The French oxymoron called Quaero

Posted on May 10, 2006 at 1:36 pm (UK)
in: Business, Europe, Politics, Technology, Web

In January, I wrote about Quaero, a planned European multimedia search engine, the answer to Google and brainchild of the French government.

My own thoughts about it were expressed thus:

[...] The idea of Quaero is a terrific one. Yet I can’t imagine anything more oxymoronic than “government-backed search engine.”

Loic Le Meur - a Frenchman – has posted a withering commentary on this oxymoron, lambasting the French government in the process.

Headline points from Loic’s 10 reasons why the French search engine will fail:

  1. Can’t spell it.
  2. Centralized.
  3. Secret versus beta.
  4. No buzz, no adoption.
  5. A galaxy of actors who compete to get the subventions and don’t get much noticed for their latest web innovations.
  6. Not really international.
  7. A neverending story.
  8. Not enough euros.
  9. Subventions euros are not worth venture capital euros.
  10. Google is a thousand startups

See Loic’s post for the excruciating details.

Bookmark and Share

Print This Post Print This Post

{ 2 trackbacks }

Das CIO Weblog
May 10, 2006 at 19:54
Why no one trusts politicians and CEOs at NevilleHobson.com
June 19, 2006 at 13:24

{ 2 comments }

1 Rod Large May 24, 2006 at 16:57

I wanted to ask you about this yesterday at ZeitGeist event! Great presentation…thanks
But seriously…….why would the German and French governments invest in a search engine?
Do they see Google as a threat? On what basis?
regards
Rod

2 neville May 24, 2006 at 23:40

Thanks Rod. I wasn’t at Zeitgeist, though but Loic was.

Re Quaero, Loic’s post really says it all. Maybe the govts do see Google as a threat although I think it’s more to do with French national pride or somesuch notion. Expensive pride.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post: Travelblogging India contest

Next post: FIR Interview – Christopher Carfi, CEO, Cerado: May 10, 2006