In past articles we have touched on individual search engines and directories, and how to make the best use of them. Combining this with the fact that each search engine has subject-specific strengths and weaknesses, and it becomes clear that searching in parallel using several search engines can yield superior results. Using metasearch resources gives you access to several search engines with one entry. The entry, however, will not utilize each engine's special capabilities.
Boolean searches are usually a safe bet.
You will usually need a forms-capable browser to make the most of these tools. Be prepared to wait a few minutes for your search results. Typical results may include returns from Excite, Infoseek, WebCrawler, and Alta Vista. Your returned links aren't checked for validity, so expect a few clunkers. Enter your terms here and they go to Yahoo, Lycos, A2Z, Excite, and a dozen other engines, as well as newsgroup, wire service, and ftp search tools.