Joel Gets A Mini
Joel On Software got sent a gratis (that’s “free”, okay?) Google Mini Search Appliance. You can see the thing powering his site search. It looks quite speedy and cool, and I like that the link to get the next page of search results is duplicated at the top of the page.
Of course, Matt Cutts is right when he proclaims “Stop the madness, people! We need to reset expectations.” Google keeps sending out gift bags and aspirin, people will start asking for it, and getting mad when they don’t receive it. In a way, it is all misleading, since it creates an inaccurate view of Google customer service, which is typically nonexistant (quick, what’s Google’s 800 number? There isn’t one).
Still, I wouldn’t mind a Mini. Everytime I run into a Googler at a conference, I ask where I can demo a Search Appliance, and they never know how to help me. Perhaps I should ask Joel.
