Submission + - Google Tests 'Instant Search' (computerworld.com)
pickens writes: Computerworld reports that Google has been testing an instant search feature using ajax so that search results start popping up as the user types, changing dynamically as the user continues typing. According to industry observers the test is being run on a limited basis and that there's no telling whether the experiment will become a new feature offered to all Google users. Yankee Group analyst Zeus Kerravala notes that an instant search feature would put a lot of strain on Google's system. "I think it would initially [add a lot of system stress] so they might face some short-term pain to get to the longer-term gain," Kerravala says. "Google has built out a tremendously robust infrastructure. And my guess is that with their resources, though, if [the new feature] became a big hit, other search engines would have a hard time keeping up."
