6 ms·

I've been trying to use DDG for the last 6 months. Ultimately I'd say 40% of my queries I now just force google with '!g' instead. I was quite bullish on it 6 m

I've been trying to use DDG for the last 6 months. Ultimately I'd say 40% of my queries I now just force google with '!g' instead. I was quite bullish on it 6 months ago, but must admit that after 6 months, anything complex I !g straightaway.

kerkeslager 9y ago
This is taking "but it's so convenient to give up my privacy!" to a new level. Now it's "but if I don't give up my privacy can't micro-optimize my life!"? For framework configuration questions just search Stack(Overflow|Exchange) directly. For local results append the name of your city.
- mattmanser 9y ago
  Generally speaking SO's search (and reddit, and HN, etc.) are far worse than Google's.
StavrosK 9y ago
I've had the opposite experience. I've been using it for many months and I only !g code searches or searches where DDG's results were disappointing, most of which end up disappointing on Google as well.
- mattmanser 9y ago
  I find that hard to believe if you're a programmer, as any complex programming question !g is almost always better. As well as anything local. If you search for a fairly common venue name, google will always get you a much better result.
  - et1337 9y ago
    I've also used DuckDuckGo for years now, often for programming questions, and the handful of times I've resorted to !g it was 50/50 as to whether Google had better results.
  - saywatnow 9y ago
    > I find it hard to believe if you're a programmer Some people work better with reference documentation, books and their brain than SO "answers". Google for "complex programming questions" is laughable and honestly a bit insulting to the profession.
    - viral_krieger 9y ago
      Why is Googling a programming question insulting to the profession? I find it laughable that you think there is something wrong with looking for resources relating to complex programming questions. I can't tell you how many times Googling a niche and complex problem instantly solved my issue. Sometimes SO is the only site that has fixes for bugs in the program you're using or mistakes in the documentation.
      - tu6 9y ago
        Well Google is pretty shit if the same keyword combos occur in multiple complex answers. It can even be a waste of time/send you off on a wild goose chase VS just reading a book. Google benefits from the fact that most people's attention spans and patience has dropped.
    - stinos 9y ago
      SO "answers" That is also laughable and more than a bit insulting: - most of the answers (I encountered) are in fact proper and correct answers because bascially it's a peer-reviewed environment, so no need for those snarky quatation marks. I, and many others, have spent hours and hours writing down good answers, and learning quite a bit while doing so. - DDG/Google/... know about SO so it is often possible to get these answers way faster than when using the reference documentation, and your brain cannot change much about it - you'll find answers which are nowhere to be found in the reference documentation - I assume your point is that with enough reference documentation and thinking any complex programming problem can be tackled. Well, yeah I guess, but it takes way more time than needed and anecdotally I have seen code written by people thinking that and it was one horrid mess. Mostly because stuff like 'good practices' and insight in design principles and patterns and whatnot isn't found in reference documentation. While via frequenting SO (and similar, before that existed) you pick up this stuff automatically and it makes you reflect on programming which in turn makes you better. If you use your brain, that is.
  - aabaker99 9y ago
    It's given that Google will give better search results. They track you. I have the opposite experience regarding programming questions though. I thought that part of the initial appeal of DDG was that it handled queries that involved syntax or symbols better. I suppose these types of queries may not be that "complex" though. I admit I often query just to verify the API or to check how to do a common task in a language I am less familiar with.
    - jhasse 9y ago
      > It's given that Google will give better search results. They track you. IIRC they won't if you search via !g on ddg.
      - StavrosK 9y ago
        I find that hard to believe. DDG just redirects you to Google, it doesn't do anything fancier.
        jhasse 9y ago
        You're right.
- Gracana 9y ago
  What really killed google for me was their gradual transition to showing results that are the most popular thing that's merely related to your search terms. Whereas DDG wouldn't show me many good results for some searches, google shows me endless links to high-profile stuff that is explicitly not what I asked for. Contrived example: search for "vegan meals", and google goes "vegan, hmm.. oh, MEALS! Yes! Here's everything I know about MEALS! Here's some steaks you should buy!" The only way I can get good results out of google these days is to perform the search, then switch it to verbatim mode.
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    Yeah, I don't understand why they feel the need to ignore whole terms.
dorfsmay 9y ago
What about using google in an incognito tab?
- thestepafter 9y ago
  When you open the incognito tab it is clearly stated that incognito only stops information from being saved locally.
  - dorfsmay 9y ago
    Information saved locally is the main way sites such as google identify you (cookies mainly). If you open an incognito window for all your searches, do not signin and close it right after, search engine will not associate your searches with you. This is not enough to protect you from an evil company or government, but will affect which ads are presented to you, your search results, and should prevent your name from being associated with those searches should that search company date be compromised.
hiq 9y ago
You can at least use !s (startpage) instead.
earenndil 9y ago
Try using startpage. It's essentially a proxy for google, but since lots of people are using it, it has no way to connect the searches. And by using it, you're actually improving its privacy by increasing the number of different people whose traffic comes to google from startpage.

kerkeslager 9y ago

This is taking "but it's so convenient to give up my privacy!" to a new level. Now it's "but if I don't give up my privacy can't micro-optimize my life!"? For framework configuration questions just search Stack(Overflow|Exchange) directly. For local results append the name of your city.

mattmanser 9y ago
Generally speaking SO's search (and reddit, and HN, etc.) are far worse than Google's.

