AppleSearch
Encyclopedia
AppleSearch was a client/server search engine
from Apple Computer
, first released for the "classic" Mac OS
in 1994. AppleSearch appears to have seen little use in its original form, although much of the crawling, indexing and searching code was apparently re-used almost verbatim in Sherlock
, released in 1997. A converted version in the form of a Unix daemon was also included for a time in early releases of the Rhapsody operating system, the prototype of Mac OS X
, but it appears this is no longer supported.
AppleSearch was a client/server application, although the vast majority of the logic was located in the server. The server portion periodically crawled a set of administrator-configured locations on hard drives, CD-ROM
s and the network using AppleShare
, indexing the documents it found after converting them to plain text using the Claris XTND document conversion system. A later version of the server, 1.5, could also be pointed at selected WAIS
servers, using their indexes directly in addition to local ones. The same server also acted as a WAIS server, respond to WAIS requests sent to it over the internet
. The server also offered a set of AppleEvents for use from Mac programs.
The server's query parser incorporated a number of features to help improve the ease-of-use of the query language. For instance, AppleSearch did not require the user to type in Boolean
operators like AND or OR in their searches. While this is true for most search engines today, at the time this was a fairly uncommon feature. AppleSearch also supported stemming, which "expanded" search terms into similar words. Using stemming, a search on "pregnancy", for instance, would also find hits on "pregnant". Contractions, connecting words and punctuation were all handled as well.
Additionally, the search could be fed with the results of previous search in order to tune its results. For instance, if one searches on "turkey recipe", the first set of results might return a document on how to cook a turkey, but also one on middle-eastern cooking in Turkey
. If the user then selected the document on cooking a turkey, they could then ask for more documents like that one. The engine would find key words in the document and use those as additional terms in the new search. This feature has since appeared in Google
, under the Similar pages link.
AppleSearch also included the ability to "summarize" documents into a shorter form. It did this by selecting sentences from the document that contained a higher than normal number of "key words", the key words being the same set that would be used for search tuning, as above. The user could request a version of the document some percentage of the original size, and the engine would then remove sentences it considered less important (those with less of the key words) until it reached the requested size.
The client portion was essentially a communications module that sent text-based requests to the server and received responses back. The client portion could be used within programs to integrate search capabilities with relative ease, the API was fairly small. Such applications were not common, instead, the client API was more commonly used as a "gateway" for internet
software, including plug-ins for Gopher and web server
s, notably MacHTTP
and (later) WebSTAR
. AppleSearch was also bundled with the Apple Internet Server Solution, a hardware/software bundle offered to create "out of the box" web servers based on the Apple Workgroup Server
s.
AppleSearch was fairly "resource heavy" when it was released. It required a Mac using a 68040
and 8 MB of RAM
as a minimum, which in 1994 was limited to their higher-end offerings. Version 1.0.1, released in May 1994, added support for PowerPC
-based machines as well. A basic install with the server and a five-user license cost $1,799, although this was reduced to $1,399 when version 1.5 was released. An additional ten users cost $499.
AppleSearch originated in the Advanced Technology Group
(ATG), Apple's internal R&D labs. Prior to the release of AppleSearch, ATG had long been giving demos of the system using a client application known as Rosebud, which used the AppleSearch server to build a personalized newspaper. The stories were collected into a multi-column display that looked like a real newspaper, along with a personalized banner across the top. Each story had a small icon of the "reporter" that selected that story, and when the icon was double-clicked, a panel opened that allowed you to fine tune the search parameters, or alternately simply say "more like this" or "less like this". Users would normally have several reporters, one for sports and another for science for instance. Sadly when AppleSearch was eventually released, Rosebud did not ship with it. The utility of a newspaper engine given only local text files to search from is likely limited, but with the coming of the web the product would have had some utility.
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
from Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
, first released for the "classic" Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
in 1994. AppleSearch appears to have seen little use in its original form, although much of the crawling, indexing and searching code was apparently re-used almost verbatim in Sherlock
Sherlock (software)
Sherlock, named after Sherlock Holmes, was a file and web search tool created by Apple Inc. for the Mac OS, introduced with Mac OS 8.5 as an extension of the Mac OS Finder's file searching capabilities. Like its predecessor, it can search for local files and file contents, which it does using the...
, released in 1997. A converted version in the form of a Unix daemon was also included for a time in early releases of the Rhapsody operating system, the prototype of Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, but it appears this is no longer supported.
AppleSearch was a client/server application, although the vast majority of the logic was located in the server. The server portion periodically crawled a set of administrator-configured locations on hard drives, CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
s and the network using AppleShare
AppleShare
AppleShare was a product from Apple Computer which implemented various network services. Its main purpose was acting as a file server, using the AFP protocol...
