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I still like Google. I never worked there, but "cataloging the world's information and making it available for free" is still great. It's complicated yes, but G

I still like Google. I never worked there, but "cataloging the world's information and making it available for free" is still great. It's complicated yes, but Google — more than any other tech company — has empowered me to do the things I care about. Mainly by making information easy to find.

majewsky 8y ago
> cataloging the world's information and making it available for free What does the mission of archive.org have to do with Google?
- neuromantik8086 8y ago
  Or like, the mission of any academic library for that matter? Historically, Google owes its entire existence to an NSF grant that required heavy collaboration with Stanford Libraries, which is why academia to this day holds certain privileges at Google (free GSuite via memorandum of understanding, etc). I'd even argue that working at a library contributes substantially more to indexing the world's information, since libraries usually have one of a kind items in their cataloguing backlog that provide huge insights. As an example, I once met someone at a vintage computing festival who was writing an ENIAC simulator using the original specifications housed at UPenn. Unfortunately, he was having quite a bit of difficulty obtaining example programs to run on his simulator, not because programs didn't exist, but most likely because they were backlogged at UPenn and weren't being added to the library's catalog (i.e., so-called "hidden collections"). There are many ways to work on similar efforts without being at a tech company, but for better or worse the pay isn't remotely as good.
- neolefty 8y ago
  For that matter, what did AltaVista and Yahoo's index have to do with Google? And how does DDG relate now? It's a good discussion. Google contribution is algorithmic ranking, in my opinion, which amounts to an ongoing war / immune response with SEO and huge stakes for visibility of accurate information.
acct1771 8y ago
Cataloging it, as long as it suits their agenda. Otherwise, deranked. Removing videos from war reporters' channels, but promoting garbage like Lil Yachty to the top of the Youtube etc charts out of nowhere with no view numbers, let alone talent...

majewsky 8y ago

> cataloging the world's information and making it available for free What does the mission of archive.org have to do with Google?

neuromantik8086 8y ago
Or like, the mission of any academic library for that matter? Historically, Google owes its entire existence to an NSF grant that required heavy collaboration with Stanford Libraries, which is why academia to this day holds certain privileges at Google (free GSuite via memorandum of understanding, etc). I'd even argue that working at a library contributes substantially more to indexing the world's information, since libraries usually have one of a kind items in their cataloguing backlog that provide huge insights. As an example, I once met someone at a vintage computing festival who was writing an ENIAC simulator using the original specifications housed at UPenn. Unfortunately, he was having quite a bit of difficulty obtaining example programs to run on his simulator, not because programs didn't exist, but most likely because they were backlogged at UPenn and weren't being added to the library's catalog (i.e., so-called "hidden collections"). There are many ways to work on similar efforts without being at a tech company, but for better or worse the pay isn't remotely as good.
neolefty 8y ago
For that matter, what did AltaVista and Yahoo's index have to do with Google? And how does DDG relate now? It's a good discussion. Google contribution is algorithmic ranking, in my opinion, which amounts to an ongoing war / immune response with SEO and huge stakes for visibility of accurate information.

acct1771 8y ago

Cataloging it, as long as it suits their agenda. Otherwise, deranked. Removing videos from war reporters' channels, but promoting garbage like Lil Yachty to the top of the Youtube etc charts out of nowhere with no view numbers, let alone talent...