Every Google result now looks like an ad • Hacker News Board

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#241

Post by bduerst » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:17 PM UTC

Nextgrid wrote: post #217

bduerst wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>and actually respects your privacy. According to who? DDG is a privately-owned, for-profit corporation, whose code is closed source and doesn't undergo independent audits or validations of privacy.

Their only selling point is privacy, so I feel like they have an incentive to keep their only lifeline going. If they break their promise it’s essentially the end of their business as they don’t have anything else compelling. Most other companies can get away with violating your privacy because they have something nobody else has (either because their product is so good or because of network effects) so you have no c…

Which further begs the question as to why they haven't taken steps to validate something so valuable to them. Even Google open-sourced Chromium.

DDG is just a reskin of Bing (and Yandex search). They don't have anything to lose if they violate your privacy - they can just pop up again under a different name.

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#242

Post by jhoechtl » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:18 PM UTC

pmlnr wrote: post #68

jhoechtl wrote: post #60

A new search engine outside the hands of Google is overdue. It feels like a huge ad machinery.

duckduckgo.com

Relies on Google

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#243

Post by hackin247 » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:18 PM UTC

How is this not breaking the internet? Im glad and annoyed they did this. Giving DDG another chance.

Is this a boneheaded PM decision? Having a button to revert to old search layout would have been a safe bet. Unless or this is a mandate from above...

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#244

Post by jdmichal » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:18 PM UTC

Twirrim wrote: post #200

ping_pong wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is hijacking the domain with Google for AMP not anti-competitive? I'm surprised a class action lawsuit hasn't erupted because of that.

AMP isn't being forced on websites, they choose to enable it or not.

That's an arguable point if not enabling it means lower rankings on search... Which is problematic when both are being offered by the same company.

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#245

Post by coldtea » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:18 PM UTC

SquareWheel wrote: post #192

irrational wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Were you even born 10 years ago? I'm assuming not if that is what you actually believe. I couldn't disagree more.

I'm flagging your comment for abuse. I've been developing on the web for over 15 years.

This makes the parent's point, as "for over 15 years" means you've started around 2005 -- well into the Google era. You never known the web without Google, which is why you can say "Google built the web" and other such nonsense.

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#246

Post by Debonnys » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:19 PM UTC

Hey Google, Don't Be Evil.

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#247

Post by pb7 » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:19 PM UTC

Nextgrid wrote: post #217

bduerst wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>and actually respects your privacy. According to who? DDG is a privately-owned, for-profit corporation, whose code is closed source and doesn't undergo independent audits or validations of privacy.

Their only selling point is privacy, so I feel like they have an incentive to keep their only lifeline going. If they break their promise it’s essentially the end of their business as they don’t have anything else compelling. Most other companies can get away with violating your privacy because they have something nobody else has (either because their product is so good or because of network effects) so you have no c…

This only incentivizes them to maintain this image until they hit critical mass, hurt competitors (Google), or come up with compelling reasons to use them. After all, half the discussion below is how Google used to not be evil but now is; what is stopping DDG from changing their tune later?

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#248

Post by sukilot » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:20 PM UTC

mthoms wrote: post #189

bazonker wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the point is DDG has the exact pattern you are all whining about: the organic results have icons and the ad says "Ad" instead.

>you are all whining about: the organic results have icons and the ad says "Ad" instead. You're being condescending but appear to have missed the point. The "Ad" text in Google's results is in the exact same position and is effectively the same pixel dimensions as the favicon. It's cleverly designed and placed to resemble a favicon, to give the over-all layout more uniformity between ads and organic results. As a use…

DDG is hiding the "Ad" label on their shopping carousel, with unreadable #888 light grey text. That part is worse than Google's darker #666 (and longer word) "Sponsored".

The screenshot doesn't show any Ad links in the text list results (unless the ads are wholly unlabeled).

It's not really the same case as the OP.

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#249

Post by JohnFen » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:20 PM UTC

SquareWheel wrote: post #144

JohnFen wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The web is a thousand times better now than it was ten years ago. I disagree wholeheartedly. I think the web is much worse than it was ten years ago, and the trendline indicates that it will continue on that trajectory.

I find it significantly better as both a user and developer, but of course it is a subjective thing.

As a developer, maybe -- I'm not a web dev, so I have no way of knowing.

As a web user, though, it's substantially worse for me. Websites tend to have less substance and useful information, they tend to be flashier and harder to use, the ubiquitous tracking is completely unacceptable, and the web is becoming increasingly opaque and dangerous as more and more of it requires client-side scripting and the like in order to function.

As the web gets smaller and smaller for me every day, I honestly think that I'll see the day when the web is something that I will largely stop using altogether.

Re: Every Google result now looks like an ad

#250

Post by watwut » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:22 PM UTC

kllrnohj wrote: post #240

digitalsushi wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not comfortable with someone else's domain becoming the de facto front door to my website. There's nothing I can do it about it, but I tend to hate it. If my name is Mike and someone powerful calls me Chucklehead, I will have to start answering to that name in order to continue doing business. But what REALLY concerns me is if a year later, that powerful someone calls someone ELSE Chucklehead.

Well then don't use AMP? It's your domain, it's under your control. You at least have a choice here, whereas you can't block most other forms of URL obfuscation when being linked elsewhere.

Google is deprioritizing sites without amp in search to force them to use it.

So, if I search for something on reddit, I already learned to use duck duck go. Cause then I don't have to edit url to get rid of amp part not scroll up and down for that link.