Kartoo
Encyclopedia
KartOO was a meta search engine
which displayed a visual interface
. It operated from 2001 to early 2010.
GUI
, as opposed to a text-based list of results. Its color scheme was to a degree reminiscent of Apple Computer
's Aqua
interface. Search results were presented as a "map", with blob-like masses of varying color connecting each item. On rollover of an individual result a bunch of red lines connected related links
. If one began their search with a general topic, KartOO sometimes helped to narrow it down. Every "blob" clicked added another word to the search query. The map would often succeed in presenting keywords or subtopics that defined the topic one was searching on, very much like an interactive spider diagram
.
by two cousins, Laurent Baleydier and Nicholas Baleydier. This project was launched in 2001. Most of their advertisement was through word of mouth.
In 2004, KartOO launched a new version called UJIKO (five nearby keys on a keyboard, similar to QWERTY
). The interface looked more like a "jukebox" with the linked sites as playlists.
In January 2010 KartOO closed down, removing all content from the KartOO and UJIKO websites, but leaving a small message in French thanking its users for their support. By 2011 that message had been removed.
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
which displayed a visual interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
. It operated from 2001 to early 2010.
Interface
KartOO had a graphical Adobe FlashAdobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
, as opposed to a text-based list of results. Its color scheme was to a degree reminiscent of Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's Aqua
Aqua (user interface)
Aqua is the GUI and primary visual theme of Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system. It is based around the theme of water, as its name suggests, with droplet-like elements and liberal use of translucency and reflection effects...
interface. Search results were presented as a "map", with blob-like masses of varying color connecting each item. On rollover of an individual result a bunch of red lines connected related links
Hyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
. If one began their search with a general topic, KartOO sometimes helped to narrow it down. Every "blob" clicked added another word to the search query. The map would often succeed in presenting keywords or subtopics that defined the topic one was searching on, very much like an interactive spider diagram
Spider diagram
A unitary spider diagram adds existential points to an Euler or a Venn diagram. The points indicate the existence of an attribute described by the intersection of contours in the Euler diagram. These points may be joined together forming a shape like a spider...
.
History
It was co-founded in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by two cousins, Laurent Baleydier and Nicholas Baleydier. This project was launched in 2001. Most of their advertisement was through word of mouth.
In 2004, KartOO launched a new version called UJIKO (five nearby keys on a keyboard, similar to QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
). The interface looked more like a "jukebox" with the linked sites as playlists.
In January 2010 KartOO closed down, removing all content from the KartOO and UJIKO websites, but leaving a small message in French thanking its users for their support. By 2011 that message had been removed.
Ahead of its time?
In a review of the service, Juan C. Dürsteler wrote in 2002, "Perhaps visual representations will begin to predominate in information retrieval when they show things that we can not see in the ordered list. The semantic links of KartOO are an incipient step forward in this sense."External links
- Recent Review of KartOO and Clusty (now Yippy), from Brigham Young's Center For Teaching & Learning.