A Better Way to Search?

Like most people, I spend lots of time searching for information to help me get my job done each day. For example, I search through my email messages to find room information for meetings, instructions from colleagues, and remind myself about messages I sent earlier.

When I'm starting a new project, my best research comes from Web pages I've found through searches. When I get stuck on a problem, an intense search usually yields the answers I need to keep working.

This is sometimes a brain-racking exercise, since most search engines require keywords to provide the best results. The trick is coming up with the right set of keywords, and using boolean operators to refine the results.

Sometimes I wish search engines could work the way I think. For example, instead of having to form a query like "solaris 10 + install + laptop - server," I'd rather ask the question "How do install Solaris 10 on my laptop?"

The solution might be close, at least for finding answers to Solaris 10 questions. The folks behind the Solaris 10 Knowledge Base pilot have developed search capabilities based on natural language queries. You enter a phrase or question just like you would ask a friend or colleague, and behind the scenes the natural language processing technology locates the documents that are most likely to provide the answer.

When I posed this question, I was pleased with the results:

Not too shabby! The first document returned is a How to Guide for new users wanting to Solaris 10 on x64 or x86 systems. Even if the results were not what I expected, I could easily narrow my search by selecting a category (such as Install/Boot) or a document type (such as documentation). It's definitely a new way to search, and I'm having to unlearn some old "boolean" habits and trust my instincts.

Intrigued? Try the Solaris 10 Knowledge Base pilot and let us know what you think.

Looking for Clues ...

You're my customer. You're the reason my company exists, and I have a job, that pays my bills (always), is rewarding (usually) and is fun (sometimes). Then why am I afraid to tell you the truth?

For example, the truth about how maddeningly long it takes to make a simple change to <un-named web site>, that I'm convinced is right and should happen right now, only to get caught up in process, red tape, and delays.

Or the truth about feeling lost and in the dark about who's visiting <un-named web site>, how often they are visiting, and if they like or hate what they see, so I can change, adapt, and improve?

Or the truth about feeling foolish when I have to ask a software developer to change a simple link on <un-named web site>.

No, this isn't Jerry Maguire moment, but I've been inspired after meeting Rick Levine, one of the authors (and former Sun employee) of the Clue Train Manifesto.

Though it was written several years ago, just about everything predicted in the Clue Train Manifesto is coming true. For example, the Internet has enabled a global conversation, where normal people participate, and form new markets that are brutually smarter and move faster than the companies that "target" them.

And that companies that operate in "business as usual" mode are doomed.

So, I'm looking for clues. About how to open up, and be truthful and genuine. About sharing the good, bad, and ugly occurring on My Sun Connection without hesitation. And most of all, about how to start a conversation with you, dear reader.

OpenSolaris.org: An Order of Magnitude More User Participation

Software should improve the more people use it. This can only happen when users are encouraged to cross the imaginary line that separates them from software developers.

This is happening today on OpenSolaris.org, an online community that many Solaris engineers have made their home, along with users, system administrators, technical writers, and anyone who wants to have a stake in building the best operating system on the planet.

Based on a subset of the source code for the Solaris Operating System, the OpenSolaris project is an open source project sponsored by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Achieving an order of magnitude more user participation means systematically eliminating barriers between producers and consumers, and creating a level playing field where everyone can contribute.

Looking for a particular software feature that doesn't exist yet? On OpenSolaris.org, not only can you talk to the engineers responsible, you can file a bug and contribute your own code towards the new feature. How cool is that?

Openly participating with the engineers who write and use the code is good for everyone. Improvements and new features can show up in future releases of Solaris, such as Nevada. Innovations aren't limited to Solaris — they can appear in other products, too.

Operating systems are typically huge, with lots of specialized "moving parts," like the kernel, printing, file systems, networking, and more. Regardless of your speciality, chances are you can find people with like interests on OpenSolaris.org. The community is organic — it grows to accomodate people's needs. Leaders form naturally, and anyone can follow or "observe" discussions, events and news for a given speciality area.

Participants are making physical connections, too. For example, Sun engineers are meeting up with OpenSolaris.org users co-developers at conferences such as LISA.

OpenSolaris.org shows that the participation age just isn't a buzzword at Sun — it's what the OpenSolaris community is living and practicing every day.