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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

#81

Post by william42 »

ssp wrote: post #19
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…

I wonder whether they split test these types of things? They probably do, but Google is unlikely to be immune to corporate pathologies, where for example it is politically impossible for some team to leave well enough alone. I suspect that could easily end up trumping split test results.

Isn't Google incredibly famous for their dedication to A/B testing?

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#82

Post by jen_h »

0xABADC0DA wrote: post #25

I think they're trying to make their interface look exactly like Bing so the only way Microsoft can compete is by having better search results. You guys at HN probably don't check out Bing very much, but many of the UI changes in Google were in Bing first... hover over a search result to show more info on the side, image search with just images (details when you hover), infinite scroll on image search, background ima…

Which is terrible. I use Bing as a backup for Google when Google fails me (not often), and I just don't like all of Bing's noise, the background graphics, the sidebar stuff, the slow load time, the Facebook Like button (FFS, WHY??), the "Check out our other services!" topbar that keeps the search field from loading until it's finished, ugh.

It seems like Google is becoming more Bing-like with each passing day. This is not a good thing.

What is great and always has been great about Google (and why, I believe, it's a staple for many of us after over a decade!) is its great results paired with simplicity and fast load time (please don't get me started on Instant Search, it's not a pretty rant).

Google Search, be yourself, the self that's kept you as the autocompleted "g" in my URL bar for well over a decade now. Don't go chasing waterfalls. They take forever to load.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#83

Post by mwexler »

0x12 wrote: post #67
mwexler wrote: post #63

The iPad "Tablet" Google results experience has removed them completely, no instant preview, no "hidden" swipe-to-expose (that I could find). You have to go to the "classic" version, via a link on the bottom of the page, to get them back. The classic version? It's the one we used to have: no instant preview, Cache link present on almost every listing. So, at least on some platforms, the info-dense but useful version…

Can you please post the link to your classic version? I'd like to see what happens when I hit that link from a different platform.

Using User Agent Switcher on Firefox, I set my UA to iPad and went to Google. The link for the "Classic" version was: http://www.google.com/?hl=en&tbo=d&output=search&#38...

However, when I set my UA back to Default (Firefox), this link did not appear to do anything. YMMV.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#86

Post by kongqiu »

jen_h wrote: post #82
0xABADC0DA wrote: post #25

I think they're trying to make their interface look exactly like Bing so the only way Microsoft can compete is by having better search results. You guys at HN probably don't check out Bing very much, but many of the UI changes in Google were in Bing first... hover over a search result to show more info on the side, image search with just images (details when you hover), infinite scroll on image search, background ima…

Which is terrible. I use Bing as a backup for Google when Google fails me (not often), and I just don't like all of Bing's noise, the background graphics, the sidebar stuff, the slow load time, the Facebook Like button (FFS, WHY??), the "Check out our other services!" topbar that keeps the search field from loading until it's finished, ugh. It seems like Google is becoming more Bing-like with each passing day. This i…

DuckDuckGo! I'd say the search results are better/less cluttered about 60% of the time, and google or bing are only a !bang away...

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#88

Post by anon1385 »

0x12 wrote: post #67
mwexler wrote: post #63

The iPad "Tablet" Google results experience has removed them completely, no instant preview, no "hidden" swipe-to-expose (that I could find). You have to go to the "classic" version, via a link on the bottom of the page, to get them back. The classic version? It's the one we used to have: no instant preview, Cache link present on almost every listing. So, at least on some platforms, the info-dense but useful version…

Can you please post the link to your classic version? I'd like to see what happens when I hit that link from a different platform.

http://www.google.com/search?q=test&nota=1 seems to trigger the 'classic' layout when visiting with an iPad user agent. When visiting with an iPhone user agent 'nota' is replaced with 'nomo' to get the classic layout. Both offer the cache links (they appear to be the same page, at a glance).

Sadly they are doing user agent sniffing and those parameters do nothing when I revert my user-agent back to the desktop Safari default. It seems that nearly all Google sites do user agent sniffing to determine what version of the site to serve, sometimes even going as far as to prevent you logging in at all if you aren't using an approved browser [1].

[1] https://plus.google.com/not-supported/

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#89

Post by jen_h »

kongqiu wrote: post #86
jen_h wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is terrible. I use Bing as a backup for Google when Google fails me (not often), and I just don't like all of Bing's noise, the background graphics, the sidebar stuff, the slow load time, the Facebook Like button (FFS, WHY??), the "Check out our other services!" topbar that keeps the search field from loading until it's finished, ugh. It seems like Google is becoming more Bing-like with each passing day. This i…

DuckDuckGo! I'd say the search results are better/less cluttered about 60% of the time, and google or bing are only a !bang away...

Hrm, DDG's Privacy Policy http://duckduckgo.com/privacy.html is enough reason to move over, methinks! Now to move muscle memory from g to d. ;)

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#90

Post by pie »

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.

Accurate results for technical topics brought me to Google, and all the extra query formatting that's required these days is somewhat irritating.

Another peeve is that the search box on the results page (with Instant disabled) routinely drops input or moves the insertion point.

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