Replacing Google - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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By Rapperson
#14800649
Google has been manipulating search results for a long time now. Mostly, it has been an ad-hoc affair, e.g. trying to protect Hillary last year by scrubbing popular search terms or autocomplete that hurt her.

Now, Google is starting to systematically scrub search results that powers that be don't want people to see. That means every person who wants to stay informed will wish to use a different search engine, one that is content-neutral. That is a big ask, as Google has such a stranglehold on the market.

Two questions come to mind.

1. What is the next best search engine? Nominations?

2. When do Google's patents for internet searches expire?
#14800656
Very interesting points. Google has taken a liberal spin on things over the recent years, and that is disheartening as Google in theory as a search engine should not be politically biased.

In the US, I think that Yahoo and Bing are the second and third most popular. I'm in the habit of using Google, so I rarely use the other two.

I've never heard that there is a patent on the Google search engine, but if there is, their search algorithm is changed so often, that new patents would constantly be put in place anyway, so technically their search engine patent in reality would never expire.
User avatar
By Rapperson
#14800662
I think if there's a single most important patent that Google has, it's ranking sites on the basis of the number of outside links to that site. There has to be a reason Google is such a giant.
By Decky
#14800666
Google is private property. I thought Mammon worshippers like yourselves would respect the capitalists right to offer as shit and biased a search engine as they want to offer. When did Steve become a Democrat wanting private companies to be prevented from doing their thing?
#14800672
Rapperson wrote:I think if there's a single most important patent that Google has, it's ranking sites on the basis of the number of outside links to that site. There has to be a reason Google is such a giant.


Google just always seems to do it a notch better than anyone else. Yahoo and Bing are certainly usable with no problem. But Google search, and their ability to put the best relevancy of the search at the top of their search results, seems to still be better than the rest.
User avatar
By Rapperson
#14800674
Decky wrote:Google is private property. I thought Mammon worshippers like yourselves would respect the capitalists right to offer as shit and biased a search engine as they want to offer. When did Steve become a Democrat wanting private companies to be prevented from doing their thing?


Who says I don't respect those rights? But oh right, you are a communist, aren't you? Communists usually don't understand the concept of picking and choosing. Either you offer wholehearted support, or you are a traitor, isn't that how it works in the commie world? Meanwhile, in the free world, we have a right to accept or decline any offers, including from Google, and to decline is not an infringement on anybody.

stephen50right wrote:Google just always seems to do it a notch better than anyone else. Yahoo and Bing are certainly usable with no problem. But Google search, and their ability to put the best relevancy of the search at the top of their search results, seems to still be better than the rest.

I think they are more than a notch better, certainly they were in the beginning.

[Prosthetic Conscience mod note: please do not double post - see viewtopic.php?f=41&t=357 , and viewtopic.php?f=20&t=167895 ]
#14800679
Rapperson wrote:Who says I don't respect those rights? But oh right, you are a communist, aren't you? Communists usually don't understand the concept of picking and choosing. Either you offer wholehearted support, or you are a traitor, isn't that how it works in the commie world? Meanwhile, in the free world, we have a right to accept or decline any offers, including from Google, and to decline is not an infringement on anybody.


Commies must like Google because it's free, and leftists love free stuff from the government or anyone they can pilfer from.

If Google started charging one cent per year for use of their service, and if leftists couldn't get a government handout to pay for it, they would use any free service instead. Communist China has a search engine, they could use that one.
User avatar
By Rapperson
#14800684
Oxymoron wrote:Question becomes who really searches google for news? I mean people have their sites they go to, how will this affect anything?


I always google new and interesting stories to get a fuller background, to try to discern if they are believable. Without it, I'd have to withhold judgement. Granted, it won't change much for people who believe everything they read on the news.
#14800687
Oxymoron wrote:Question becomes who really searches google for news? I mean people have their sites they go to, how will this affect anything?


Yes, I have my websites that I go to for news such as Drudge and others. However when there is a hot topic, I like to use Google News and the topic comes up from many other media websites. So I get to read articles other than perhaps the one that Drudge posts, or the one from Fox News, etc.

Sometimes I even read what my political opponents have to say, such as the Huffington Post, just to get a different perspective on it. When better understanding my opponents, I better know how to defeat them.
User avatar
By Oxymoron
#14800688
Rapperson wrote:I always google new and interesting stories to get a fuller background, to try to discern if they are believable. Without it, I'd have to withhold judgement. Granted, it won't change much for people who believe everything they read on the news.


People who are so dedicated to find out what is happening can go site to site to verify stories, google is useful but not be all end all of information.
User avatar
By Rapperson
#14800693
Oxymoron wrote:People who are so dedicated to find out what is happening can go site to site to verify stories, google is useful but not be all end all of information.


It is still a tool people use to find information - and it's not just current news stories you know.
User avatar
By Rapperson
#14800712
Suntzu wrote:You can control the search with Boolean operators, for instance " " gives exact match + must contain. - must not contain.


Hmmm.... this is very interesting, I did not know this. A thinking man's search engine. Bye bye Google, don't let the scrub hit your ass on the way out!
By mikema63
#14800807
There are dozens of search engines but all search algorithms are going to be biased or lacking in some way. Boolean operators is a way to refine the search, it's basically the same thing as pushing the advanced search button.

An easy alternative is dogpile.com which just displays the search results for your query from a couple different search engines mixed together with the ads removed.
User avatar
By Rapperson
#14800841
mikema63 wrote:There are dozens of search engines but all search algorithms are going to be biased or lacking in some way. Boolean operators is a way to refine the search, it's basically the same thing as pushing the advanced search button.

An easy alternative is dogpile.com which just displays the search results for your query from a couple different search engines mixed together with the ads removed.


Thanks!
User avatar
By MistyTiger
#14800885
There is also askjeeves, now called ask.com. As well as lycos.com, remember the "Lycos, go get it" commercial? I do not know the specifics about them but it is worth looking into.

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