Yahoo Desktop Search to appear in January of 2005, is licensed from software company x1. The application is reported to be native to Windows and will not be immediately offered for Mac machines, but those who have seen it at work claim that it is very fast. The downside is that the application makes it harder to switch to other search engines within the searches. So if you want to search for anything at another search engine while in the Yahoo desktop search application, it will be much harder to do so. Google built their desktop search into the browser, which makes searches from the browser as simple as typing in a new address.

I absolutely HATE proprietary closed loop arrangements in the corporate world. This happens when you buy Nextel branded cell phones from Motorola, which won’t work with other wireless companies service. You can’t email phone photos to those outside your provider. Your batteries are different than those used by the same manufacturers phones at another cell provider. Even phone accessories such as belt clips and carrying cases must be purchased ONLY through your own provider!

This proprietary stance is shortsighted and frustrating when you are locked into using stuff from one company that won’t work with their competitors. Microsoft is currently feeling the heat of proprietary Internet Explorer shortcomings by all of those jumping ship to RUN toward Firefox browsers. Yahoo is going to attempt to lock in their users and prevent escape from their desktop search application. Stupid, stupid, stupid.