Search is one of the most popular activities on the internet, and is only becoming more so as the web grows in both size and popularity. In this talk I'll discuss how we do search at Google; the issues involved in making a good search engine; the hardware system, involving tens of thousands of low-cost, commodity PCs; and the software needed to tie it all together.
About the speaker:
Urs Hölzle joined Google from the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was an associate professor of computer science. In 1994, he earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University, where his research focused on programming languages and their efficient implementation.
As one of the pioneers of "just-in-time compilation," Hölzle invented fundamental techniques used in most of today's leading Java compilers. Before joining Google, Hölzle was a co-founder of Animorphic Systems, which developed compilers for Smalltalk and Java. After Sun Microsystems acquired Animorphic Systems in 1997, Hölzle helped build Javasoft's high-performance Hotspot Java compiler.
As the company's first vice president of Engineering, Hölzle led development of the Google's software and hardware infrastructure during its first two years and was renowned for both his red socks and his free-range Leonberger, Yoshka (Google's top dog).
Contact information:
Urs Hoelzle
Google Inc
2400 Bayshore Pkwy
Mountain View, CA 94043
650 930-3507
urs@google.com