose the amount you wish to contribute.
If you make a contribution before March 10, 2003,
you'll be sent the full, paid version of this week's newsletter.
To upgrade to the paid version, please visit
WindowsSecrets.com/upgrade.
Thanks in advance.
BRIAN'S BOOKSHELF - new e-books from the author
Spam-Proof Your E-Mail Address
This 27-page e-book in PDF format gives you step-by-step instructions
that can eliminate 97% of the spam that would otherwise clog your e-mail
account. You could call it "Brian Livingston's Spam Secrets." The book
is the result of months of experiments and tests I conducted, and I now
receive little or no spam to the addresses I used as guinea pigs. These tests
show that you can actually reduce your volume of spam to practically nothing,
not just battle an unstoppable and ever-growing flood. The methods I describe
work with Windows, Apple, and Linux and don't require any filters or block
lists - but you can use those in addition to the book's techniques, if you wish.
More info
WACKY WEB WEEK - playing for you the Internet's greatest bits
Now for a Web page that's really stupid
One of the most hilarious things I've seen in weeks is a Web page
that simply lists, in lines of plain text, reason after reason that
every proposal to eliminate
spam won't work. The page begins as a response
to a Usenet posting: "Your post advocates a ( ) technical
( ) legislative ( ) market-based ( ) vigilante
approach to fighting spam. Your idea will not work." It ends with,
"and you're a stupid person for suggesting it...", with much frivolity
in between.
See SpamSolutions.txt
I'm well-known as a
promoter of total ban-spam laws. Congress banned
junk faxes in 1991 — the notorious Fax.com just got hit with a
$5 million fine last month — and as a result you don't receive
100 junk faxes a day.
But I loved the checklist of insults hurled by the writer of the
afore-mentioned jokey page. That writer is Cory Doctorow, author of the novels
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, which he liberated from some degree of
copyright protection under a doctrine called the Creative Commons, and the new
Eastern Standard Tribe.
The latter book is actually quite interesting technically, because it's been
made into a brilliant
speed-reading demonstration. A Java applet (which could easily work on
a Palm or Pocket PC) flashes the book's text one word at a time on screen,
one after another, as fast as you can read. Now that's an e-book!
CLOSING REMARKS - the best is yet to come
In this section, I provide links to columns I've published recently that you
might find useful.
eWeek: Google grumbles
Google.com is such a sacred cow in the search business that I hate to be
anything other than worshipful. But it's beginning to appear that Google's
results pages have developed a problem with relevance, based on my experiences
and those of my readers.
More info
(Also, see readers' responses to this eWeek column in my top story, above.)
Datamation: Fix Windows without patching
What if you could stop a new virus from zooming through your company — without
waiting for antivirus firms to update their programs and without waiting for
Microsoft's latest patches to be installed on all your PCs? One vendor that
specializes in helping enterprises patch Windows has developed a method to do
just that.
More info
Datamation: How long must you wait for an anti-virus fix?
Anti-virus software can predict and prevent some never-before-seen viruses. But
all too often, a new virus can spread unchecked while software vendors develop
and distribute a new "signature" file that can match the virus and kill it.
You might be surprised at how long some antivirus companies took.
More info
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