The future of the web has arrived. Earlier this month, internet startup Powerset revealed its Semantic Web search service - a way of searching that should provide users with a more satisfying experience.

In theory, the Semantic Web allows computers to search all the content on the web through the collaborative use of information.

In practice, Powerset is limited to searching Wikipedia. But this first version at least provides a taster of semantic-based searching, showing how users can search via conversational techniques rather than keywords.

More importantly, Powerset shows a significant step towards a more intuitive web experience.

Such movement should be welcomed, especially as the concept of the Semantic Web has previously been more niche than mainstream.

Father of the web Tim Berners-Lee has been espousing its potential benefits for the best part of a decade. And some key businesses have released semantic-like tools.

Back in the late 1990s, honorary professor of linguistics David Crystal spent three years analysing 100,000 words from the English dictionary and found an average of 2.5 meanings associated with each.

The research allowed his software firm, Crystal Semantics, to create search tools based on the relationship between words and the contexts in which they occur.

Such developments led Robin Mannings, university research programme manager at BT Exact’s Adastral Park research centre, to declare four years ago that the Semantic Web would give deeper meaning to data.

“Part of the future is about trying to make computers less stupid, or less difficult to use,” he said.

So what will the future of the web be like? In truth, it is a bit disappointing. Being limited to Wikipedia searches does not necessarily provide more useful information than traditional search platforms such as Google.

The good news is that Powerset intends to expand the search technology to other areas in the coming months.

The bad news is that some IT experts are already re-tagging the Semantic Web as Web 3.0.

Semantic searching might provide a more satisfying web experience. But as ever, the hype that accompanies innovation is likely to prove stultifying.

What do you think? Read Mark Samuels’ blog at:
http://knowledge.computing.co.uk