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Ian Lamont

Picture This: Cuil.com 0, Google 27,300

Ian Lamont07.28.2008
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Here's another reason not to get your hopes too high when yet another supposed "Google killer" gets some launch buzz. The new search engine started by some former employees of Google can't handle location-based business searches very well:

Cuil search results


Now, while this search phrase is unusual, it's hardly rare and there are no typos. It's also not enclosed by quotation marks, which should give the Cuil engine some flexibility, even if there is no exact match to be found.

Google handled the same search better than I expected. There were 27,300 results, with the most useful information right at the top of the first page of results: A list of places that sell firewood in my area, including business URLs, telephone numbers, and even links to reviews. Here's a screenshot: Google search results


The only alternative search engine that I've ever liked is Kartoo, but even it hardly comes close to scratching Google.

Sorry, Cuil. No bookmark for you.

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Comments

At least you got a reply ... my query 'political history progressivism' did not even get served - the servers were swamped ... bad PR at the minimum ....


Talk about a lot of hype over nothing. I feel like someone forgot to bring the fireworks to the 4th of July picnic.

mac os x annoying jumping window glitch

cuil.com: 0
google: 89,000

Cuil = NOTHING, ZERO, NADA, ZILCH.

I'm excited, how 'bout you?

Well, at least all they wasted was a little of my time, unlike he investors who pumped 33 million dollars into them! Imagine, 33 million dollars for cuil.com Poor b*stards...

Not Cuil!


I found this article :
New Search Engine, www.Cuil.com, Finally Ready to Compete With Google.


I looked for my name on cuil. The first pages had links which were not even remotely related to me or my activities on the web. A simultaneous search on google from different client machines ( so as to prevent any search history based bias) yeilded extremely relevant results.
I even tried looking up extremely technical keywords that very often dont make it into googles first page . On cuil the first page was so irrelevant I ondered what sematic data they were basing their data on. At this rate they may find WMD in Iraq if they search on cuil..because only cuil knows what its doing!


Absolute waste of time and energy, nothing pops up with the error "TYPO" and even if it does it just returns with fewer results.


I found Cuil.com lacking too. Please see my related article. It could not find basic information that I would search for on a regular basis. Very disappointing, to say the least.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/911737/cuilcom_cuil_new_search_...


I found Cuil.com lacking too. Please see my related article. It could not find basic information that I would search for on a regular basis. Very disappointing, to say the least.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/911737/cuilcom_cuil_new_search_...


I am also VERY unimpressed with Cuil. When I search for my own name, I get some random results that have nothing to do with me. Google shows me my homepage first (which is my lastname.com) then pages and pages of good results.

Also, um, no image search? No news search? No nothing but "search"?

Finally, who decides what photos show up with the results. They have NOTHING to do with the actual links or text. A search for my name shows my Blurb.com book, but the associated photo is of an unrelated book.

I just wish they could have given me the $33million and at least I would have saved everyone the time wasted by doing worthless searches on this dumb site.


The results are more dangerous than just being useless, they are misrepresenting legitimate sites and people. How NOT to search the web


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