AllTheWeb.com (FAST Search)
http://www.alltheweb.com
AllTheWeb.com (also known as FAST Search) consistently has one of the largest indexes of the web. FAST also offers large multimedia and mobile/wireless web indexes, available from its site. The site, also known as AllTheWeb.com, is a showcase for FAST's search technologies. FAST's results are provided to numerous portals, including those run by Terra Lycos. FAST Search launched in May 1999.

AltaVista
http://www.altavista.com
AltaVista is one of the oldest crawler-based search engines on the web. It has a large index of web pages and a wide range of power searching commands. It also offers news search, shopping search and multimedia search. AltaVista opened in December 1995. It was owned by Digital, then run by Compaq (which purchased Digital in 1998), then spun off into a separate company which is now controlled by CMGI.

AOL Search
http://search.aol.com/
AOL Search allows its members to search across the web and AOL's own content from one place. The "external" version, listed above, does not list AOL content. The main listings for categories and web sites come from the Open Directory (see below). Inktomi (see below) also provides crawler-based results, as backup to the directory information.

Ask Jeeves
http://www.askjeeves.com
Ask Jeeves is a human-powered search service that aims to direct you to the exact page that answers your question.

Google
http://www.google.com
Google is a top choice for web searchers. It offers the largest collection of web pages of any crawler-based search engine. Google makes heavy use of link analysis as a primary way to rank these pages. This can be especially helpful in finding good sites in response to general searches such as "cars" and "travel," because users across the web have in essence voted for good sites by linking to them. The system works so well that Google has gained wide-spread praise for its high relevancy. Google provides web page search results to a variety of partners, including Yahoo and Netscape Search (see below). Google also provides the ability to search for images, through Usenet discussions and its own version of the Open Directory (see below).

HotBot
http://www.hotbot.com
In most cases, HotBot's first page of results comes from the Direct Hit service (see above), and then secondary results come from the Inktomi search engine, which is also used by other services. It gets its directory information from the Open Directory project (see below). HotBot launched in May 1996 as Wired Digital's entry into the search engine market. Lycos purchased Wired Digital in October 1998 and continues to run HotBot as a separate search service.

iWon
http://www.iwon.com
iWon's results come from both Overture & Inktomi. iWon gives away daily, weekly and monthly prizes in a marketing model unique among the major services. It launched in Fall 1999.

Inktomi
http://www.inktomi.com
Originally, there was an Inktomi search engine at UC Berkeley. The creators then formed their own company with the same name and created a new Inktomi index, which was first used to power HotBot. Now the Inktomi index also powers several other services. All of them tap into the same index, though results may be slightly different. This is because Inktomi provides ways for its partners to use a common index yet distinguish themselves. There is no way to query the Inktomi index directly, as it is only made available through Inktomi's partners with whatever filters and ranking tweaks they may apply.

LookSmart
http://www.looksmart.com
LookSmart is a human-compiled directory of web sites. In addition to being a stand-alone service, LookSmart provides directory results to MSN Search, Excite and many other partners. Inktomi provides LookSmart with search results when a search fails to find a match from among LookSmart's reviews. LookSmart launched independently in October 1996, was backed by Reader's Digest for about a year, and then company executives bought back control of the service.

Lycos
http://www.lycos.com
Lycos started out as a search engine, depending on listings that came from spidering the web. In April 1999, it shifted to a directory model similar to Yahoo. Its main listings come from AllTheWeb.com with some results from the Open Directory project. In October 1998, Lycos acquired the competing HotBot search service, which continues to be run separately.

MSN Search
http://search.msn.com
Microsoft's MSN Search service is a LookSmart-powered directory of web sites, with secondary results that come from Inktomi. Direct Hit data is also made available.

Netscape Search
http://search.netscape.com
Netscape Search's results come primarily from the Open Directory and Netscape's own "Smart Browsing" database, which does an excellent job of listing "official" web sites. Secondary results come from Google. At the Netscape Netcenter portal site, other search engines are also featured.

Open Directory
http://dmoz.org/
The Open Directory uses volunteer editors to catalog the web. Formerly known as NewHoo, it was launched in June 1998. It was acquired by Netscape in November 1998, and the company pledged that anyone would be able to use information from the directory through an open license arrangement. Netscape itself was the first licensee. Netscape-owner AOL also uses Open Directory information, as does Google and Lycos.

Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com
Yahoo is the web's most popular search service and has a well-deserved reputation for helping people find information easily. The secret to Yahoo's success is human beings. It is the largest human-compiled guide to the web, employing about 150 editors in an effort to categorize the web. Yahoo has well over 1 million sites listed. Yahoo also supplements its results with those from Google. If a search fails to find a match within Yahoo's own listings, then matches from Google are displayed. Google matches also appear after all Yahoo matches have first been shown. Yahoo is the oldest major web site directory, having launched in late 1994.

