cuil

The Irish ancestry of Anna Patterson's husband Tom Costello sparked the name Cuil, which the company states is taken from a series of Celtic folklore stories involving a character, Fionn mac Cumhaill, they erroneously refer to as Finn MacCuil. The company says that Cuil is Irish for "knowledge" and "hazel".[https://web.archive.org/web/20100526140522/http://www.cuil.com/info/faqs/ FAQs], Cuil. Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Web.archive.org (2010-05-26). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.

Some linguists are unsure of this derivation and pronunciation,{{cite news|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/149167/whats_in_a_name_better_not_ask_cuil.html|title=What's in a Name? Better Not Ask Cuil|author=Gohring, Nancy|date=July 30, 2008|work=PC World|access-date=2008-08-03|publisher=IDG}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and note that the modern Irish word for "hazel" is spelled coll{{cite web|url=http://www.tearma.ie/Search.aspx?term=coll|title=coll|work=téarma.ie – Dictionary of Irish Terms|publisher=Foras na Gaeilge and Dublin City University|access-date=2016-11-18}} (coill or cuill in genitive form, the former spelling having superseded the latter as a result of the Caighdeán Oifigiúil reforms of the mid-twentieth century). Foras na Gaeilge, the official governing body of the Irish language, did not support the assertion that cuil means "knowledge". "I am unaware myself of the meaning 'knowledge' being with the word 'cuil' in Irish", Stiofán Ó Deoráin, an official on Foras na Gaeilge's terminology committee, said. Even pre-Caighdeán dictionaries such as DineenDinneen, Patrick Foclóir Gaeḋlge agus Béarla Irish Texts Society 1927 do not associate the cuil spelling with knowledge or hazel. Dinneen only lists two nouns and one adjective with the spelling cuil: "f., a fly, a horse-fly...", "f., a venomous aspect; great eagerness..." and "gs. of col, as a., wicked."

The company name had previously been spelled Cuill.[http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11113/new-media/is-google-losing-its-cuil "Irishman launches Cuil but will it scare Google? – 'Cuil (previously known as Cuill)'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080805145250/http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11113/new-media/is-google-losing-its-cuil |date=2008-08-05 }}. Silicon Republic (2008-07-28). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.

Cuil launched in July 2008 with an index of 121,617,892,992 web pages.{{cite news|author=DoesWhat|title=Cuil ... Internet ceases to expand|url=http://www.doeswhat.com/2008/08/22/cuil-internet-ceases-to-expand/|work=DoesWhat.com|date=August 22, 2008|access-date=2008-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080825184048/http://www.doeswhat.com/2008/08/22/cuil-internet-ceases-to-expand/|archive-date=August 25, 2008|url-status=dead}} About one month after launch, Cuil's product VP and search technologist, Louis Monier, quit the company citing disagreements with the CEO, Tom Costello.{{cite news|work=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/11/AR2008091102551.html |title=Cuil's VP Product Bails Out A Month After Launch |access-date= 2008-09-11 | first=Michael | last=Arrington | date=September 11, 2008}} On December 19, 2008, BusinessWeek listed Cuil as one of the most successful U.S. startups of 2008, based on the amount of money they raised.[http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/12/1217_hottest_startups/8.htm Most Successful U.S. Startups 2008: Cuil – BusinessWeek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409010755/http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/12/1217_hottest_startups/8.htm |date=2010-04-09 }}. Images.businessweek.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-15. As of February 2009, Cuil had 127 billion indexed pages.{{cite web|url=http://www.wordstream.com/articles/internet-search-engines-history|title=History of Search Engines - Chronological List of Internet Search Engines|access-date=February 3, 2014}} According to Alexa, the site reached a peak of just over 0.2% of worldwide internet users in late July 2008 and by September 12, 2008, it had dropped to 0.02% and ranked as the 5,340th site by traffic. By October 13, 2008, it had dropped to 0.005% and ranked as the 21,960th site in traffic.[https://web.archive.org/web/20230531082925/https://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/cuil.com http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/cuil.com]. Alexa.com (2010-02-16). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.

PC Magazine reported that on the morning of September 17, 2010 "employees were told about Cuil's demise ... and the servers were taken offline five hours later."Murphy, David, [https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369346,00.asp From Cuil to Frozen: The "Google-Killer" Eats Its Own Medicine], pcmag.com, 18 September 2010, retrieved 20 September 2010 Laid-off employees were told they would not be paid. The shutdown reportedly came after an acquisition agreement fell through earlier in the week.Arrington, Michael, [https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/19/cuils-fails-acquired/ "Cuil Fails to Be Acquired"], TechCrunch, 20 September 2010, retrieved 20 September 2010 Their patents were sold to Google and Anna Patterson returned to Google to work for its Search Engine department.{{Cite web|url=https://searchengineland.com/googler-killer-cuil-patent-applications-acquired-by-google-112186|title='Googler Killer', Cuil, Patent Applications Acquired By Google|date=February 20, 2012|website=Search Engine Land}}

A user could log into their Facebook account via Cuil, which would then search friend updates for topics, with search links. A user could also send messages to their friends through Cuil.{{cite news|author=Cuil|title=Link Cuil with Facebook|url=http://www.cuil.com/info/help/facebook.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526141850/http://www.cuil.com/info/help/facebook.php|archive-date=2010-05-26|year=2010|access-date=2010-02-28}}

Cuil worked on an automated encyclopedia called Cpedia, built by algorithmically summarizing and clustering ideas on the web{{cite news|author=Cuil|title=About Us – Cuil|url=http://www.cuil.com/info/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526134657/http://www.cuil.com/info/|archive-date=2010-05-26|year=2010|access-date=2010-04-06}} to create encyclopedia-like reports. Instead of displaying search results, Cuil would show Cpedia articles matching the searched terms. This was meant to reduce duplication by combining information into one document.

