Possible preview of Microsoft search engine

I was going around MSDN and noticed this section on the front page and noticed this link about a new search algorithm used for MSDN:

We've Recently Updated Search

Then, there's a section that says:

Some Details about the New Algorithm
The new algorithm is based on the Probabilistic Model developed by Microsoft Researcher and City University Professor Stephen Robertson. This new model means better search results, and improved language recognition in searches and queries. The algorithm assures that the documents most relevant to a user's query are returned at the top of the list of search results, providing increased user efficiency and satisfaction. The ranking formula adopted and used by Microsoft full-text search is a direct result of this research.

I could only wonder if this might be same algorithm that they will use for a web search engine.

If you're interested in getting an idea of what Microsoft might be up to this site has a collection of recently awarded MS search related patents and a bunch of published papers on search by MS engineers.

The post is at:
http://www.resourceshelf.com/archiv...828687588742031


Btw, the same site has a collection of Yahoo/Overture/AltaVista patents.
See:
http://www.resourceshelf.com/archiv...838687637399812