AOL NetFind Kids Only
From AOL, it contains links to sites that are safe for kids.

Ask Jeeves For Kids
Ask Jeeves is a unique service where you enter a question, and Ask Jeeves tries to point you to the right web page that provides an answer. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, answers have been vetted for appropriateness. Also, if Ask Jeeves cannot answer a question, it pulls results from various search engines in its metacrawler mode. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, no site that is on SurfWatch's block list will be listed.

Yahooligans
Yahoo for kids, designed for ages 7 to 12. Sites are hand-picked to be appropriate for children. Also, unlike normal Yahoo, searches will not be forwarded to Yahoo's search engine partner Inktomi if there is no match from within the Yahooligan listings. This prevents possibly objectionable sites from slipping onto the screen. Additionally, adult-oriented banner advertising will not appear within the service. Yahooligans is the oldest major directory for children, launched in March 1996.

KidsClick!
Backed by librarians, KidsClick lists about 5,000 web sites in various categories.

Kids Search Engines ... Major Filtered Search Engines:

Filtered search engines allow you to search the entire web rather than just through a handpicked selection of kid-safe sites. Results are then filtered to remove possibly objectionable material.

AltaVista Family Filter
AltaVista Family Filter is designed to protect children from seeing objectionable material when searching the entire web. Enable it by selecting "AV Family Filter" from the links below the main search box, in the "Specialty Searches" section.

Excite's Magellan
From Excite, Magellan offers the ability to search only kid-safe "Green Light" sites via an option which appears below the search box, on the home page.

GOguardian
Provides filtered results at the Go Network (Infoseek). To enable, select the GOguardian link below the search box, on the home page. Also, even if Guardian is not enabled, Go will warn if it thinks search results contain possibly objectionable material.

Lycos SearchGuard
Allows parents to screen possibly objectionable sites from Lycos search results. Formerly Lycos SafetyNet.

Searchopolis
An Inktomi-powered filtered search engine, with directory listings from LookSmart.

CleanSearch.com
Inktomi-powered search engine that attempts to filter out adult content, web sites promoting hate, and possibly offensive material. Also accepts paid listings at the top of its results. Directory listings are created automatically using Inktomi's classification technology.

ABC's of Parenting
Comprehensive directory of rated sites relating to issues such as pregnancy, education, parenting, family issues and more.

The Labor of Love
Link above leads to a Parenting and Pregnancy directory within the site, where sites are classified into categories such as Birth, Childcare and Family.

Kids Search Engines ... Other Services

KidsClick Worlds of Web Searching
Nicely done guide designed to teach children 8 through 12 the basics of searching the web.

Kids Search Tools
Search a variety of kid-safe search engines from a single page.

TekMom's Search Tools for Students
All-in-one search page for kid search sites and research resources.

Zeek Search
All-in-one search page for a variety of kid-oriented sites. Includes the ability to do meta search at AltaVista (filtered) and Ask Jeeves For Kids.

Awesome Library
Over 14,000 sites have been classified into a directory, specifically organized for teachers, students and parents. Information can be found by browsing or searching.

EdView Smart Zone
A collection of over 7 million teacher-reviewed web pages that are safe for kids. Sites are categorized by subject and grade level.

Education World
Over 115,000 sites of interest to educators. Browsable or searchable, with the ability to narrow in by appropriate grade level. Launched in spring 1996.

Infoplease Kids' Almanac
Reference provider Information Please produces this site which provides facts and information oriented around the needs of children.

Saluki Search
Directory of kid-safe web sites. Search or browse categories.

SearchEdu.com
Index of pages built by crawling education web sites.

StudyWEB
Looking for an academic or research site? Editors at StudyWEB have categorized and reviewed over 100,000 sites. There are ratings by grade level and notes if visual aids are available, helpful for those making reports.

Family Web Files
A directory of kid-safe web sites, presented in both English and Spanish.

CyberSleuth Kids
Educational directory and homework helper for the K-12 student. Search from thousands of subject specific internet sites.

Family Friendly Search
Meta search service that queries major kid-friendly search engines.

KidsNook.com
Directory of web sites, designed for kids ages 7 to 14. All sites are supposed to be appropriate for children. Adult-oriented banner ads do not appear.

Linkopedia Kidzone
Rated and reviewed sites for children aged 2 to 10.

Teach-nology.com
Directory of web sites for teachers and educators.