AltaVista aims to speed consumer Web searches

From...

May 5, 2000
Web posted at: 1:02 p.m. EDT (1702 GMT)

by James Niccolai

(IDG) -- Looking to broaden its reach among consumers, AltaVista launched a new search engine site on Wednesday designed to offer a faster, simpler way to search for Web pages.

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Called Raging Search, the site does away with current features on AltaVista's eponymous main search portal, such as directories, discussion groups, and shopping information, and provides users only with a list of Web pages relevant to their search query, Rod Schrock, AltaVista's president and CEO, said.

"We're focused on doing a better job of searching for Web pages," Schrock said.

AltaVista claims the new site is 20 percent faster than its main AltaVista search portal, in part because Raging Search features no banner advertisements, which can take more time to download.

The new site is aimed at more Internet-savvy "search enthusiasts," and is designed to complement AltaVista's main portal.

The company also announced Wednesday that it has revamped the search index behind its main AltaVista search portal with the goal of eliminating links to dead and duplicate pages and returning a more relevant list of results to users.

Commenting on AltaVista's plans for a much-anticipated IPO, Schrock said the company is continuing to delay such a move until market conditions improve.

"We're waiting for the market to reflect confidence back on the Internet economy... That's our only precondition to going public," Schrock said.

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