Open source is marked by updates and innovation.  As Apache Lucene and Solr are hallmarks of the open source community, their developments are closely monitored.  A recent announcement of updates is causing buzz and can be followed in the full story, “Open Source Search Engine Apache Lucene/Solr Gets Big Update,” by TechCrunch.

The release begins:

Today the Apache Foundation released a major update to the open source search engine building tools Lucene and Solr. Version 4.0 adds several new features aimed at making Solr easier to use, more scalable and more customizable.  Although they’re jointly developed, Lucene and Solr are actually two different things. Lucene is just a Java library, not a stand alone search engine. Solr is a search engine server built with Lucene as its core.

As was mentioned, the two solutions are separate, but often used in conjunction to power enterprise search.  LucidWorks, formerly Lucid Imagination, has created a powerful business model on top of the open source power of Lucene and Solr.  By offering support and services like consulting, training, and customer support, LucidWorks allows all sizes of organizations to benefit from open source software without a huge investment in time and personnel.

Emily Rae Aldridge, November 1, 2012

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.