Instant review of the new uncluttered interface for Yahoo search. If they wanted to make the switch easier, as always, they should have made it work exactly like the competition, or as close as they can without invoking the ire of their attorneys. They put the tabs on the left instead of along the top. And the search results page looks different from the page you enter the query on. Doesn't reinforce the virtuality. I like that you can add and remove tabs. Google should copy this idea. Also, do they have the equivalent of the Google API?

In any case, it's good to see Yahoo challenge Google. Even though I think Google is a shitty company (disclaimer) I'm pretty sure Yahoo is too, even though I have less contact with them. Two shitty Silicon Valley companies competing is a billion percent better than one dominant shitty Silicon Valley company. And you can quote me on that (as I'm sure my detractors will). Am I ready to replace the Google button in my toolbar? Not yet. But with a few tweaks, I'll be glad to do so.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 2/18/04; 12:08:27 PM - --