subject index

1 definition found

subject index - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  subject index
  
     <information science> An information resource that contains
     references to other resources, categorised by subject, usually
     in a hierarchy.
  
     Yahoo is the most popular Internet subject index.  Like
     most other subject indices  (http://yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/Searching_the_Web/Web_Directories/)
      ,
     Yahoo is arranged ontologically.
  
     Subject indices are not to be confused with search engines,
     which are based not on subject, but instead on relevance,
     although (1) this difference is often (possibly rightly)
     hidden from the unsophisticated user, and (2) future
     integration of knowledge representation into relevance
     ranking algorithms will make this a hazy distinction.
  
     (1997-04-09)