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"Curiously, I'd say 90% of the time I use Google is for math. If I'm typing a complex math expression (especially with units), Google tends to do much better th
by chris_f 6y ago
"Curiously, I'd say 90% of the time I use Google is for math. If I'm typing a complex math expression (especially with units), Google tends to do much better than DDG."
This is interesting because it highlights the changing expectation of web search engines from when they were just tools to find relevant webpages for a query.
Search engines have morphed into all-purpose utility and information tools. The bar for what makes a good search engine has been greatly moved forward. Organic web search results are now just one part of the measure of quality and relevance.
- ashtonkem 6y agoI wonder if that’s an OS specific thing. I find that nowadays I use Spotlight on OSX for math expressions, not Google.
- Mirioron 6y agoHow does it compare to Wolfram Alpha in your opinion?
- reaperducer 6y agoSiri draws answers from Wolfram Alpha, so maybe Spotlight does, as well.
- saagarjha 6y agoSpotlight uses a private framework for mathematical expressions called Calculate.framework. (Fun fact: it seems to be based on Bison.)
- ashtonkem 6y agoI never use WA, but I'm typically reaching for fairly basic math calculations that don't involve units. Last example was calculating an estimate cost of DynamoDB based on the peak RPS I'd found, which is just basic math with a lot of significant digits.