Editing Desktop search (section)

=== Mac OS ===
In 1994 the [[AppleSearch]] search engine was introduced, allowing users to fully search all documents within their Macintosh computer, including file format types, meta-data on those files, and content within the files. AppleSearch was a [[Client–server model|client/server application]], and as such required a server separate from the main device in order to function. The biggest issue with AppleSearch were its large resource requirements: "AppleSearch requires at least a 68040 processor and 5MB of RAM."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://infomotions.com/musings/tricks/manuscript/1600-0001.html|title=AppleSearch|work=infomotions.com|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref> At the time, a Macintosh computer with these specifications was priced at approximately $1400; equivalent to $2050 in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.areppim.com/calc/calc_usdlrxdeflator.php|title=Converter of current to real US dollars - using the GDP deflator|author=eduardo casais|work=areppim.com|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref> On top of this, the software itself cost an additional $1400 for a single license.

In 1997, [[Sherlock (software)|Sherlock]] was released alongside Mac OS 8.5. Sherlock (named after the famous fictional detective [[Sherlock Holmes]]) was integrated into Mac OS's file browser&nbsp;– [[Finder (software)|Finder]]. Sherlock extended the desktop search function to the World Wide Web, allowing users to search both locally and externally. Adding additional functions—such as internet access—to Sherlock was relatively simple, as this was done through plugins written as plain text files. Sherlock was included in every release of Mac OS from [[Mac OS 8]], before being deprecated and replaced by [[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]] and [[Dashboard (Mac OS)|Dashboard]] in [[Mac OS X Tiger|Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger]]. It was officially removed in [[Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard]]

[[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]] was released in 2005 as part of [[Mac OS X Tiger|Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger]]. It is a Selection-based search tool, which means the user invokes a query using only the mouse. Spotlight allows the user to search the Internet for more information about any keyword or phrase contained within a document or webpage, and uses a built-in calculator and Oxford American Dictionary to offer quick access to small calculations and word definitions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/04/12Apple-to-Ship-Mac-OS-X-Tiger-on-April-29.html|title=Apple - Press Info - Apple to Ship Mac OS X "Tiger" on April 29|work=apple.com|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref> While Spotlight initially has a long startup time, this decreases as the hard disk is indexed. As files are added by the user, the index is constantly updated in the background using minimal CPU & RAM resources.