4. Internet Search Engines
I frequently use a Search Engine to retrieve helpful or necessary
information from the 'net. These engines catalogue pages from
commercial, personal and academic websites, as well as Mailing Lists and
the like.
There are several good search engine. It is worthwhile becoming very
familiar with the operational details of at least one non-directory
engine to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of your search efforts.
You probably already have a favorite - I like
Google.com, and will discuss it in a little more
detail.
The key to a successful search is to use a good set of keywords. If
you're getting a specific error message, you might search for its text.
Otherwise, you need to find a few relevant words describing your
problem. Then, by trial and error, you should be able to find some
pertinent information.
4.1. Google.com
This engine has several novel
features that are described in its Google Technology page.
In particular, the engine often returns the most useful pages first; in
fact, I have often found that the first listed page contains the
information I need. Because it caches web pages, it is relatively fast
at displaying requested items. It has a so-called
GoogleScout™ feature, activated by clicking on the
"similar pages" links, that provides additional relevant links with each
item returned.
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