The developers of the popular computer algebra system Mathematica are being developed in an unusual search engine, a completely new approach and thus could compete with Google.
The „Wolfram Alpha“ dubbed search engine searches not just a huge archive of web pages and returns the hits, it returns you real answers to your questions. So you get after typing „Where is Timbuktu?“ the correct answer.
Unlike similar services, „Wolfram Alpha“ retrieves the answer not from a database, they are calculated. For this purpose, many techniques are combined, for example, the language is parsed and it relies on formal models from various scientific areas.
Wolfram Research has been working for some time now on this project – approximately 100 developers should be involved. Official information is still scarce, however, Nova Spivack from Twine.com had recently the possibility of a first look at the search engine.
For years there is the idea that computers will one day answer any question you can. With „Wolfram Alpha“ to get that goal is a big step closer. Now it remains to be seen how the unusual in everyday search engine will suggest. A beta version is scheduled from May will be available.