Wikipedia founder to launch search engine

SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. founder of the Web encyclopedia Wikipedia says his planned Internet search engine, Wikiasari, could rival Google and Yahoo!.

Jimmy Wales told The Times of London his search engine, planned to launch with Amazon.com, will use the same user-based technology as Wikipedia. The commercial version of the search engine will be developed through San Mateo, Calif.-based Wikia Inc., with a provisional launch planned for the first quarter of 2007, he said.

Wikiasari gets its name from "wiki," Hawaiian for "quick," and "asari," Japanese for "rummaging search."

Earlier this year Wales said he secured multimillion-dollar funding from Amazon.com and a separate cash infusion from a group of Silicon Valley financiers to finance Wikia projects.

Wikipedia, online since 2003, is written by thousands of contributors worldwide using free, open-source software. Wales said he wants to use the same network concept and free software to create his search engine.