StavrosK 9y ago

I've had the opposite experience. I've been using it for many months and I only !g code searches or searches where DDG's results were disappointing, most of which end up disappointing on Google as well.

mattmanser 9y ago
I find that hard to believe if you're a programmer, as any complex programming question !g is almost always better. As well as anything local. If you search for a fairly common venue name, google will always get you a much better result.
- et1337 9y ago
  I've also used DuckDuckGo for years now, often for programming questions, and the handful of times I've resorted to !g it was 50/50 as to whether Google had better results.
- saywatnow 9y ago
  > I find it hard to believe if you're a programmer Some people work better with reference documentation, books and their brain than SO "answers". Google for "complex programming questions" is laughable and honestly a bit insulting to the profession.
  - viral_krieger 9y ago
    Why is Googling a programming question insulting to the profession? I find it laughable that you think there is something wrong with looking for resources relating to complex programming questions. I can't tell you how many times Googling a niche and complex problem instantly solved my issue. Sometimes SO is the only site that has fixes for bugs in the program you're using or mistakes in the documentation.
    - tu6 9y ago
      Well Google is pretty shit if the same keyword combos occur in multiple complex answers. It can even be a waste of time/send you off on a wild goose chase VS just reading a book. Google benefits from the fact that most people's attention spans and patience has dropped.
  - stinos 9y ago
    SO "answers" That is also laughable and more than a bit insulting: - most of the answers (I encountered) are in fact proper and correct answers because bascially it's a peer-reviewed environment, so no need for those snarky quatation marks. I, and many others, have spent hours and hours writing down good answers, and learning quite a bit while doing so. - DDG/Google/... know about SO so it is often possible to get these answers way faster than when using the reference documentation, and your brain cannot change much about it - you'll find answers which are nowhere to be found in the reference documentation - I assume your point is that with enough reference documentation and thinking any complex programming problem can be tackled. Well, yeah I guess, but it takes way more time than needed and anecdotally I have seen code written by people thinking that and it was one horrid mess. Mostly because stuff like 'good practices' and insight in design principles and patterns and whatnot isn't found in reference documentation. While via frequenting SO (and similar, before that existed) you pick up this stuff automatically and it makes you reflect on programming which in turn makes you better. If you use your brain, that is.
- aabaker99 9y ago
  It's given that Google will give better search results. They track you. I have the opposite experience regarding programming questions though. I thought that part of the initial appeal of DDG was that it handled queries that involved syntax or symbols better. I suppose these types of queries may not be that "complex" though. I admit I often query just to verify the API or to check how to do a common task in a language I am less familiar with.
  - jhasse 9y ago
    > It's given that Google will give better search results. They track you. IIRC they won't if you search via !g on ddg.
    - StavrosK 9y ago
      I find that hard to believe. DDG just redirects you to Google, it doesn't do anything fancier.
      - jhasse 9y ago
        You're right.
Gracana 9y ago
What really killed google for me was their gradual transition to showing results that are the most popular thing that's merely related to your search terms. Whereas DDG wouldn't show me many good results for some searches, google shows me endless links to high-profile stuff that is explicitly not what I asked for. Contrived example: search for "vegan meals", and google goes "vegan, hmm.. oh, MEALS! Yes! Here's everything I know about MEALS! Here's some steaks you should buy!" The only way I can get good results out of google these days is to perform the search, then switch it to verbatim mode.
- StavrosK 9y ago
  Yeah, I don't understand why they feel the need to ignore whole terms.

dorfsmay 9y ago

What about using google in an incognito tab?

thestepafter 9y ago
When you open the incognito tab it is clearly stated that incognito only stops information from being saved locally.
- dorfsmay 9y ago
  Information saved locally is the main way sites such as google identify you (cookies mainly). If you open an incognito window for all your searches, do not signin and close it right after, search engine will not associate your searches with you. This is not enough to protect you from an evil company or government, but will affect which ads are presented to you, your search results, and should prevent your name from being associated with those searches should that search company date be compromised.

hiq 9y ago

You can at least use !s (startpage) instead.

earenndil 9y ago

Try using startpage. It's essentially a proxy for google, but since lots of people are using it, it has no way to connect the searches. And by using it, you're actually improving its privacy by increasing the number of different people whose traffic comes to google from startpage.