Cuil was available in 8 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish, with more planned for the future.{{cite news|author=Hema, Software Engineer|title=Cuil in Multiple Languages|url=http://www.cuil.com/info/blog/2009/05/13/cuil-in-multiple-languages?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517212143/http://www.cuil.com/info/blog/2009/05/13/cuil-in-multiple-languages|archive-date=2009-05-17|work=www.cuil.com|publisher=Cuil|date=May 13, 2009|access-date=2009-06-18|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.cuil.com/prefs |title=Cuil – Preferences |access-date=2009-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526134805/http://www.cuil.com/prefs |archive-date=2010-05-26 |url-status=dead }}

Cuil received widely critical press coverage.{{cite news|author=Needleman, Rafe|title=Cuil shows us how not to launch a search engine|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10000670-2.html|work=CNET news|publisher=CNET|date=July 28, 2008|access-date=2008-07-28}}{{cite news|author=Hansell, Saul|title=No Bull, Cuil Had Problems|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/no-bull-cuil-had-problems/|work=The New York Times |department=Bits Blog|date=July 28, 2008|access-date=2008-07-30}}{{cite news|author=Dvorak, John C.|title=The New Cuil Search Engine Sucks|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2326643,00.asp|work=PC Magazine|publisher=Ziff Davis|date=July 28, 2008|access-date=2008-08-03|archive-date=2008-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802050525/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2326643,00.asp|url-status=dead}} Concerns were expressed about the website's slow response times, irrelevant or wrong search results{{cite news|author=Hamilton, Anita|title=Why Cuil is No Threat to Google|url=http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1827331,00.html|work=Time|date=July 28, 2008|access-date=2008-07-28|archive-date=2008-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080729203034/http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1827331,00.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|author=DoesWhat|title=Cuil ... back to Google then|url=http://www.doeswhat.com/2008/07/29/cuil-back-to-google-then/|work=DoesWhat.com|date=July 29, 2008|access-date=2008-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914192745/http://www.doeswhat.com/2008/07/29/cuil-back-to-google-then/|archive-date=September 14, 2008|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|author=Burdick, Dave|title=Cuil Review: Really? No Dave Burdicks? This Search Engine Is Stupid|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/dave-burdick/cuil-review-really-no-dav_b_115413.html|work=Huffington Post|date=July 28, 2008|access-date=2008-07-28}} and in at least one case, irrelevant pornographic images displayed alongside search results.{{cite news|author=Metz, Cade|title=Ex-Googlers reinvent web search|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/29/cuil_launch/|work=www.theregister.co.uk|publisher=The Register|date=July 29, 2008|access-date=2008-07-29}} Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch questioned the validity of Cuil's claim that it had the world's largest search engine index and criticized it for focusing on size rather than relevance.{{cite news|author=Sullivan, Danny|title=Cuil Launches – Can This Search Start-Up Really Best Google?|url=http://searchengineland.com/080728-000100.php|work=search engine land blog|publisher=Search Engine Land|date=July 28, 2008|access-date=2008-07-28|archive-date=2008-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080728174514/http://searchengineland.com/080728-000100.php|url-status=dead}} However, despite reported problems with search results, Net Applications reported that for the last three days of July 2008, Cuil beat Google and Yahoo in the amount of time spent on a site after referral from a search engine.{{cite web |url=http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?sample=16&qprid=38&qpcustom=Cuil |title=Cuil Stumbles on Launch, but Beats Google in Key Relevancy Metric |access-date=2008-08-15 |date=2008-08-01 |work=Market Share |publisher=Net Applications }}

According to an interview with a Cuil representative, while other Web 2.0 launches using massively parallel processing might fail with a slow down or crash, Cuil's architecture was responding with incomplete, "less-than-relevant results that then appear at the top of users' pages." Cuil's VP of communications Vince Sollitto said the search engine was experiencing heavy first-day overloads and they were "busy putting out fires." Sollitto said Cuil "will only improve with time. It's day one. Traffic is massive. We're new. There are bugs to fix, results to improve."

After the initial critical press coverage, Cuil was alleged to have caused issues for some websites, owing to how the Cuil indexing robot polled certain sites (including under its pre-release name, Cuill).{{cite web|publisher=Skrentablog| url=http://www.skrenta.com/2008/04/cuill_is_banned_on_10000_sites.html | title=Cuill is banned on 10,000 sites|date=April 8, 2008|access-date=2010-05-25}} Many website owners reported that the Twiceler crawler repeatedly hit their site with randomly generated URLs in an attempt to find pages inaccessible by links.{{cite news|author=Reisinger, Don|title=Is Cuil killing websites?|url=https://techcrunch.com/2008/09/01/is-cuil-killing-websites/|work=techcrunch.com|publisher=TechCrunch|date=September 1, 2008|access-date=2008-09-02}} Others reported irrelevant images associated with their listing in Cuil's search results.{{cite web|publisher=TechCrunch | url=https://techcrunch.com/2008/07/29/how-to-lose-your-cuil-20-seconds-after-launch | title=How To Lose Your Cuil 20 Seconds After Launch}}

• List of search engines

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100916001435/http://www.cuil.com/ Cuil]

Category:Defunct American websites

Category:Internet properties established in 2008

Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2010

Category:Defunct internet search engines

Category:Defunct online companies of the United States