Even my 90 year old Grand Mother is aware that Microsoft have dominated software products. But where have they been in search? Microsoft Live Search handled about 9 or 10% of searches but that pales in comparison to Googles 60% and Yahoo! at over 20% of searches. But perhaps now, finally, Microsoft is getting serious about search with Bing.

Bing is a stark home page focusing solely on search, as Google does, and not a larger portal style home page like Yahoo! Many thought this might not be the case as they could easily have built a portal, but many are excited by the bold move to focus on search.

The web is dominated by search. The best player in this field rules the web. Are we going to see Google get taken down by Bing a la what Google did to Alta Vista? Probably not. But it is certainly exciting to see another major player in the field of search with a serious search engine interface.

Early indications are that it will do quite well. It has reportedly garnished over 16% of searches within a particular day early after its release. But this can very quickly go down hill if people aren't satisfied with the results they get. People are very quick these days to use something, asses its worth and continue with it or abandon it. The life span of an Internet business can be very, very short.

Whilst search is such a huge part of the web, Bing haven't really added anything to it as far as I can see. As Aaron Wall of SEO Book says "Many of these companies followed the "new rules of engagement", demonstrating that following new models, like the Google model, is far from a guarantee of success." Following Google's model may not be a guarantee of success for Bing.

Will Bing's life be short? We'll all keep our eyes on the sky...I mean search.

• Bing Vs Google - A Performance Perspective
• Ray Ozzie: Who Can Keep Microsoft From "Growing Old Inside"?
• Search Smackdown: Bing Vs. Google
• Bing Creates Mini-Surge