Microsoft outlines Vista desktop search changes
In June Microsoft agreed to modify the built-in desktop search feature in Vista, in hopes of staving off another Justice Department battle, as well as to assuage Google. On Wednesday Microsoft outlined the upcoming changes, which will appear in Vista Service Pack 1.
The primary impact of the change is giving Vista users who choose a non-Microsoft option for desktop search more outlets to see those search results, as opposed to the results generated by Vista's built in desktop search engine.
Yes, choice is always better. What is amazing is that despite past issues like this, Microsoft and other vendors continue to miss the point: it's easier to take a proactive stance on features that may cause controversy.
The primary impact of the change is giving Vista users who choose a non-Microsoft option for desktop search more outlets to see those search results, as opposed to the results generated by Vista's built in desktop search engine.
The changes are coming with the first service pack to Windows Vista. Microsoft is launching a beta version of the update in the next couple of weeks, with a final version expected early next year.
The search changes mean that, "in addition to the numerous ways a user could access a third-party search solution in Windows Vista, they can now get to their preferred search results from additional entry points in the Start Menu and Explorer Windows in Windows Vista with SP1," a Microsoft representative said in an e-mail to CNET News.com.
Yes, choice is always better. What is amazing is that despite past issues like this, Microsoft and other vendors continue to miss the point: it's easier to take a proactive stance on features that may cause controversy.
