I know I am not the only person who visits Microsoft.com and finds the search facility flakey. However, as I use this facility more and more I am increasingly concerned by how flakey Search on Microsoft.com actually is.
Take one simple example.
If you visit Microsoft.com using the Opera, Mozilla or Firebird browser and enter the word "blog" in the Search box at the top left of the main screen you are presented with a Web page with ZERO search results and a form that you can fill in to conduct a Search.
Now that is odd, since you might have expected the box labelled "Search" on the front page to be able to conduct a search.
If you then enter "blog" (the same four letters as before) into the new Search box on the new page you are then presented with a range of results that relate closely or not so closely to blogging.
Why is the Search box on the front page broken? More precisely why is the Search box on the front page broken for all the browsers I tried other than Internet Explorer?
Is there an algorithm at the server side which says, in effect, "If the search from the home page is not from an Internet Explorer browser then produce nothing for those folks who don't use Internet Explorer."?
If that isn't the explanation why is it that Search from the Microsoft.com home page only works when the user is using Internet Explorer?
Can anyone from Microsoft explain why this fundamental aspect of Search on Microsoft.com is broken?
I have used the contact form on the Microsoft.com Web site to point to this blog and raise the issue of the inconsistent behaviour. I will let you know what response or non-response I receive.
Posted by Andrew Watt at October 6, 2003 08:16 AM