In a recent post I ranted a little bit about how much I hate the new Search function in Windows 7. Tonight however over at Download Squad they have a post about a new feature of the search function called “Connectr”. Basically after you download a Connectr and install it then you can search the internet from your file browser. Honestly it is a really cool feature of the new search function but it still makes me wonder if they spent so much time on this they forgot to make the local file searching functional.
Long Zheng at iStartedSomething has been the first to make a publicly available connectr which searches Flickr. iStartedSomething is part of my regular reading but somehow I missed this when he first posted about it back in November and I am thankful that Download Squad brought it up again. Maybe this can help salvage my oppinion of Windows Search and steal some of that market share away from Google.
From the Windows 7 Enterprise site::
Search multiple locations from a single interface with Search Federation
Windows 7 enables users to search remote document repositories, SharePoint sites, and Web applications as easily as they search their desktops—through the familiar Windows interface. Windows 7 Search Federation uses an existing public standard named OpenSearch. Users can select which sites are available for searching, or IT can populate the list by Group Policy. Federated search results are presented in Windows explorer much like local files, with rich views, file details, and previews.
Check It Out> Download Squad, iStartedSomething, Windows 7 Enterprise
Channel9 Videos:: Video 1, Video 2
Configure and Download:: The Flickr Connectr, Seven Forums (Youtube, Yahoo, MSN, Google News, Google Blogs)
[...] which allows you to essentially search Internet based locations from your file browser. I originally wrote about it after Long Zheng made a connectr for Flickr and posted it on his [...]