2 Feb 2007 Alphax   » (Apprentice)

boto : Google does fun things with cookies and algorithms.

  1. Person types "mandrake linux"
  2. Person remembers the name change and types "mandriva linux"
  3. Google's algorithms go through all your search results (yes, that's what the cookie is for - lets them associate searches with "the same person") and decides that "mandrake", "mandriva" and "linux" are connected (but it knows enough about "linux" to know they're not the same)
  4. Down the track, someone will type "mandrake linux" and be asked "perhaps you want 'mandriva' instead"
  5. Person clicks "mandriva", Google associates "mandrake linux" with "mandriva"

Same way a person learns, really. However, it's still a good idea to delete your Google cookie(s) every once in a while...

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