in reply to OT: BBC releases search engine

I'm 100% certain that the backend is Google somehow. Do a search on the BBC homepage and compare the results to those from Google UK. I tried it with a few select phrases and I got identical results (even the same text 'quoted' at each section). If only Google or the BBC would come forward and say 'yep, it _is_ Google' it would have been a lot more open...Saying that, there's no advertising on the site (the BBC isn't allowed to accept commercial advertisments) so I'm guessing that Mr+Mrs.licence payer have indirectly paid a nice hefty sum to Google and the BBC doesn't want people to know...
That's my 0.02p anyway :)

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Re: Re: OT: BBC releases search engine
by Anonymous Monk on May 04, 2002 at 20:18 UTC
    beebware said:
    ... "I'm guessing that Mr.+Mrs. license payer have indirectly paid a nice hefty sum to Google and the BBC doesn't want people to know"...

    I should think that Google's Search Solutions are cheaper than the hardware, software development costs necessary to regularly index billions of web pages. I also don't think it matters that they advertise the fact. I don't know what brand of toilet paper they use in the Beeb. After all the licence fee pays for that too doesn't it?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/bbc
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