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> even though DDG now offers a quality of service comparable to the big G it still remains extremely confidential I’ve tried to switch to DDG a couple of times

> even though DDG now offers a quality of service comparable to the big G it still remains extremely confidential I’ve tried to switch to DDG a couple of times and I use it as the default search engine on my cellphone now but it’s not yet as good as Google is for easily finding exactly what I want and I doubt it will ever be because it is thanks to the very thing I don’t like about Google — the amount of things they know about their users — that Google are able to give the results that their users are looking for. I bought a book called Relevant Search because I think that it might be possible to build a very good search engine for oneself but I have not yet had time to even start reading that book so.

meko 8y ago
DDG results can be hit or miss (it doesn't yet do a good job of filtering spam, for instance), but a simple 'g!' In your search terms will have DDG query google for you, thus acting as a sort of proxy. This means you can have the anonymity of DDG and the breadth of google.
dx034 8y ago
It's the other way around for me. I use it as default on the desktop because I just type !g whenever the query is more complex. Most searches are still sth easy (or programming questions where DDG is really good) so I probably only use Google for 20-30% of queries. On the phone that's too much of a hassle (and my queries there are often more localized) so I keep using Google. I think switching to DDG is worth it even if you only lower your usage to a certain degree. It means no company has your full profile anymore.
nmeofthestate 8y ago
I had the same experience with DDG/G. Google results are just more relevant due to the fact that they know where you are, and what you've searched for etc. I don't see myself as starring in my own personalised version of the movie "Enemy of the State", so opt for the more useful service rather than the more private one.

meko 8y ago

DDG results can be hit or miss (it doesn't yet do a good job of filtering spam, for instance), but a simple 'g!' In your search terms will have DDG query google for you, thus acting as a sort of proxy. This means you can have the anonymity of DDG and the breadth of google.

dx034 8y ago

It's the other way around for me. I use it as default on the desktop because I just type !g whenever the query is more complex. Most searches are still sth easy (or programming questions where DDG is really good) so I probably only use Google for 20-30% of queries. On the phone that's too much of a hassle (and my queries there are often more localized) so I keep using Google. I think switching to DDG is worth it even if you only lower your usage to a certain degree. It means no company has your full profile anymore.

nmeofthestate 8y ago

I had the same experience with DDG/G. Google results are just more relevant due to the fact that they know where you are, and what you've searched for etc. I don't see myself as starring in my own personalised version of the movie "Enemy of the State", so opt for the more useful service rather than the more private one.