Foreword to the First Edition
When we started Google, it was hard to predict how big it would
become. That our search engine would someday serve as a catalyst for
so many important web developments was a distant dream. We are
honored by the growing interest in Google and offer many thanks to
those who created this book—the largest and most comprehensive
report on Google search technology that has yet to be published.
Search is an amazing field of study, because it offers infinite
possibilities for how we might find and make information available to
people. We join with the authors in encouraging readers to approach
this book with a view toward discovering and creating new ways to
search. Google's mission is to organize the
world's information and make it universally
accessible and useful, and we welcome any contribution you make
toward achieving this goal.
Hacking is the creativity that fuels the Web. As software developers
ourselves, we applaud this book for its adventurous spirit.
We're adventurous, too, and were happy to discover
that this book highlights many of the same experiments we conduct on
our free time here at Google.
Google is constantly adapting its search algorithms to match the
dynamic growth and changing nature of the Web. As you read, please
keep in mind that the examples in this book are valid today but, as
Google innovates and grows over time, may become obsolete. We
encourage you to follow the latest developments and to participate in
the ongoing discussions about search as facilitated by books such as
this one.
Virtually every engineer at Google has used an
O'Reilly publication to help them with their jobs.
O'Reilly books are a staple of the Google
engineering library, and we hope that Google
Hacks will be as useful to others as the
O'Reilly publications have been to Google.
With the largest collection of web documents in the world, Google is
a reflection of the Web. The hacks in this book are not just about
Google, they are also about unleashing the vast potential of the Web
today and in the years to come. Google Hacks is
a great resource for search enthusiasts, and we hope you enjoy it as
much as we did.
Thanks,
--The Google Engineering Team
December 11, 2002
Mountain View,
California
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