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Is Google actually the best search engine?

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  • 16-04-2013 11:51am
    #1
    Blisterman
    Registered Users Posts: 7,452 ✭✭✭


    I've just realised that, in the past decade, I have pretty much never given any other search engine a go. Google is just my default choice, as it is for most people. It's even a verb.

    But thinking about it, it's not even that good. For most terms, about 90% of the results are either people trying to sell you stuff, or pages with barely any link to the topic you've searched for beyond the name. To actually find information usually takes several attempts at trying out different phrases and keywords. It's irritating. If I was actually looking to buy something, I'd use the shopping search, or add "for sale" to my search term.

    So has anyone here have any experience of other search engines? Is Bing actually better? Yahoo? Is Altavista still going? Are there others?


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Comments

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    #2
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    Bing is better for images, Clusty is better for research and Wolfram is better for maths nerds.


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    #3
    FatherLen
    Registered Users Posts: 3,808 ✭✭✭FatherLen


    it's better than ask jeeves, bing and yahoo.
    What else is there?


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    #4
    Amirani
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,522 Mod ✭✭✭✭Amirani


    It is the best in my opinion. Some good comparisons here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_web_search_engines


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    #5
    DrumSteve
    Registered Users Posts: 10,799 ✭✭✭✭DrumSteve


    Give dogpile a go?


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    #6
    Anyone
    Registered Users Posts: 3,376 ✭✭✭Anyone


    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=is+google+the+best+search+engine


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    #7
    Duggy747
    Registered Users Posts: 13,295 ✭✭✭✭Duggy747


    Altavista for downloading .wavs, this new thing called mp3s, and potato-pixel videos back in the day :pac:


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    #8
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 16,720 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Jaysus, I remember when Altavista was the bees knees.


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    #9
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    Blisterman wrote: »
    But thinking about it, it's not even that good. For most terms, about 90% of the results are either people trying to sell you stuff, or pages with barely any link to the topic you've searched for beyond the name.

    I think you're doing it wrong.


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    #10
    Cavehill Red
    Registered Users Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭Cavehill Red


    Duckduckgo automatically routes to a secure page and doesn't track your IP address.
    Which is a consideration people who are concerned about personal security might wish to bear in mind.


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    #11
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    Cavehill Red wrote: »
    Duckduckgo automatically routes to a secure page and doesn't track your IP address.
    Which is a consideration people who are concerned about personal security might wish to bear in mind.

    Yeah, in a year's time all you'll hear is 'Ah just duckduckgo it.'

    Not.

    What a fucking stupid name.


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    #12
    danniemcq
    Registered Users Posts: 14,163 ✭✭✭✭danniemcq


    Mr Benevolent wrote: »
    Bing is better for images, Clusty is better for research and Wolfram is better for maths nerds.

    Porn, Bing is best for porn....


    or so i hear


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    #13
    Cavehill Red
    Registered Users Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭Cavehill Red


    Mr Benevolent wrote: »
    Yeah, in a year's time all you'll hear is 'Ah just duckduckgo it.'

    Not.

    What a fucking stupid name.

    What does the name matter? 'Google' isn't exactly the most edifying or elegant names either.


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    #14
    Orim
    Registered Users Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭Orim


    Cavehill Red wrote: »
    What does the name matter? 'Google' isn't exactly the most edifying or elegant names either.

    It's quick and easy to say though. Allowing for the "just google it" statement which was the point.


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    #15
    the groutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    AskJeeves is the best by a mile.


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    #16
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,602 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    Dónal wrote: »
    Jaysus, I remember when Altavista was the bees knees.

    Hotbot was where it was at! :)


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    #17
    desertcircus
    Registered Users Posts: 2,648 ✭✭✭desertcircus


    What are you searching for that's returning poor results? Google's usually able to get me what I need in the first three or four links...


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    #18
    TouchingVirus
    Registered Users Posts: 8,584 ✭✭✭TouchingVirus


    Unless what you want is hosted on netload/rapidshare etc :pac:


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    #19
    ScumLord
    Registered Users Posts: 28,789 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    I always find google knows exactly what I'm looking for. Its so good at it I wonder if its reading my other tabs for clues. I found Bing bad for local searches.


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    #20
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,978 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    since google ****ed up the image search I've been using it less! :p


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    #21
    Lord Nikon
    Registered Users Posts: 3,609 ✭✭✭Lord Nikon


    mike65 wrote: »
    since google ****ed up the image search I've been using it less! :p

    Definitely, it's a big pile of poo now. Can't search by size, when i click and image it brings up a website and not the image bigger, which is what's it should be doing.


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    #22
    wilson10
    Registered Users Posts: 512 ✭✭✭wilson10


    Blisterman wrote: »
    I've just realised that, in the past decade, I have pretty much never given any other search engine a go. Google is just my default choice, as it is for most people. It's even a verb.

    But thinking about it, it's not even that good. For most terms, about 90% of the results are either people trying to sell you stuff, or pages with barely any link to the topic you've searched for beyond the name. To actually find information usually takes several attempts at trying out different phrases and keywords. It's irritating. If I was actually looking to buy something, I'd use the shopping search, or add "for sale" to my search term.

    So has anyone here have any experience of other search engines? Is Bing actually better? Yahoo? Is Altavista still going? Are there others?

    Just Googled it and it says "Yes it is"


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    #23
    Orim
    Registered Users Posts: 4,971 ✭✭✭Orim


    Lord Nikon wrote: »
    Definitely, it's a big pile of poo now. Can't search by size, when i click and image it brings up a website and not the image bigger, which is what's it should be doing.

    What googleimages are you using? The image search does all of those things when I use it.


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    #24
    Cavehill Red
    Registered Users Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭Cavehill Red


    Orim wrote: »
    It's quick and easy to say though. Allowing for the "just google it" statement which was the point.

    Actually, I though the point of the OP was to ask which SE was best, not which was the quickest to say out loud.


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    #25
    Ruu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,622 ✭✭✭Ruu


    Lycos. :p They're coming back, you'll see!


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    #26
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,978 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    The main problem with images is they dropped "similar to" feature and terms have to be so specific as to be useless for a general query.


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    #27
    Irish Guitarist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,736 ✭✭✭Irish Guitarist


    Yahoo! image search has pretty much the same results as Google except they're all on one page. Google does the same but you can scroll to the bottom of the page and click on 'switch to basic view'. Having hundreds or thousands of results on one page is just too confusing for me.

    Do a Google search for 'askew' by the way.


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    #28
    Dyr
    Registered Users Posts: 23,246 ✭✭✭✭Dyr


    Hmm..google change their image search results and suddenly people are asking about alternate search tools...


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    #29
    goodgolfer64
    Registered Users Posts: 307 ✭✭goodgolfer64


    stock market say so....


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    #30
    uch
    Registered Users Posts: 7,008 ✭✭✭uch


    www.Doogle.org

    21/25



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    #31
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,978 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    Irish Guitarist wrote: »
    Do a Google search for 'askew' by the way.

    :D

    its askew! Hilarious, who says google have no sense of humour


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