The WebEngine: A Fully Integrated, Decentralised Web Search Engine

Abstract

This paper presents a basic, new concept for decentralized web search which addresses major shortcomings of current web search engines. Its methods are characterised by their local working principles, making it possible to employ them on diverse hardware configurations. The concept's implementation in form of an interactive, librarian-inspired peer-to-peer software client, called 'WebEngine', is elaborated on in detail. This software extends and interconnects common web servers creating and forming a decentralised web search system on top of the existing web structure while --for the first time-- combining modern text analysis techniques with novel and efficient search functions as well as approaches for the semantically induced P2P-network construction and its exible management. This way, an alternative, fully integrated and powerful web search engine under the motto 'The Web is its own search engine.' is built making the web searchable without any central authority.