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Hey Google, I want my cache links back

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#71

Post by ugh »

zobzu wrote: post #49

i too dislike the previews. there's a few things that i find useful tho: - timeline - image search - cache (when it was there and working. lately, it didnt work aka it tries to fetch from the server and if its down, which is what i often use cache for, then it fails) hum, well thats it. special search commands used to be cool but they don't work so well now (i mean the filetype stuff and all). and the rest are just b…

You don’t use the timeframe option? I use that one all the time, it’s invaluable to me.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#73

Post by rachelbythebay »

guelo wrote: post #23

Another thing that has been annoying me lately is that it seems like like I have to add a + in front of every word or Google might decide without any indication that it will completely ignore it.

Now you know why they called it Google Plus.

Seriously, though: these are signals that the inmates are running the asylum and it's time to find alternative providers. There are other ways to search.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#74

Post by emp_ »

masklinn wrote: post #30
udp wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not forget DuckDuckGo. I finally switched around when Google Instant came out, and never feel I'm missing anything.

I feel like I'm missing relevant and useful results a thousand times a day. More and more, DDG is just a !gateway to google.

I used DDG for about a month as my main search engine, I love the bang syntax and lots of other goodies, but for me down in Brazil DDG just responds 10-15x slower than Google -- so my commitment is that I will keep coming back to test for latency improvements until I can switch over completely.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#75

Post by yesimahuman »

ars wrote: post #4

This does not bode well for the employees at google. You get extra features like this (instant preview) when you have too much manpower - you look for things for your employees to do. But if your customers don't want it, and you can't find anything else for them to do then you start reducing the workforce.

Instant preview had "Bing fear" written all over it. Probably the biggest feature on Google Search that I found the least use for. I don't understand why Google feels the need to play catch up to Bing.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#76

Post by RobertKohr »

dolbz wrote: post #43
guelo wrote: post #23

Another thing that has been annoying me lately is that it seems like like I have to add a + in front of every word or Google might decide without any indication that it will completely ignore it.

This is especially annoying as in days gone by if you added + to the query they'd show a message explaining that you don't need to use + as Google only returns results containing all the terms in your query. I wonder when they stopped doing this?

Because that would lead to the dreaded no results, which google doesn't like to show a user.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#77

Post by kalleboo »

guelo wrote: post #23

Another thing that has been annoying me lately is that it seems like like I have to add a + in front of every word or Google might decide without any indication that it will completely ignore it.

This has been annoying me a lot too. I remember originally switching to Google mainly because it meant I didn't have to keep pressing + all the time. For the past couple of weeks I've been having flashbacks to 2001.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#78

Post by wgx »

ugh wrote: post #69
wgx wrote: post #9

The OP raises a wider point: For the longest time google made good on their promise to keep their search page simple and easy to use. Now, bit by bit the search page is getting more filled up with cruft that you don't need and stuff that you do need gets removed. I am getting a hunch (just a vague feeling) that we might be approaching a time where a new, simpler search experience would pick up a lot of users - maybe…

What’s that cruft you are talking about? Ignoring for a moment the cache link (I’m not sure how many people use it, maybe it’s worth testing whether Google could do with it being a bit more hidden) Google’s results page is very sparse and only provides truly useful tools. I use Google’s ability to search for links from a specific time frame all the time, for example. I couldn’t do without it, it’s also accessible and…

For me, more than visual cruft (although I would argue there is more of that than before) - it's interaction cruft.

Big annoyances for me:

1. Auto suggesting and searching for words I didn't mean - common with technical phrases

2. Ignoring "quoted terms" and searching for them as an AND instead

3. Auto refreshing the results page as I modify my terms - it makes the experience slower, and I don't need to see results for half-typed words

There's probably more I can't bring to mind right now.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#79

Post by ugh »

wgx wrote: post #78
ugh wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s that cruft you are talking about? Ignoring for a moment the cache link (I’m not sure how many people use it, maybe it’s worth testing whether Google could do with it being a bit more hidden) Google’s results page is very sparse and only provides truly useful tools. I use Google’s ability to search for links from a specific time frame all the time, for example. I couldn’t do without it, it’s also accessible and…

For me, more than visual cruft (although I would argue there is more of that than before) - it's interaction cruft. Big annoyances for me: 1. Auto suggesting and searching for words I didn't mean - common with technical phrases 2. Ignoring "quoted terms" and searching for them as an AND instead 3. Auto refreshing the results page as I modify my terms - it makes the experience slower, and I don't need to see results f…

Google does not ignore quoted terms.

I for one love instant and suggestions.

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