Tafiti showcases latest Microsoft technologies

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Danny Gorog23 August 2007, 4:39 AM

If you think Google is too quick and easy to use, the new Microsoft Tafiti search engine (means research in Swahili) is for you.


In another attempt to one-up Google, Microsoft has released a website called Tafiti (which means 'do research' in Swahili) designed to highlight its new Microsoft Silverlight and Live Search technologies.

The showcase website is all about specialty search, and is a means for Microsoft to differentiate itself from Google.

The Tafiti website is split in to three main sections. The leftmost column is where you enter your search term and select the type of media you are searching for (images, text, RSS, books and news).

Search results are presented in the middle column, and the rightmost column is a virtual shelf that is designed to store various results pages that you want to refer to.

Microsoft is selling Tafiti as a research tool that allows for greater exploration of subject in a single window interface.

Tafiti uses new Microsoft technologies to showcase development in search.Tafiti uses new Microsoft technologies to showcase development in search.

For those that are bored with the standard results list view, Microsoft has created a new 'tree view'.

According to Microsoft, 'clicking on the Tree View link provides a tree-based visualisation of your web search results.' The visualisation slowly cycles through and displays all the results for your query, and a slider at the bottom of the tree lets you adjust how many results (or branches) are displayed on the tree. It's complicated to view and doesn't seem in the least bit practical.

The tree view. Ugly as sin and not at all practical.The tree view. Ugly as sin and not at all practical.


While Tafiti is worth playing with I don't see it going mainstream. For one, the interface is way too slow, and secondly too confusing for novice users. The interface isn't consistent and the whole paper and wood analogy just doesn't yell 'future' to me.

Also, because Tafiti relies on Live Search, search results are generally inferior to a Google search for the same term. But, it's good to see Microsoft doing stuff that's at least different to its competitors.

Tafiti runs on all platforms that can support Silverlight (Vista, XP SP2 and Mac OS X) and runs on IE 6, IE 7, Firefox and Safari.


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dateman:

Kartoo has been around for a while and offers an interesting visual view of your search results (from a host of search engines)

It's so unlike Microsoft to be late to the party and do a half-ass job!!!

29 February 2008, 8:31 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

tin:

It's so unlike Microsoft to be late to the party and do a half-ass job!!!

Well what better way to demo a half-arsed, late to the party imitation scripting/web graphics system...

29 February 2008, 8:47 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

dateman:

Kartoo has been around for a while and offers an interesting visual view of your search results (from a host of search engines)

It's so unlike Microsoft to be late to the party and do a half-ass job!!!

29 February 2008, 8:31 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

meeeeee:

I've found Google Scholar to be the most useful development in internet searching recently. There has been little fanfare about it in the media, but it's a great supplement to academic searches.

29 February 2008, 8:31 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous945:

How much are you going to be paid for writing that?

29 February 2008, 8:47 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

UnAnonymous:

It seems to me that you haven't actually used google scholar or done any academic research. It is extremely helpful for doing research for university courses, of which I am doing, so why should you make a comment about someone using a product of which you have not tried or used for it's intended purpose. And yes I am losing 50 cents myself just by typing this message and don't expect any payments from a googly business manager any time soon.

29 February 2008, 8:47 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous111:

There are two major reason this is useless as a research tool. First is that it slow (already covered), second is Tabs. you can't middle click the links to open as a new tab. granted when you click a link it opens in a new tab and shows it. When I am 'researching' in google I'll open 10 of the results in tabs before even looking at them. tafiti forces you to go back to the search page before opening another link.

Its this lack of browser functionality that I've never liked flash and it'll probably be the same with silverlight.

29 February 2008, 8:31 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Bry:

Had a play, don't like it! Didn't find the search results that useful. The tree view is very annoying, why would you build something like that, what possible use does it have - looks more like an RSS style screensaver don't you think?

29 February 2008, 8:31 PM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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