Skip to Content

Free TUAW iPhone app -- try it now!
AOL Tech

Filed under: Internet, Photo, Features, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Search

A look at 7 Windows 7 federated search connectors


Now that half of the known computing world has gotten their paws on the Windows 7 beta, it's high time to start tweaking and modifying Microsoft's latest OS. One feature begging to be monkeyed with is Windows Search.

Windows 7 supports a new feature called Federated Search. It's based on OpenSearch and RSS2 and enables searching of remote repositories from the Windows desktop. Microsoft embracing Open initiatives? Might there be some less-than-altruistic motivation behind this?

Better desktop searching may mean less browser-based searching, which might allow Microsoft to gain a little ground on Google. Still, the ease of creating connectors and the number of possibilties add some serious cool factor to Windows 7. They're a bit hard to find as of yet, but the popularity of the Windows 7 Beta torrent will no doubt lead to some new ones being created in the coming weeks.

The first one I encountered when running build 6801 was Long Zheng's Flickr Connectr. Though it's a man-in-the-middle solution and slightly slow at times it works well, and you can see it in action in the screen capture above. Image results can be displayed just like other files on your desktop - in list or details view, as thumbnails, or using Windows 7's content view.

Windows 7 Forums has several useful connectors for download, including YouTube, Yahoo, Live Search, Google News, and Google Blogs.

Brandon Paddock of Brandonlive.com has created a connector for DeviantArt. I wasn't able to find the download link on his blog, but you can still download it directly.

Want to see the connectors in action? Read on, and check out the gallery!

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures
Microsoft Security Essentials
Chromium Pre-Alpha on CrunchBang Linux
Safari 4 Beta
10 Firefox themes that don't suck
IE8 RC1
Download Squad at the Crunchies After-Party
Download Squad at the Crunchies
WordPress 2.7
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals
Windows 7 Hands On
Comodo Internet Security
Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store
Android First-look: Twitroid
Google Reader Android
Android Hands-On
Twine 1.0
Photoshop Express Beta
Mozilla Birthday Cake
Palm stuff
Adobe Lightroom 1.1

 


Follow us on Twitter!

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

More Tech Coverage

AOL Radio

Joystiq

TUAW

Daily Finance

Autoblog

Urlesque

Engadget

WoW

Switched.com

FanHouse