DuckDuckGo [search engine]

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Ajohnw on 18/12/2016 15:58:54:

I find quotes work with phrases.

 

If you are talking Google there, then you do much better than I. IMO quotes should be interpreted absolutely literally, as written (including capitalisation, which can really target a search in some circumstances). None of the "did you mean" or "let's try that leaving some words out" or "you probably spelled that wrongly, moron" or anything else we can do to give you more hits at revenue producing (for Google) sites.

Altavista originally worked in exactly that fashion (now it seems to be a branch of Google) and you could control the search the way you wanted. Google takes most of it out of your hands – even the so-called "Advanced Search" is little better.

One question though: is DDG an independent search engine or does it (like some others) simple piggy-back on Google while acting as a buffer between it and the user?

 

Edited By Bandersnatch on 18/12/2016 17:13:28

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 18/12/2016 15:53:33:

Posted by Journeyman on 18/12/2016 15:40:44:

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 18/12/2016 15:27:15:

With a name like " Duckduckgo" it does not give one a lot of confidence does it.

"Google", "Yahoo", "Bing" – real confidence boosters . What we need is "No.1 Search Engine" or "Seek and Ye Shall Find".

.

"Ask Jeeves" was a good name … but that's long-gone.

MichaelG.

"Bing"—- so I am told !!!!!! —-means " Because it's not Google"

Another odd one was ( & still is) Lycos. I suppose it's meant to be a take on "Like Us"

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Google or Go-Ogle (Go See) always struck me as a decent enough name compared to being a Ya-hoo or lout. Bing is just a smart-alec contraction of Bingo – probably 'cos that's got a trademark somewhere?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Just for info. … **LINK**

http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/28034/how-to-force-google-to-use-a-keyword

… The 2016 link, at the end of the discussion is useful.

MichaelG.

[Roger HeadParticipant @rogerhead16992]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 18/12/2016 19:41:39:

… The 2016 link, at the end of the discussion is useful.

MichaelG.

Michael, do you mean this?

Thanks, worked perfectly! – Kirk Woll Jun 16 '12 at 3:17

	As at 2016, the quoting method described here does not work. Instead, Google appears to have changed their "Advanced Search". Access it via: google.com/advanced_search – Grant May 31 at 15:25

I don't see any difference to the way 'advanced search' has always been ??

Maybe it's just my memory going south.

Roger

Edit: Copy/paste screwed up in the submitted reply, but when I go to edit it, it appears ok. Ill just leave it alone, I'm sure you known what I intended.

 

Edited By Roger Head on 19/12/2016 02:56:01

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Roger,

Yes …. Sorry, I expressed it badly … It's the text [which have you quoted] that's useful to note; since it confirms that 'Advanced Search' is now the only method of forcing the inclusion of a word.

In the simple search box: The 'plus sign' functionality was lost around 2012, and the 'double quotes' functionality in 2016.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/12/2016 05:47:33

[Roger HeadParticipant @rogerhead16992]

Yeah, ok Michael. You'd think that search engines would be providing more capabilities as time goes on, not stripping them away. IIRC, Alta Vista had near, and maybe some other selection about where in the page a hit needed to be… (not sure about that, it was a long time ago).

Some (even very elementary) scripting capability would be really useful.

Roger

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

[slightly] Interesting to note that this page **LINK** has not been updated to reflect the crippling 2016 change in 'double-quote marks' functionality.

https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433

The removal of the 'plus sign' functionality was, as I understand it, done to "avoid confusion" regarding the 'Google+' product.

MichaelG.

.

P.S. … There is, inevitably, a lot of out-of-date information around; but this page appears to be current:

http://guides.library.queensu.ca/google-search/operators

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/12/2016 12:45:54

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

It's probably another example of PC's being dumbed down more and more as time goes on Michael also searches bringing up things that people didn't know they wanted till the see it. Also I find that google isn't that good at finding the cheapest prices any more. Also that yahoo can bring up entirely different results – maybe that is down to it's users.

It's too easy to increase a sellers ranking on google and probably any other's. I suspect that is part of the problem also the reason for things popping up that aren't wanted. Not something I have been into but I believe pages can have a list of terms that the search engines can get and they can more or less put what they like in them. I understand Ebay have that facility and also seem to have switched to OR on search terms. That is driving me up the wall more and more.

And then there is Amazon. Hopeless search engine and always has been. Maybe the others are catching up.

Another reason may be to reduce the loads on their search engine machines. I have my doubts about that though as most things are done for commercial reasons.  They really slow down transfers to the web pages they link too so loading may be the problem.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 19/12/2016 13:01:38

[Roger HeadParticipant @rogerhead16992]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 19/12/2016 12:29:40:

… but this page appears to be current:

**LINK**

It's not bad, but it still shows using + for required inclusion

Bottom of page –> Last Updated: May 31, 2016 12:45 PM

Roger

PS The menu (top left) of the linked page is useful – The Google Lesson Plans takes you to

http://guides.library.queensu.ca/c.php?g=501742&p=3435814

where there is a link to some searching lessons, but there is also a link to a Google Power Searching course

http://guides.library.queensu.ca/c.php?g=501742&p=3435814

on which there is also an Advanced Power Searching course link.

