AltaVista

Share This
« Back to Glossary Index

AltaVista was an early innovator in the world of internet[4] search engines. Established in 1995 in Palo Alto, California, by researchers from Digital Equipment Corporation, it was the first to offer a searchable, full-text database on the World Wide Web[1]. It quickly garnered popularity, achieving 80 million hits per day within two years. AltaVista introduced several groundbreaking features such as multimedia search and CAPTCHA technology[3], playing a vital part in popularizing web search. It was also a pioneer in online translation[2] services with its Babel Fish application. However, competition from Google[5] led to a decline in its popularity. Acquired by Yahoo in 2003, it was eventually shut down in 2013. Despite its closure, AltaVista’s contributions to internet search technology continue to be recognized today.

Terms definitions
1. World Wide Web ( World Wide Web ) The World Wide Web, often referred to as the Web, is a widespread information system platform that billions of people interact with daily. Invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Web was designed to support connections between multiple databases on different computers. Its function is to facilitate content sharing over the Internet in a user-friendly manner. This is achieved through web servers that make documents and media content available. Users can locate and access these resources through Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). The Web supports various content types and allows for easy navigation across websites via hyperlinks. Its use extends to various sectors including education, entertainment, commerce, and government, with information provided by companies, organizations, government agencies, and individual users.
2. translation. Translation is a critical linguistic practice that involves converting text or speech from one language to another while maintaining the original meaning, style, and intent. Originating from Latin, its theories have evolved across centuries from ancient metaphrase and paraphrase concepts to modern computer-assisted methods. It plays a vital role in global communication, cultural exchange, and knowledge preservation. The practice has unique traditions and challenges across Western, Near East, and Asian regions. It requires high proficiency in languages and subject matter expertise, akin to the skills of a musician or actor in their respective fields. The field of translation has seen significant historical developments, from ancient civilizations to modern automation efforts, underscoring the importance of translators in society.
AltaVista (Wikipedia)

AltaVista was a Web search engine established in 1995. It became one of the most-used early search engines, but lost ground to Google and was purchased by Yahoo! in 2003, which retained the brand, but based all AltaVista searches on its own search engine. On July 8, 2013, the service was shut down by Yahoo!, and since then the domain has redirected to Yahoo!'s own search site.

AltaVista
Top: 2002–2013 AltaVista logo
Bottom: The AltaVista web portal in 1999
Type of site
Search engine
Available inMultilingual
Founded1995; 29 years ago (1995)
Headquarters,
Key peopleIlene H. Lang, Paul Flaherty, Louis Monier, Michael Burrows, Jeffrey Black
ParentDigital Equipment Corporation (1998)
Overture Services (2003)
Yahoo! (2003–2013)
Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present)
URLwww.altavista.com
AdvertisingYes
RegistrationNo
LaunchedDecember 15, 1995; 28 years ago (1995-12-15)
Current statusDefunct (July 8, 2013 (2013-07-08))
« Back to Glossary Index
en_USEN
Scroll to Top