Yahoo has purchased
Inktomi for $235 million. The company's search engine software will be
integrated with Yahoo's existing
directory and relevancy will be maximized by using "third-party algorithmic search results"--presumably this means
Google. The idea is that this will improve the quality of Yahoo's search. I see no reason why it shouldn't work, and suppose this is a good idea, since now everybody uses Google directly. With Inktomi's help, Yahoo might regain some
credibility as a search engine.
Lycos/Hotbot currently use an Inktomi search--we'll see how the Yahoo takeover will affect that.
Furthermore, "Inktomi" is not only the name of a (no longer independent) search engine company, it is also the former name of the search engine Ultraseek. The name was changed when the software was sold to Verity.