Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
I've added the following addresses to my version of an Ubuntu Search Engine:
That brings the total number of sites to 178.
I've been quite surprised at how popular the service is becoming, especially considering that I only created it as an experiment to satisfy my own curiosity. The Firefox tools have also attracted a number of downloads.
Here's a basic usage chart provided by Google:
Add your site
I'd like to keep the service as relevant and concise as possible, so if you own or know of an Ubuntu related blog/site that is not included then please let me know.
Monday, November 5th, 2007
Foreword: I set-up this Ubuntu Search Engine as an experiment and to satisfy my own curiosity about Google's CSE service. It's ironic but I only found uboontu.com when testing my own effort. I'm also aware of the existence of ubuntuwire.com, however I've not been able to connect to this service for the last few days. There isn't much difference between the any of these services [this is to be expected as they all use the same backend.] My version of an Ubuntu Search Engine has the slight advantage of having its results hosted on Google. Hopefully this will minimize the chances of the service going down or becoming unavailable in the future. Besides, you can never have too much Ubuntu goodness ;)
Google Custom Search Engine for Ubuntu
I've set-up a new Google Custom Search Engine for Ubuntu. So far it provides results from a list of 169 separate Ubuntu related domains. The usual suspects are included in the list i.e. www.ubuntu.com, wiki.ubuntu.com, help.ubuntu.com, ubuntuforums.org etc. The list also includes blogs listed on planet.ubuntu.com and various other Ubuntu related sites.
Firefox Tools
I've created a couple of Firefox tools to accompany the service. See: http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/firefox-tools/
About the design & logo
The user interface to my Ubuntu search engine should appear familiar to users of Google. This is intentional as I don't want to confuse anyone with a new Web 2.0 atrocity. Also, I like to keep to the K.I.S.S principle where possible and I don't think you can get much more simple than Google's default interface. Finally, this wasn't an exercise in stroking my design ego.
The logo may also look familiar — I'm hoping I don't receive any threatening letters from Google Inc :)
Spread the word
If you enjoy this version of an Ubuntu Search Engine please consider spreading the love by sharing with your colleagues, friends, family and complete strangers. There are a couple of ways you could help share this service:
1. Add an "Ubuntu Search Engine" search box to your blog or web site with this code.
2. Share with: Digg - Del.icio.us - StumbleUpon etc.
Thank you :)
Disclaimer
Google search engine and the Google logo are the trademarks of Google Inc. My Ubuntu Search Engine is not affiliated with Google Inc.