[thelist] loopy URLs produced by search engines

[Dunstan Orchard]

Hi there,

I don't mean to be rude about Jokob Nielsen, but I wrote to him the other day
asking him why his search engine produced such insane links as this:

Actual article link:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020819.html

Link produced after using his site search engine to look for the article:
http://useit.mondosearch.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?
grab_id=3790728&EXTRA_ARG=&host_id=2&page_id=27&query=Let+Users+Control+Font+Si
ze&hiword=LET+USERS+CONTROL+FONT+SIZE+USER+CONTROLLED+SIZES+CONTROLS+SIZED+FONT
S+CONTROLLING+SIZEABLE+

when he's an advocate of useable URLs.
He didn't write back, I guess he must get lots of emails.

I realise he's parsed the page and highlighted the search terms, but it's
still such an amazingly unuseable URL that I couldn't believe it. He deosn't
even provide a 'permalink' button.

Would there be any way of producing a more useable URL while still using such
a 'highlight-the-search-terms' engine? I'm talking server stuff here (I guess).

Having the search terms highlighted is so useful, I wish more search engines
did it... I use my Google bar for that.

Just wondering...

cheers - dunstan

---------------------------
Dorset, England
http://www.1976design.com/
http://www.orchard.it/
http://www.maccaws.org/