The big day was yesterday. Microsoft rolled out its Search initiative. Search is the center of computing and it is the epicenter of all things advertising. Local search is coming and promises to add billions to Search companies' coffers. If one aims to be a player in computing, then one had better be strong in Search.

I was thinking the other day that one no longer hears much about Linux. Linux has its place, but it probably has run its course in terms of being a hot tech-computing media topic. Even the well known Slashdot community has started to cover politics --- a sure sign that Linux may have run its course excitement-wise.

Search on the other hand is hotter than ever. Microsoft's announcement yesterday was front page material for The Wall Street Journal and had large coverage in The New York Times. Search might well be only in its adolescence!

Fortunately Jupitermedia happens to be the center of the Search editorial world. Searchenginewatch.com is The Wall Street Journal of Search and our SearchEngineStrategies (SES) trade shows are the central meeting places for the Search industry.

The coming SES show in Chicago in December looks to be the largest SES show we have had to date. We run SES in the USA in New York, San Jose and Chicago. This is only our second year in Chicago and the show could well be more than double the size of the 2003 edition. One of the highlights for the Chicago show is that Microsoft will be exhibiting for the first time at an SES event (we also run SES in Germany, England, Canada, Sweden, Japan and soon in China and India). In fact I believe that this will be the first time that Microsoft has exhibited its Search service.