AnkaSearch is a Meta Search and Deep Web Search Desktop tool. Apart from searching for pages, AnkaSearch also enables you to save selected downloaded pages, organize and manage the saved pages.
Salient features of AnkaSearch are:
- Meta Search: Search Engines use different algorithms and mechanisms to rank search results which are unique to each search engine. A search for 'Video Cards' at two popular search engines gives the following results.
Courtesy http://ranking.thumbshots.com/search.aspx
Out of 100 results given by the two search engines only seventeen results are common, and the ranks of these seventeen common results are different in either of the engines.
AnkaSearch launches parallel search in selected multipe search engines and the results of all the engines is merged together and presented in a single list.
- Deep Web Search: Many sites, which are not 'crawled' by search engines are included in AnkaSearch, giving you search results which will never be revealed by conventional search engines.
Deep Web primarily comprises databases operated by universities, government, and trade bodies. AnkaSearch provides you direct access to these databases.
- Search Engines: AnkaSearch has approximately 100 engines grouped in 10 main categories.
For a particular search, the search engines/deep web sites which are queried for results, can be selected before the launch of a search. This gives you complete control over your search, enabling you to seek information with pinpoint accuracy. A particular selection of search engines/deep web sites can be stored and retrieved later for a similar search.
More search engines are being added everyday. Requests of addition of a search engine to be added to AnkaSearch are welcome, and will be added, subject to conditions.
- Parallel Downloads: Apart from the main html page, an average page on internet consists of average 20-80 separate files which may be images, javascript, css files etc. To fetch each of these files a separate http request is sent to the server.
To speed up downloads, multiple connections are opened to a host server in separate threads and the files associated to a page are downloaded simultaneously, resulting in lightening fast downloads. The number of search threads which are launched simultaneosuly are configurable depending on the internet bandwidth available on your computer and the number of jobs/processes running on your computer.
- Multiple Downloads: Multiple URLs returned from searh engines, can be scheduled for download. Option to shutdown your machine after the download is completed is also available.
The downloaded files are saved permanently on your machine for later reference.
- Autmatically removes duplicate pages and dead links: As the results are downloaded, dead links (ie pages which dont exist) are removed from the results. Duplicate results from multiple sites are removed. If a particular result url/page has already been downloaded and saved within AnkaSearch, the earliar downloaded page is referenced and available for your viewing, instead of having to redownload the page.
- Search within Download Summaries and Pages: Complex boolean searches can be carried out on downloaded pages and page summaries. With this feature, the hundred and thousands of pages which are returned for a particular search can be filtered down to a manageble number of pages which can be analysed further in depth.
- Managing Search Results: Search results and downloaded are saved in folders. The results in different folders can be moved around, merged and deleted eabling to create your own personal research library.
Download AnkaSearch Beta 1.04 now.