, indexing the documents it found after converting them to plain text using the Claris XTND document conversion system. A later version of the server, 1.5, could also be pointed at selected WAIS
Wide area information server
Wide Area Information Servers or WAIS is a client–server text searching system that uses the ANSI Standard Z39.50 Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol Specifications for Library Applications" to search index databases on remote computers...
servers, using their indexes directly in addition to local ones. The same server also acted as a WAIS server, respond to WAIS requests sent to it over the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The server also offered a set of AppleEvents for use from Mac programs.
The server's query parser incorporated a number of features to help improve the ease-of-use of the query language. For instance, AppleSearch did not require the user to type in Boolean
Boolean logic
Boolean algebra is a logical calculus of truth values, developed by George Boole in the 1840s. It resembles the algebra of real numbers, but with the numeric operations of multiplication xy, addition x + y, and negation −x replaced by the respective logical operations of...
operators like AND or OR in their searches. While this is true for most search engines today, at the time this was a fairly uncommon feature. AppleSearch also supported stemming, which "expanded" search terms into similar words. Using stemming, a search on "pregnancy", for instance, would also find hits on "pregnant". Contractions, connecting words and punctuation were all handled as well.
Additionally, the search could be fed with the results of previous search in order to tune its results. For instance, if one searches on "turkey recipe", the first set of results might return a document on how to cook a turkey, but also one on middle-eastern cooking in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. If the user then selected the document on cooking a turkey, they could then ask for more documents like that one. The engine would find key words in the document and use those as additional terms in the new search. This feature has since appeared in Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, under the Similar pages link.
AppleSearch also included the ability to "summarize" documents into a shorter form. It did this by selecting sentences from the document that contained a higher than normal number of "key words", the key words being the same set that would be used for search tuning, as above. The user could request a version of the document some percentage of the original size, and the engine would then remove sentences it considered less important (those with less of the key words) until it reached the requested size.
The client portion was essentially a communications module that sent text-based requests to the server and received responses back. The client portion could be used within programs to integrate search capabilities with relative ease, the API was fairly small. Such applications were not common, instead, the client API was more commonly used as a "gateway" for internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
software, including plug-ins for Gopher and web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
s, notably MacHTTP
MacHTTP
MacHTTP is a webserver designed to run on Mac OS versions 7.x through 9.x. It was written by software developer Chuck Shotton and was originally shareware; it is now available in source code form from SourceForge.net under the Perl Artistic License. The current version is 2.6.1. It is still used on...
and (later) WebSTAR
Webstar
Webstar may refer to:* DJ Webstar* Kerio WebSTAR, an HTTP server for Classic Mac OS...
. AppleSearch was also bundled with the Apple Internet Server Solution, a hardware/software bundle offered to create "out of the box" web servers based on the Apple Workgroup Server
Apple Workgroup Server
Apple Workgroup Server and, later, Macintosh Server, were the names given to selected models of Macintosh computers which were sold by Apple Computer with additional server software and sometimes bigger hard drives. Apart from that, they were mostly identical to computers out of Apple's...
s.
AppleSearch was fairly "resource heavy" when it was released. It required a Mac using a 68040
Motorola 68040
The Motorola 68040 is a microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060. There was no 68050. In keeping with general Motorola naming, the 68040 is often referred to as simply the '040 ....
and 8 MB of RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
as a minimum, which in 1994 was limited to their higher-end offerings. Version 1.0.1, released in May 1994, added support for PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
-based machines as well. A basic install with the server and a five-user license cost $1,799, although this was reduced to $1,399 when version 1.5 was released. An additional ten users cost $499.
AppleSearch originated in the Advanced Technology Group
Advanced Technology Group
The Advanced Technology Group was a corporate research laboratory at Apple Computer from 1986 to 1997. ATG was started by Larry Tesler in October 1986 to study long term research into future technologies that were beyond the time frame or organizational scope of any individual product group. Over...
(ATG), Apple's internal R&D labs. Prior to the release of AppleSearch, ATG had long been giving demos of the system using a client application known as Rosebud, which used the AppleSearch server to build a personalized newspaper. The stories were collected into a multi-column display that looked like a real newspaper, along with a personalized banner across the top. Each story had a small icon of the "reporter" that selected that story, and when the icon was double-clicked, a panel opened that allowed you to fine tune the search parameters, or alternately simply say "more like this" or "less like this". Users would normally have several reporters, one for sports and another for science for instance. Sadly when AppleSearch was eventually released, Rosebud did not ship with it. The utility of a newspaper engine given only local text files to search from is likely limited, but with the coming of the web the product would have had some utility.