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Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

danluu.com

261–270 of 493 posts

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#261

What always confuses me about the „search has gotten so bad“ mentality is that it is often based on anecdotal evidence at best, and anecdotal recollection at worst. Like, sure, I have the impression that search got worse over the last years, but .. has it really? How could you tell? And, honestly, this should be a verifiable claim; you can just try the top N search terms from Google trends or whatever and see how the…

I don't think this is a fair criticism.

1) The step where you evaluate "how they perform" is necessarily subjective.

2) you could design a study and recruit participants but that isn't something a blogger is going to do.

3) He does link to polls where people agree with the idea the result have gotten worse. Yeah, there are sampling problems with a poll, but its better than nothing.

In this case especially, the writer is answering the question: "Whose results are best according to my tastes?"

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#262
post #228

> Here's a fun experiment to try. Take an open source project such as yt-dlp and try to find it from a very generic term like "youtube downloader". You won't be able to find it because of all of the content farms that try to rank at the top for that term. Even though yt-dlp is probably actually what you want for a tool to download video from YouTube. Is that true? Do most people want to install a command line tool to…

No. They want sites like savefrom.net - which is hit number one on Google.

Did you try using savefrom.net? You can type "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYVmtgxebU" into the text box and hit "Download". Then you'll get a new tab that tries to get you to install malware. If you decline to install it, the new tab takes you to the malware's homepage. If you close the tab and go back to the original tab, savefrom.net presents you with an error message saying "The download link not found." and does not help you download the video.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#263
post #207

I'm in the camp of those who think Google's results are still very good. I admit I use adblock (uBlock Origin) and won't even try to disable it. I understand the author's point of turning off their ad blocker "to get the non-expert browsing experience" but then they could make a different test with uBlock on for every query and see how it goes. It's also a bit inconsistent to expect results for downloading videos men…

cross-posted: Did you try using savefrom.net? You can type "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYVmtgxebU" into the text box and hit "Download". Then you'll get a new tab that tries to get you to install malware. If you decline to install it, the new tab takes you to the malware's homepage. If you close the tab and go back to the original tab, savefrom.net presents you with an error message saying "The download link not found." and does not help you download the video.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#264
post #94

Re: Kagi, I heard about it on HN, tried it for 100 searches, then subscribed. When I search for random JS and CSS things, MDN is the first result, and if it isn't, I can downrank whatever spammy site(s) are on top. --- I wish I had a local LLM trained to detect clickbait and or low-effort content. I imagine searching YouTube and having all the clickbait collapsed together (just like Kagi condenses listicles), with th…

Been paying for Kagi for 6+ months and very happy with it. I’m pretty anti subscriptions so that’s saying a lot for a service that is otherwise free.

I do have to dump into google for local searches every once in awhile, but otherwise happy with it.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#265
post #217

Current Kagi results for those without an account to compare: youtube downloader https://kagi.com/search?q=youtube+downloader&r=us&sh=_szITdy... ad blocker https://kagi.com/search?q=Ad+blocker&r=us&sh=-BHzV2ZoCDpmgOu... download Firefox https://kagi.com/search?q=Download+Firefox&r=us&sh=zkkmc_EQX... why do wider tires have better grip? https://kagi.com/search?q=Why+do+wider+tires+have+better+gri... why do they keep m…

Kagi gives me websites that require more clicking; Google just gives me reasonable answers and I don't see spam in your examples. "why do wider tires have better grip?" Wider tires provide more grip due to a larger contact patch with the road. While it's true that friction is not directly dependent on surface area, a larger contact patch allows for more even weight distribution and better traction, particularly durin…

I often default to using Kagi’s FastGPT when I want direct information instead of a starting point for web browsing. It combines web searches with LLM summarization to produce an integrated, sourced answer. Kinda like “New Bing” with a better interface. You can trigger this mode by adding “!fast” to your query, going to https://kagi.com/fastgpt, or using their API. Here’s what it returned for me on those specific queries: ========== "why do wider tires have better grip?" Wider tires provide better grip due to having a larger contact patch with the road surface. A larger contact patch means the tire can disperse the weight of the vehicle over a wider area, reducing pressure. This allows for more friction between the tire and road, improving traction and cornering ability. However, wider tires do not necessarily provide better grip in wet conditions. [1][2][3][4][5] 1. wheels - Does a wider tire always mean more grip/traction - Motor ... 2. Do Wider Tires Give You More Grip? Not All the Time 3. Learn Me: Wider tires = more Grip? = Faster cornering?| Grassroots ... 4. Wide or narrow tires? Here's how your choice will affect driving ... 5. VIDEO: Do wider tires offer more grip? - BMW M3 and BMW M4 Forum ========== "why do they keep making cpu transistors smaller?" There are a few key reasons why CPU manufacturers keep making transistors smaller: 1. Smaller transistors allow more transistors to be placed on a single chip, enabling increased processing power. More transistors results in more capabilities and performance. [1] 2. Smaller transistors use less power and produce less heat. This allows CPUs to operate faster and with more cores/threads within the same power and thermal envelope. [2] 3. Moore's Law, an observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965, predicted that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years. Following this trend has driven the semiconductor industry to continue shrinking transistors. [3] 4. Smaller transistors can switch on and off faster, enabling increased clock speeds. This directly leads to increased performance. [1] However, we are rapidly approaching the fundamental physical limits of transistor shrinkage. Transistors cannot be smaller than an atom, which is around 0.2 nanometers for silicon. [4] Alternative technologies like carbon nanotube transistors may be needed to continue performance growth beyond this point. [5] 1. Why does computer chip process size have to keep getting smaller ... 2. Why does smaller = less heat? - CPUs, Motherboards, and Memory ... 3. What Is Moore's Law and Is It Still True? 4. Transistors are an essential building block used in almost every ... 5. These Transistor Gates Are Just One Carbon Atom Thick - IEEE ... ========== "vancouver snow forecast winter 2023" Based on the context provided: The winter of 2023-2024 in Vancouver is expected to see less snow and milder temperatures than typical winters. Forecasts predict a below average snowfall season with warmer weather [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Long range forecasts through December 2023 for southern British Columbia call for showers along the coast and less precipitation inland [7]. Metro Vancouver's fall and winter is also predicted to be a potentially 'down' snow year [4]. Confidence is high for a mild winter in western Canada with reduced snowfall amounts [5]. However, specific snowfall totals are uncertain given the long lead time [6]. 1. Vancouver winter weather: Less snow, milder temperatures ... 2. 2023-2024 British Columbia Winter Forecast Preview | OpenSnow 3. Snow Prediction Vancouver Winter 2023/24 — Alblaster Snow ... 4. Metro Vancouver's fall, winter forecast | CityNews Vancouver 5. What will this winter be like? Grab the hot cocoa — here's your 2023 ... 6. Canada's Winter Forecast: El Niño a critical factor for the season ... 7. 60-Day Extended Weather Forecast for Vancouver, BC | Almanac.com

