<p>I have a list control in GTK+ (a <code>gtk.TreeView</code> with one column), with "find-as-you type" enabled (so typing any text will open a small search field for searching through the list entries). Now, if the user enters some search text like "abc", should I search only for entries <em>starting</em> with "abc", or should I search for entries that contain "abc" somewhere in their text?</p>

<p>(links to relevant Human Interface Guidelines appreciated)</p>

As a user, I appreciate a "contains" search rather than a "starts with".  Sometimes you can't remember exactly what you're looking for and it's more helpful to suggest things that are similar to your search query rather than using it as a straight filter.
There are times when there are multiple way to list something as well, ie:
```
```
Shining, The - King, Stephen
The Shining - Stephen King
King, Stephen - The Shining
```
```
etc.. In my opinion, typing in "Shining" should return any of those results.