It was only a matter of time. Cuil, the “massive” new search engine that was supposed to be able to keep up with Google, has just gotten its first knockoff. It’s Yuil, a Yahoo-powered mashup that looks almost exactly like Cuil. And, oddly enough, Yuil might actually work better than its much-hyped predecessor.
In a surprising (and hilarious) twist, Yuil is actually the product of Yahoo VP of Platforms, Sam Pullara, who is using the site to show off Yahoo’s recently-released BOSS API. BOSS is unique among search engine APIs, giving developers an unprecedented level of control over results generated by Yahoo’s search engine. And while Yuil isn’t really doing anything new with its search results, they’re more relevant than the occasionally bizarre ones we’ve been getting from Cuil.
Developers are only just starting to tap into the power afforded by the BOSS API – we’ll probably see dozens of similar search engines like this pop up over the next few months. The difference between these, and the generic API-based engines we’ve seen before, is that developers will be able to manipulate and reorder the results to make them more meaningful – something that APIs from most other search engines prohibit.
Update: Looks like someone in the Yahoo or Cuil camp doesn’t have a sense of humor. Pullara has just updated his blog to say he’s taken Yuil down:
“Yuil is dead. However, you can always get the same great search results here.”
What’s that ‘68 TV series, “It takes a thief?” Robert Wagner, now selling reverse mortgages, thieves his way into a materialistic lifestyle. Leave it to a Yahoo! exec to thieve off of an opportunity to push his own material agenda. They have nothing else to lose, plus Cuil was a fool to launch in their state.
After cuil, yuil and live search’s new UI i am waiting for Google’s move. Google will definitely declare something new with a bang….
Cobbled together Yuil better than $33M Cuil: Funny or Sad[Vote]? – http://snurl.com/381nj [www_thriveorfail_com]
Cuil which like Yuil is true.
It was so easy to hack
Yahoo search doesn’t produce the most relevant search results, either. Search for IMDB – which was used to lampoon Cuil here http://www.tech...s-after-launch/ — offers as the first suggestion imdb movies. This results in the top hit being imbd site in the UK. Why is Yahoo assuming I am in the UK?
Did anyone else find it funny how this was written on GOOGLE’s app engine? By a Yahoo exec? Ok, didn’t think so
Michael, I think you should also do something for the SEARCH RESULTS ON TECHCRUNCH..i have seen many times that searching techcrunch does not bring appropriate results .see an example http://www.tech...+editing+online
It seems that people are already using the Cuil for spam.
An e-mail received just a few seconds ago:
Received: from [124.166.81.181] (unknown [124.166.81.181])
Message-ID:
From: Dhawal
User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.14 (Windows/20080421)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: xxxxxx
Subject: Cuil – new google-ish search engine
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Return-Path: Dhawal-doppler0@cappellocorp.com
Cambodia threatens to declare war with Thailand if Thailand remains hostile towards Cambodia foreign affairs httx://xx-design-online.de/showvideo.htx
where ‘x’ used to mask(hide)
Oh, I thought your name was xxxxxx.
Oh pray for cuil! I wanted to write a post about cuil and Google with some aspects but here came yuil new search fighter from reference ID what I can say searching would more cheaper and more veritable and Google will release some more privacy features in future.
I think yuil is dead first I should have check it, I should not believe on rumors, now I am taking it funny.
This is funny!!!
I just retried CUIL and it worked. It didn’t the first day when TCrunch intro-ed it.. Not unlike many new things on the web.. I’ll admit CUIL was waaay off, but give credit someone must have been working pretty hard to save some embarrassment.. It works pretty Cu.. Good now
I was trying out cuil… Its aweful, look at searchme.com… Now thats awesome
How about a niche? Cuil is cool but I don’t see how they can compete with the master (Google). If they found a niche (other than giving search results based on relevancy) like other unique search engines out there eg. http://www.NextBio.com I think they would have a competitive edge. We shall see.
First off: who came up with the idea of pronouncing Cuil as Cool? It’s not like the word ‘quill’ is pronounced qooll…
Second: Is Cuil really trying to compete with Google when Microsoft and Yahoo can’t do it together?
Ha! Very funny. I would have loved to have found this site before it was pulled. I wonder if they slapped it together as fast as Cuil put together their search engine? LOL.
The major point of difference here is that Cuil doesn’t blatently violate users privacy by storing every search in a database with the intention of eventually selling this information on as profiles to the highest bidder.
I know that google stores everything, but does Yahoo do the same? I can only imagine so.
I waited until the early media hoopla was out of the way. Still not impressed. But…
They are young so I’ll check back on them. But they need to improve…
http://pressrel...-point-of-view/
I don’t think Uil is live any more..