| Alexa Provides information on Websites such as related links, site
statistics, contact information, and reviews. Also includes easily accessible
secondary reference materials such as the Encyclopedia Britannica and Miriam Webster's
Dictionary and Thesaurus. Useful in evaluating the quality of information presented
by Websites as well as in finding related sites. Free software download.
More information about Alexa: Alexa: Searching Serendipity And More, The Search Engine Report, Jan. 9,
1998 AltaVista Discovery Indexes hard drive, uses AltaVista search engine to
perform Web and hard drive (including email) searches. Highlights search terms
are pages making it easier to find relevant links. Includes (1) "related
information" search function to find Websites and pages with content similar to a
relevant page; (2) customizable content summary feature; (3) hyperbolic tree that maps
visited Websites to allow easy retrieval of new information; (4) "backward
searching" that allows researchers to determine who is linking to a page. Free
software download.
Copernic A software search "wizard." Includes a
category bar, a detailed search history and other search management tools.
Copernic shows a relevancy score for each result and removes duplicates
automatically. It may also automatically remove dead links and download documents
for off-line browsing (up to 32 simultaneous transfers). Search results can be
viewed off-line, updated and refined using logical operators (and, or, except).
Among many other useful features, search results may be exported and saved in various file
formats (HTML, XML, CSV, text and DBF) and may also be shared with friends or colleagues
by e-mail. Copernic 99 offers integrated tools for Internet Explorer 4.0 (but not
Netscape, as yet). The Copernic software and search engines/directories are
automatically updated via Internet when logging onto Copernic. Basic program
free. "Professional" edition around $40 USD.
Enfish
Tracker Pro Enfish Technology's Enfish
Tracker Pro for Windows 95/98/NT is a unique information-management application that
allows users to track, organize, and find information through its browser- and search
engine-like interface. Tracking content over hard drives, LANs, and the Internet via data
threads, Tracker Pro uses relevant words and phrases provided by the user to search for
and categorize data. The interface is equal parts browser and file manager. It
sports a floating toolbar for quick access to vital components. Compatible with a wide
range of e-mail clients, business applications, browsers, file formats and personal
information managers (PIMs), Tracker Pro does take some time to learn due to its deep
feature set and steep learning curve. Approximately $90.00 USD.
PeakJet Good off-line browsing and search organization tool.
Also increases browser speed by caching pages for quicker loading.
Approximately $20 USD
PowerMarks Easy to use bookmark management software. Works on a
searchable keyword system rather than requiring bookmarks to be categorized. Can be
customized to automatically update bookmarks and allows users to enter customized notes,
keywords, descriptions and titles for each bookmark. Approximately $25 USD.
X-Portal
Findware Combination software reference
material and specialized search engine software. The aim of X-Portal is to deliver
the highest quality sites satisfying the researcher's search criteria. Websites
located by user-designated search engines are "vetted" using X-Portal's built-in
reference library (1 gigabyte of reference materials such as dictionaries, encyclopedias,
atlases, etc. compressed into 200 megabytes). Using algorithms to made educated
"guesses," the software then returns ranked search results. Approximately
$100 USD. |