If I have some time tomorrow I might look into those.

 

Edited By Roger Head on 19/12/2016 13:36:18

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

DuckDuckGo is an independent search engine, mostly based on Open Source software, with a high-performance architecture.

Although paid for by advertising, its business model is to compete head on with Google & others by catering for customers concerned with privacy issues. This is quite dangerous for Google, who depend on collecting customer data as a way of targeting advertising. Google must be concerned about the ever increasing number of people aware of privacy issues and the possibility that they might be damaged by a major privacy scandal, such as an egregious leak.

DuckDuckGo isn't a couple of blokes in a shed. Although the number of direct employees is rather small, this is because they buy in infrastructure as a service, ie it's hosted in the modern way on various large commercial data centres around the world and managed by a third party.

The search engine has introduced some useful innovations like the bang feature. Say you're looking for a stepper motor. If you enter a query like !amazonuk nema, it will search Amazon only, possibly using Amazon's search engine, if it's got one. DuckDuckGo makes it very easy to try several other search engines to see what they return: try !bing nema, !yahoo nema, !ebay nema and !google nema

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 19/12/2016 14:52:17

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Roger Head on 19/12/2016 13:19:07:

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 19/12/2016 12:29:40:

… but this page appears to be current:

**LINK**

It's not bad, but it still shows using + for required inclusion

Bottom of page –> Last Updated: May 31, 2016 12:45 PM

Roger

.

Oh, bother !! … I should have read it properly before posting the link

MichaelG.

[steamdaveParticipant @steamdave]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 19/12/2016 14:51:14:

… Although paid for by advertising, its business model is to compete head on with Google & others by catering for customers concerned with privacy issues. This is quite dangerous for Google, who depend on collecting customer data as a way of targeting advertising. Google must be concerned about the ever increasing number of people aware of privacy issues and the possibility that they might be damaged by a major privacy scandal, such as an egregious leak.

Dave

It is very interesting to note that since using Pale Moon with DDG, I'm blitzed with advertising to download Google Chrome.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

This one is fast and came back with sensible results for something I might want to buy. However without adding the city I lived in it came up with some USA suppliers at the top.

**LINK**

This reminded me of why I went of DuckDuck, It seemed to always produce lots of results from the USA and wouldn't always take notice of where I live.

There are a fair few others. List here

**LINK**

Personally I would like one that can be directed to countries more easily. I find some are both more reliable and more accurate especially in the information area. It does need a decent translation service built into the browser though. Also more area direction when buying. UK companies that use .com are a real pain in that respect as are some sites which turn out to be in the far east. Insisting on (44) in the search term might help with both of those.

I use chromium. A nvg open source one that Chrome was based on. It has it's problems but may get better when I upgrade. It does include one click google translate which is very good. Yahoo's browser add on that was in some Linux browsers was also pretty good but still lacking compared with google. It's something I use now and again. eg simple CNC controllers. That needed translation from Russian. Problem though – they are well aware that their ideas are pinched so it can prove difficult to get full information.

NVG ? Currently if I want to use youtube I fire up firefox. The version of Chromium I have doesn't buffer properly. I sometimes use that for other things too. It's set up to keep nothing at all. I could also use Konqueror. The first browser to offer tabs, long long time before any one else had them.

John

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[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Ajohnw on 19/12/2016 17:05:20:

This reminded me of why I went of DuckDuck, It seemed to always produce lots of results from the USA and wouldn't always take notice of where I live.

.

That's disappointing … did you localise it ?

**LINK**

https://duckduckgo.com/settings

MichaelG.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 19/12/2016 17:31:19:

Posted by Ajohnw on 19/12/2016 17:05:20:

This reminded me of why I went of DuckDuck, It seemed to always produce lots of results from the USA and wouldn't always take notice of where I live.

.

That's disappointing … did you localise it ?

**LINK**

https://duckduckgo.com/settings

MichaelG.

I just tried welding supplies near me – a USA company came out on the top even with the search localised. I do use search engines for buying – very heavily to try and find the best price. It curious that google came up with lots once I put the model number in quotes. Other results as well but further down the lists. In the past it's come up with nothing when I have used quotes and then searched without them as an option. Maybe that is automated now.

I can select a search engine. One of the options it offers is Yaboo UK and Ireland. My google also seems to be google uk as I was plagued with requests to switch to google.com recently. So if I open a clean tab it shows google with uk under it. That is probably been done when I installed chromium. The os lot are keen on localisation.

John

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[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Have you seen today's Google home page, customised for Christmas day.

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