Wikpedia: Taking on Google?

There has been some buzz lately about Wikia trying to take on the search giant Google.Part of the idea is to make search as open source allowing everyone to better understand how to get better search results for their sites. As opposed to the way Google operates, whose current way of listing sites remains secretive. Search analyst Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence has doubts about how successful the venture can be. For Wikia’s open-source search engine to work, he said, the quality of search results will have to stand out. Is it going to be successful?” Mr. Sterling asked. “I don’t think the answer is ‘yes’ in the near term. It has to be better than ‘good enough’.” Previous open-source efforts, such as the Linux operating system, have worked and have managed to threaten proprietary technologies such as Microsoft’s Windows. But the situation with Google and an upstart like Wikia is not quite the same, Mr. Sterling said.