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However the argument is not to pick on a particular search engine, but more to raise the idea, that humans, will always categorise better, given the time. If you allow yourselve to even climpse at all the possible ways of looking at all the information on the web and its various representations in context to itself and all other possible connections to other type's of information. The scale of the problem for search engine's is absolutely massive, to actually wright some sort of algo/heuristic/fuzzy system, that can actually hack it, i personaly don't think is possible, or at least not for the next 50+ years.
Hence, i draw to the Human's. Though i will stay clear of the paid directories, due to there various partner feeds, and seemingly spammed indexes. I will draw to what i consider to be one of the best resources on the web (also includes webmasterworld), the ODP. The ODP is an AOL/Timewarner operation, and it's free, i almost feel scared saying the word FREE in today's internet. Though i have heard, so many people go on flame's, moan about the length of inclusion time, and many other negative things - i personally think it is brillant.
Why ? The ODP is a serious attempt to categorise the internet and i think it is doing very well, even better than the search engine's, especially if the right sort of people are in place, which are committed to the idea of it being the backbone of the internet, in which i would even hazard saying it has already gained that status. Unlike programs, that are dated from their inception, hence what you started with you build upon, the ODP as a human edited directory, where listings for money is not the prime concern, but a constant restructuring of information is, in a dynamic fashion, by individuals who are in the 'know' about there respective categories that they look after.
It is the 'dynamic' part, that human's will not convey into programs, becuase we don't know how we categorize information in such an amazingly complex manner. Sure there's hundred's of theorys, sematic hierarchies and all that. but the reality is when conceptualizing an idea, a schema, the derivation that takes place happens, and allows us to draw connections, from deep long term memories, to current topics, where we are constantly accomadating and assimilating new categories.
What do you think ? am i kidding myself about the SE statistical categorisations not being able to create the relevance, similar of asking a human in the 'know' the answer to a question.
Or am i thinking along the wrong lines, by somehow comparing in a morphological manner human capabilities, against systemic creativity of humans ?
Id give it another 20 years IMO, when the processing power of computers are similar to humans, and perhaps even "think" a bit more like them. There is no real AI involves in SE's just absolutes and algorithms.
But yeah, I have as much respect for the ODP as you do. Its free, its sorted out by humans and its updated by humans. You can also contact humans if needs be.
It all comes down to the money element though doesnt it? The web is an advancement but resources are still consumed, and it seems as free as the web seems, its impossible in the long run. In fact yes, its invariably impossible.
I hope the ODP will last in the long term. I dont get much traffic from it but the first moment I seen their "largest human directory on the web" jargon I immediately respected it.
The web, is an immense tool to be harnessed as webmasters know. I think the main thing people forget is the age of the web, its still comparitively young. When was the TV invented (im scottish i really should know). The side-point in making is that there is plenty time for development, SE's, a more cost efficient, more effective/efficient browsers etc etc
Great post, almost spurring me to start a new one titled "the web in 20 years time", and the way SE's work it...just to stay on topic :)
Math, give me math.
