Life without Google

[EinBebop]

Now this is interesting... a fellow has sworn off google for a few weeks to explore alternative search engines. I'm interested to see who the competitors are and how the stack up:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/index.php?cat=146

Does anyone else use search engines besides Google and Yahoo?

Some search engine trivia to close: in 'National Treasure', the heroes are seen using Google, while the villains always use Yahoo. :)

[purplehairedwonder]

I almost exclusively use Google anymore, but I've used ask.com, Dogpile, Yahoo, AOL, and probably a couple more that I've forgotten in the past. But usually Google ended up coming up with all the same results and more so I stopped.
Some search engine trivia to close: in 'National Treasure', the heroes are seen using Google, while the villains always use Yahoo. :)Ha! That's funny. Never noticed that.

[Michael24]

Don't forget about Cruisenet in Mission: Impossible. :D

I pretty much only use Yahoo and rarely use Google. One time at a friend's house I used WebCrawler, but that was back in, like, 1996 or so.

EDIT: Just remember, I also used Netscape during high school because that's what all the computers in the library had. I remember thinking it was strange that websites I found through Netscape I couldn't find through Yahoo. (This was still in my Internet infancy days when I decided realize exactly how search engines worked.)

[EinBebop]

Random memory that just occurred to me:

Remember when Yahoo was so confident in their top spot, that at the bottom of a search page they would link a bunch of other search engines? :D

[J'onn J'onzz]

Anyone remember hotbot?

[Dr.Pepper]

I used Dogpile years and years ago at school and Ask.

[Vermunium]

I was a hardcore Lycos user back in the day.

[Master Moron]

Trovando rules.

[Camaro]

I could easily start using Yahoo again if Google disappeared. Honestly, I don't notice any difference in their search results. One part of Google I would miss though is Google Earth. I find myself using that program a lot.

[Ryan227]

I COULD use another search engine easily but I always use Google now, sometimes I use netscape but I don't like it. I remember using Ask Jeeves a lot when I was younger cos I really thought he could answer my questions :p

[Gatomon41]

I decided to stop using Google, after learning they provided monitoring services, including to China. I don't like spying on my personal life. There are other search engines out there, and I switched over to Yahoo.

[Romanesque]

I decided to stop using Google, after learning they provided monitoring services, including to China. I don't like spying on my personal life. There are other search engines out there, and I switched over to Yahoo.You're probably not gaining any ground toward privacy, though. You believe Yahoo or any other major search engine kindly discards all records of your searches? You don't even need to use Google's search for them to obtain data about you...

--Romey

[Gatomon41]

You're probably not gaining any ground toward privacy, though. You believe Yahoo or any other major search engine kindly discards all records of your searches? You don't even need to use Google's search for them to obtain data about you...

--Romey
That's why you do random searches. ;)

[Romanesque]

That's why you do random searches. ;)You think a few random searches will throw them off? Do you keep track of how many random searches you perform in relation to real searches? Do you track the distribution of real to random searches over time? Do you even know to what extent you need to do this to throw off potential data mining? Do you even know to what extent your random searches can be distinguished from your actual searching habits? Well, do you? ;-)

--Romey

[Gatomon41]

You think a few random searches will throw them off?
A few. Hah. I mean MILLLONS of random searches! Using werid combinations of sentences as search perameters! No one expects the Spanish Sea Cucumber Brain MAN! :p

[Romanesque]

A few. Hah. I mean MILLLONS of random searches! Using werid combinations of sentences as search perameters! No one expects the Spanish Sea Cucumber Brain MAN! :pHave a lot of free time on your hands? Or at least enough time to automate the process? If so, very impressive! :D

Then again, how do you know your weird combinations aren't too random? :gir:

--Romey

[Gatomon41]

Have a lot of free time on your hands? Or at least enough time to automate the process? If so, very impressive! :D

Then again, how do you know your weird combinations aren't too random? :gir:

--Romey
As long as it drives the guys nuts, then it's a victory :anime:

[Dudley]

Before Google, I always used Dogpile.

[Chris Wood]

I pretty much always use Yahoo. The Google site doesn't seem to have as many features. But then I haven't spent much time on it.

[I.R Joey]

AltaVista, that was one of my big search engines back in the late 90's.

[Harvey Two Face]

Ive never tried anything other than Google as sad as it sounds, probably because I couldnt be bothered plus I don't trust them.

[Elven Moon]

Back in my school days, they always told us to use Dogpile. Sometimes, but very rarely, I will use Yahoo to see if I missed on any links.

[True Noir]

I use Yahoo and Goodsearch. Goodsearch I use because everytime you search it donates to a cause which I think is pretty simple and nice.

[Fan of Sponge]

Before using Google, I used Ixquick, Yahoo, and Ask Jeeves, but that was back in the late 90's and early noughties. Google is better than all of those search engines combined. Google is becoming the internet supergaint like Microsoft did as a computer software gaint.

[Chris Wood]

Why is Google better?

[Fan of Sponge]

Why is Google better?

I mean Google's home page makes it simple. There isn't a whole lot of clutter you see with Yahoo and MSN or ads for a brand new car. Yahoo has their search engine at the top and have their news, sports, and what not are below. Google has their search engine centered right in the middle of their page because they know most people usually get on the search engine website will in fact search first instead of clicking on a news article. Also if you just want to look at a map, news, or images just click on the table at the top. Plus their logo keep on tab with events like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or celebrating Einstein's birthday.

[Chris Wood]

Sure it's simple, but it doesn't seem very helpful for reading the news, getting the weather, sports scores, etc.

[Romanesque]

Sure it's simple, but it doesn't seem very helpful for reading the news, getting the weather, sports scores, etc.If that's what you want, search for it. :p

--Romey