[snip -- Alta Vista doesn't report ignored words]

>I'm only speaking for myself, but that practices drives me f***ing
>nuts.  If I specify a mandatory terms, I either want it to appear in
>every document or (at an absolute minimum) a notice that the term is
>being ignored.

I was a bit suprised by this thread, because there WAS a time when
Alta Vista would report the number of matches on each word, and the
fact that a word had been ignored due to too many matches. I guess I
haven't paid attention the last few times I used it, since I hadn't
realized the behaviour had changed. Personally, I like to know if I
use a word that ends up being ignored. It helps me understand what's
happening when a query doesn't return what I expect it to. 

My .02 .

Scott Schultz
scott@ceweekly.com