January 15, 2009 (Vol. 29, No. 2)

URL:
http://amigo.geneontology.org

Rating:
Strong Points: Extensive info
Weak Points: Overly techie

Summary:
In case you didn’t know you had a friend in gene ontology, AmiGO! would like to make you aware that you do. This friend is unfortunately the strong, silent type, as witnessed by the opening page, which greets users with a search box and little else, save for a few links to some rather cryptic functions (Term Enrichment, GO Slimmer, GOOSE) at the top of the page. A Help button is the novice’s only hope for using/understanding the site and while it is adequate, it could definitely provide broader, general background information to help orient newbies and better define itself. Some searches require knowledge of SQL, so if you get the impression that AmiGO is aimed at propeller heads, you’d definitely be on the right track. If you have experience using the site, you probably like it. If you don’t have experience, you may want to look elsewhere first to get the background necessary to benefit from AmiGO.

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