Google expands its Code Search site

Google has updated its Google Code Search site for finding publicly available source code, adding greater coverage and improvements in ranking and access.

Launched in October 2006, Google Code Search enables developers to locate source code on the Web, searching through billions of lines of code.

"Today we made some updates to Code Search that will hopefully make it even easier to find the code you're looking for," said Google software engineer Aleksander Fedorynski in a blog entry Thursday about the improvements.

Coverage capabilities now include indexing of individual files and code snippets from all over the Web, Google said. Previously, only complete archives, such as .zip,.tar, and repositories, including CVS and Subversion, were indexed.

To improve ranking, Google has amended Code Search so class and method definitions now appear closer to the top of search results for certain queries.

Also, users now can access Code Search through several international domains, including Brazil, China, France, and Russia.

Right after the launch, Google's Code Search was criticized as a potential resource for hackers looking to find bugs, password information, and proprietary code.

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