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#266

Kagi really shines on topics that are SEO-spammed on other search engines. I.e. when travelling to a touristic city, searching a recipe, or basically any product you want to buy. I actually got "search anxiety" searching these topics, as I know I will have to navigate a lot of SEO spam, content that is artificially blown up, and the core information purposefully hidden somewhere on the page - if any. Plus the multitu…

Yeah that’s my go-to as well. Interestingly, I often find that “Fast” mode results are as good or better than “Expert” mode for simpler tasks.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#267
post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. They want sites like savefrom.net - which is hit number one on Google.

Did you try using savefrom.net? You can type " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYVmtgxebU " into the text box and hit "Download". Then you'll get a new tab that tries to get you to install malware. If you decline to install it, the new tab takes you to the malware's homepage. If you close the tab and go back to the original tab, savefrom.net presents you with an error message saying "The download link not found." an…

I tried this. I went to savefrom.net. First thing it does is ask permission to send notifications.

After that there is a popup asking me if I want to continue in the browser or download their app. If I click download, it downloads a file called download_helper_2.3.27.apk.

Instead of downloading their app, if I paste a YouTube link, it tells me I can wait or download their APK to skip waiting. The download link downloads an older version called download_helper_2.3.19.apk.

When I do the process again, instead of the older APK link it gives me a Chrome extension link. But if you look at the instructions you see that it's not a Chrome extension, but a minified userscript. And it has `@include https://*` so it can basically run on any website regardless of clicking on an extension icon like regular browser extensions.

If I try to ignore all the distractions and wait for the download link, I can click it and it downloads the MP4 file. But it also opens a popunder with the domain https://refpamjeql.top/.

Not the best experience, and seems like a high risk of getting malware, but it does get an MP4 file at some point.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#268
I wonder if this aggregate enshittification of computers (be it search, social media, video games) etc. is actually a good thing for humans in general.

I feel like today's digital spaces don't have as strong a grip on the minds of people - I think folks started rediscovering the value of genunine human interaction and hobbies that do not involve a computer screen.

For example, I haven't seen the equivalent of 2000s-2010s Facebook addicts or (WoW addicts in the gaming space) to such an extent, with parasocial media, such as TikTok or Youtube or Twitch, having replaced social media, and social video gaming such as MMOs having lost a lot of popularity.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#269
post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you try using savefrom.net? You can type " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYVmtgxebU " into the text box and hit "Download". Then you'll get a new tab that tries to get you to install malware. If you decline to install it, the new tab takes you to the malware's homepage. If you close the tab and go back to the original tab, savefrom.net presents you with an error message saying "The download link not found." an…

I tried this. I went to savefrom.net. First thing it does is ask permission to send notifications. After that there is a popup asking me if I want to continue in the browser or download their app. If I click download, it downloads a file called download_helper_2.3.27.apk. Instead of downloading their app, if I paste a YouTube link, it tells me I can wait or download their APK to skip waiting. The download link downlo…

Interesting! I tried again and got completely different results this time. Now there's no malware tab, and instead it tries to get me to pay for a subscription to download high-quality videos or MP3s. If I click the barely-visible "Just let me download in my browser with low quality" below the paid subscription button, I get the same error as before.

Edit: the paid subscription payment flow says I'm actually buying "Televzr Premium Max Subscription for

1 Month_mp

Televzr helps get wireless access to the media library on the computer from the mobile phone"

So it purports to be something unrelated to downloading youtube videos. I didn't pay 1400 yen for it, so I won't get to find out if it helps me download youtube videos.

Re: Compare Google, Bing, Marginalia, Kagi, Mwmbl, and ChatGPT

#270
> When I tried running the query from the paper, "cellular phone" (no quotes) and, the top result was a Google Store link to buy Google's own Pixel 7, with the rest of the top results being various Android phones sold on Amazon.

Interestingly, if you add "before:2001-01-01" to the query, the paper that Brin and Page referenced shows up as the third result.

That this query now ranks phones you can buy higher than information about phones makes sense, since the web is much bigger these days and cell phones are much more widely accessible than they were back then.

> Although Google doesn't publicly provide the ability to see what was historically returned for queries, many people remember when straightforward queries generally returned good results.

See above. Sort of.

---

I wish Dan spent more time talking about Kagi. I, too, have found it terrible for searching for things to buy and some images but excellent otherwise.

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