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Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Desktop Search for Source Analysis

Now, there are always Gigas source codes for me to pass. Without source analysis tools like source insight or source navigator, it really can be a big trouble sometimes.

Unfortunately, source insight is a bit expensive to deploy into all my PCs. On the freeware side, source navigator does not support c# so far (even worse, it failed several times when I try to add Gigas c++ files to a project).

Consider that the main feature I use in source insight is to search reference, caller, definition, etc. of a given entity, can we use a desktop search engine to do these work. Of cause, we stand a little chance to get such a desktop search engine.

But after I tried some engines, I feel they can help much, when I have no source insight installed. What's better is they usually do search much faster than source insight.

There are lots desktop search engine today. I have no time to try them all. So, I selected three for reference.

  • Microsoft Index Services (MIS)
  • Google Desktop Search (GDS)
  • Copernic Desktop Search (CDS)

    As MIS is integrated in windows, it is attractive that I donnot need to download and install anything, if it can be used. But I found it is slow, in terms of both indexing and searching. BTW: I use a wiki system based on MIS --- Perspective Wiki.

    Then I tried GDS, it provides search interface integrated into google search page. Maybe it is attractive for thoese google fans, but I guess they will be disappeared when they found GDS almost cannot refine search result, difficult to configure search for each folder, etc.

    After some googling, I found CDS. Its rate is quick good in some reviews. Another reason I select it is I recalled that I used to use another search product from Copernic around 2000. :-)

    Based on 1 hour experience, I think CDS is quite good for me to analyze source codes. It can easily start search inside a folder, restrict file name, date in a standalone native program.

    Maybe we can improve source navigator based on these open source desktop search enigne? :-D

  • 1 comment:

    Li-Zhao 李钊 said...

    maybe beagle is better than them in term of source code analysis, as it can index exact word with case sensitive