Enter the stand-alone search programs, like cavalry on the horizon. I'm referring to client-side search software, which means these programs reside on your computer and perform information retrieval and management tasks. Oh, these programs use the online search engines, but the software embodies filtering tools that get you where you want to be faster, more precisely, and with more integrity than using any single search engine can claim. But the client-side programs are distinguished by their organizing tools. Background filters eliminate duplicates, for example, and search results can be ordered in folders.
Some programs actually retrieve selected sites for offline viewing.
Others save detailed search reports that can be refined over time. Many perform searches according to a preset schedule, even if you're not at the computer. Serious Internet searching always requires a learning curve, and client-side tools definitely take some committment to master. The best, like Bullseye, is complex and worth the effort. They may represent the solution to an unappetizing future, an antidote to the homogenization and rampant commercialization of the Web. .