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A search engine or search
service is a document retrieval system designed to help find information
stored on a computer system, such as on the World Wide Web, inside a
corporate or proprietary network, or in a personal computer. The search
engine allows one to ask for content meeting specific criteria
(typically those containing a given word or phrase) and retrieves a list
of items that match those criteria. Search engines use regularly updated
indexes to operate quickly and efficiently. Without further
qualification, search engine usually refers to a Web search engine,
which searches for information on the public Web. Other kinds of search
engine are enterprise search engines, which search on intranets,
personal search engines, which search individual personal computers, and
mobile search engines. Different selection and relevance criteria may
apply in different environments, or for different uses. Some search
engines also mine data available in newsgroups, large databases, or open
directories like DMOZ.org. Unlike Web directories, which are maintained
by human editors, search engines operate algorithmically. Most websites
which call themselves search engines are actually front ends to search
engines owned by other companies.
Definition source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine
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