File search speed..

[imamartian]

Why is it that if i search for a file on my PC (C:\ drive), say for example looking for a spreadsheet with the word 'tax' in its title, it can take a few minutes to get through a few thousand files.
However, if i google the word 'tax', in less than a second i get 351,000,000 hits?

Surely websites are in reality just files, hosted (held) on big servers all over the world?

Can anyone explain why the response times are so difference?

 

[joinerjohn]

Here ya go.!!!!

http://www.googleguide.com/google_works.html

Simples

 

[empip]

Searching the 'index' within a book as opposed to searching page by page, may provide a clue.

Add relevantly named folders to HDD, like chapters in 'that book'.

----------------Google.

Google's pigeons...

..............................MS
From 'Help' in Win7

...The ‘Indexing’ feature is used to increase the speed of file searches within XP by creating and updating an index of all files on your system...

-0-

 

[Monkeh]

Why is it that if i search for a file on my PC (C:\ drive), say for example looking for a spreadsheet with the word 'tax' in its title, it can take a few minutes to get through a few thousand files.
However, if i google the word 'tax', in less than a second i get 351,000,000 hits?

Surely websites are in reality just files, hosted (held) on big servers all over the world?

Can anyone explain why the response times are so difference?

Simple: Google have spent millions of pounds on high end hardware, and you have a cheap desktop PC.

 

[imamartian]

Searching the 'index' within a book as opposed to searching page by page, may provide a clue.
an index of all files on your system...

Thanks, i understand the concept of a key, and a primary, or secondary indexed search versus a full table scan.... i just wondered if that's all it was? and i also wondered how quickly i get responses from the other side of the globe.. is that milli/micro seconds?

 

[Monkeh]

Milliseconds. Speed of light plus processing time.

 

[tapir]

Google can return their searches quickly because they have massive data centres located across the globe, with some awesome computing to handle all the requests, coupled with some clever indexing, not to mention pre-fetch code, complex algorithms, and an army to support this. It's like asking why a Ford Fiesta can't compete with an F1 car

 

[imamartian]

Google can return their searches quickly because they have massive data centres located across the globe, with some awesome computing to handle all the requests, coupled with some clever indexing, not to mention pre-fetch code, complex algorithms, and an army to support this. It's like asking why a Ford Fiesta can't compete with an F1 car

My ford fiesta is looking for a dozen files amongst 20,000..
Whereas, the F1 car is literally looking through billions and billions of files across 100,000's servers, for millions and millions of people all at the same time.

 

[Monkeh]

Google can return their searches quickly because they have massive data centres located across the globe, with some awesome computing to handle all the requests, coupled with some clever indexing, not to mention pre-fetch code, complex algorithms, and an army to support this. It's like asking why a Ford Fiesta can't compete with an F1 car

My ford fiesta is looking for a dozen files amongst 20,000..
Whereas, the F1 car is literally looking through billions and billions of files across 100,000's servers, for millions and millions of people all at the same time.

No, the several thousand F1 cars they have are. Google's network is vast. Just one of their front-end boxes makes your computer look like a child's toy.