Hey Google, I want my cache links back • Hacker News Board

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#21

Post by dave1010uk » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:05 PM UTC

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…

http://www.google.com/xhtml is a simple, less-cruft version. Unfortunately it doesn't have cache links.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#22

Post by MatthewPhillips » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:06 PM UTC

udp wrote: post #14

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…

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

Also, DuckDuckGo renders better in elinks (Google has a lot of header junk you have to scroll past).

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#23

Post by guelo » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:08 PM UTC

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.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#24

Post by petenixey » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:09 PM UTC

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.

I believe they do a tonne of testing, this video from Google is a great illustration of their process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5RZOU6vK4Q

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#25

Post by 0xABADC0DA » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:09 PM UTC

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 image on main search page, etc.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#26

Post by sifi » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:11 PM UTC

I just noticed it yesterday (or maybe the day before).

It is really a bummer when you are used to going to a website to use their feature and the feature isn't there anymore.

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#27

Post by dolinsky » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:12 PM UTC

haasted wrote: post #2

Another thing I find more annoying with the recent changes is that previously visited links are not marked as such any longer. When searching for the solution to a problem, it is quite nice to easily know which pages have already been visited using a different search query.

Previously visited links show up as the default purple for me in Chrome. Maybe it's due to a particular plugin you have installed?

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#28

Post by vasco » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:12 PM UTC

dave1010uk wrote: post #21

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…

http://www.google.com/xhtml is a simple, less-cruft version. Unfortunately it doesn't have cache links.

Yes it does. Click options, a little dropdown appears with "Cached, Similar and Mobile formatted"

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#29

Post by acabal » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:12 PM UTC

I thought I was going crazy when I realized the cache links were gone... good to know I wasn't the only one and that they're still there, though hidden (I never click on the preview arrows).

Re: Hey Google, I want my cache links back

#30

Post by masklinn » Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 12:16 PM UTC

udp wrote: post #14

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…

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.