3.2.4 Critical evaluation

Like WebCorp, KWiCFinder is a program specially designed for the efficient linguistic evaluation of webpages. It is basically modelled on the full-text matching capabilities of the web search engine AltaVista, which is currently owned by Yahoo!. However, many improvements have been made along the way in order to permit even more finely-targeted searches. The implementation of single-character wildcards; a so called “sic” option; the complementation of AltaVista's NEAR Boolean operator with BEFORE and AFTER operators; the introduction of time-saving “tamecards”, a shorthand for alternate forms; as well as the adoption of “inclusion” and “exclusion” features are just a few of the enhancements made to Web Search as such. Also, KWiCFinder offers highly interactive search reports, which provide the user with an opportunity for additional editing. Generally speaking, KWiCFinder and WebCorp pursue the same objective – finding a way to bypass the limitations of the Web in order to either use it as a linguistic corpus or to compile corpora. Both programs attempt to achieve this goal by making the user interface more interactive and allowing the user to influence the search's outcome to a much greater extent. In comparison to WebCorp, KWiCFinder only works with Windows and must be downloaded and installed. This might discourage some searches, as working with KWiCFinder calls for a somewhat elaborate preparation in terms of having to download, install and learn how to operate the program.

Aside from the many advantages to the program, KWiCFinder's main problem, as for WebCorp, is its reliance on commercial crawlers which means that it is inevitably subjected to the Internet's vagaries. Yet, according to the current circumstances, the program serves as a helpful tool for searching the Web in a more structured fashion with regard to retrieval of linguistic evidence and is definitely worth a try (cf. Fletcher 2007).

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