Hotbot
HotBot was one of the first search engines. It was launched in May 1996 by Wired Magazine. Its initial claim to fame was that it updated its search database more often than competitors. Hotbot was acquired by Lycos in 1998, but has now vastly reduced in scope and definitely cannot be described as a mega search engine. Now it is merely a front end for Ask.com and Google. Unlike a meta-search engine, it cannot even blend these results together. For the main editorial listings at HotBot, you need to be listed with all the crawlers it can query.
Hotbot in Optilink
Hotbot is little used by serious searchers, and tens only to be used in "special" circumstances. For instance, the trial version of Optilink uses the hotbot index.
HotBot tools
The HotBot Deskbar allows users to search the internet from the Microsoft Windows taskbar, as well as the ability to search files on the users own hard drive. Other features include an alarm, search shortcuts, online calendar and a calculator.
The HotBot Desktop is a toolbar for the Internet Explorer browser that enables users to search both the web and their own hard drive from the browser window. It also offers the ability to search the browser history, e-mail files and RSS feeds.