When iac bought ask jeeves for $1.85 billion last month, experts were not saying that IAC overpaid—quite the contrary. That gives you some idea of the way industry watchers view the potential and importance of search technology. The momentum for search has been building for some time. Google, having reached $1 billion in annual sales, launched an IPO that blossomed impressively last summer and has been seeking to entice developers to create applications that call on Google search. Not to be left behind, Yahoo has been seeking to contest Google's ascendancy with developers by launching a comprehensive developers program for its search technology. Microsoft, once again not the first mover, has been warming up on the sidelines as it looks for opportunities.
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