Submitted by: kirkland on Thursday October 05th, 2006 at 02:15 PM EST

Google Inc. is introducing a new search service that only a geek could love.

The Web search leader said late on Wednesday it is introducing Google Code Search, a site that simplifies how software developers search for programming code to improve existing software or create new programs.

Searchers can seek out specific programming terms or computer languages and dive deep into compressed code to locate specific features. Users also can narrow a search to find software code based on specific licensing requirements, which is a big deal in warding off future patent litigation.

Some programmers say Google Code Search answers some of the nightmares of building software, by creating a central place to trawl for publicly available code.

"(Google Code Search) may come in handy when looking for different ways of approaching a particular programming problem," said Niall Kennedy, a San Francisco technical blog commentator.

» Full story @ Washington Post