Lycos CentiSpeed technology supercharges web searches; Technology enhancements result in a new user-driven interface, innovative indexing, improved relevancy and the fastest-known searching on the web today

Business Wire, May 29, 1996

MARLBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 29, 1996--In its role as a premier Internet search and guide provider, Lycos (NASDAQ: LCOS) today unveiled a package of advancements which makes its search engine the fastest available, and also significantly enhances its relevancy and spidering capability.

Say Hello To "CentiSpeed":

Beginning May 29, users of the Lycos Internet service will access the Lycos "CentiSpeed" search technology, which processes a search dramatically faster than preceding technologies. CentiSpeed features include Virtual Memory Control, User-Level Fault Handling and Algorithmic Word Compaction, and allow the enriched engine to execute up to 2,000 queries per second on each of the company's servers, thereby providing the potential for unlimited scalability and the fastest-known searching on the web today.

"CentiSpeed provides lightning fast results along with unparalleled power t search the most comprehensive catalog of the World Wide Web available," said Robert Davis, president and CEO of Lycos. "To users, many of these changes are transparent; all they see is the fastest, most relevant results on the Web. And because Lycos uses statistical word calculations and avoids full-text indexing, the results brought back to a user consist of highly relevant information and not miscellaneous junk."

Significant Breakthroughs in Spidering Technology:

In addition to the benefits of CentiSpeed retrieval, Lycos has furthered its leadership in the development of web indexing tools with a number of advanced enhancements in its spidering technology.

Lycos has long been known for its success in offering the largest and most comprehensive catalog of the World Wide Web. Now a number of new features extend that label into previously uncharted territories. The features included are:

1. Multimedia Spidering: Lycos is the only company that can capture multimedia files that have no textual reference, and this includes graphics, photographs, sounds, movies, programs and shareware among others. Of the 39 million URLs indexed by Lycos, the Lycos catalog now has 6 million multimedia files in its database. For instance, a user who queries Lycos for references to the cartoon character "Porky Pig" will find an audio file and two pictures among the top 10 search results. Lycos is the only search service to provide multimedia spidering.

2. Client-Side Image Mapping: Lycos can now read through all client side images and graphics, further extending its unique ability to find all the data on the Web. This feature enables Lycos to record numerous URL links found within a single graphic, providing users with links not found by other search services.

3. Multi-Language Spidering: The Lycos spider now indexes most European languages, and will continue to become fluent in additional languages in the months ahead.

4. Authenticated Sites: Any sites previously outside the reach of spiders because of registration and password requirements are now available to Lycos. Password-protected sites can now supply Lycos with authentication requirements, allowing them to be abstracted and added to the Lycos catalog.

5. Cooperative Spidering: Initially pioneered at Carnegie Mellon University, the Lycos spidering technology now utilizes a paradigm of parallel spidering, in which hundreds of spiders work in cooperation to collect information on the Web. Each satellite spider knows the location, status and progress of all partner spiders thereby allowing indexing to occur at extremely fast speeds.

"No other Internet search service gives you the breadth of information that the Lycos technology gives," said Michael "Fuzzy" Mauldin, Chief Scientist at Lycos and creator of its spidering technology. "The bottom line is our spider will go places that no other spider can go, and the result is a rich, elegant product for customers who are increasingly demanding more utility from the Internet."

Enhanced Relevancy

The enhancements announced today serve to amplify the superior relevancy record with which Lycos is consistently credited. Proprietary Lycos technologies, such as keyword indexing and statistical word calculations, make Lycos relevancy ratings among the highest in the industry by eliminating the numerous problems associated with full text indexing.

"Full-text indexing returns results that can have little or no bearing on relevancy. For instance, if a person has "I like dolphins" buried in their home page, full-text indexing may very well return that result in a search on dolphin biology. Relevance is lost," said Davis.

The company has introduced two new features in this area which will further its relevancy lead. This includes an automated process for duplicate site elimination and the ability to discount those sites attempting to outsmart conventional spiders with word and phrase loading in their titles and outlines.

User Interface Improvements

The enhancements to the Lycos technology offerings have been coupled with next-stage enhancements to the site's user interface. These enhancements were made using input garnered from across-the-country by conducting both focus group study and in-depth interviews conducted by Lycos with online customers of all experience levels over the last two months. With the design upgrade, users will even more easily access various Lycos Internet information discovery services, which includes the Lycos catalog of 39 million URLs; the a2z cyberguide to the Web's most favored sites, organized by themed categories; and Point, the acclaimed reservoir of Web site reviews.