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If there's one feature that I would assert almost everyone wants which requires tracking some data, its search history recommendation.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Nbox9 5y ago
Why would I want Google to store my search history? I can look at my search history just fine with my local copy on my web browser. (Web browsers store previously visited websites)
- joshuamorton 5y ago
  The search history in this case isn't your browser search history, but in-app search history within gmail/drive. Your browser doesn't store that.
  - Nbox9 5y ago
    Which drive files I open is 100% in my web browser history.
    - joshuamorton 5y ago
      But searches made in the drive UI are not. (and gmail history certainly is not, and actually drive files viewed in certain contexts aren't either)
      - csande17 5y ago
        > But searches made in the drive UI are not. What? Yes they are! Browser history includes every page you navigate to, including the "search results for 'tps report'" page of a cloud storage service.
        joshuamorton 5y ago
        Ah you're quite right (I was expecting that the queries would be POST-like, not GET-like). This distinction doesn't matter too much though, because having the browser be responsible for this fails in at least two ways: 1. The browser shouldn't need knowlege of how to parse every query language of every webapp you use. 2. The browser can't actually give you the results of those queries. If I search for "tps reports", the browser knows I entered that query string, but it doesn't know what the 15 results were, and so can't, for example take my prior search into account when I search for "12/17/2022" to uprank the TPS report for that date, as opposed to some other report. Nor can it even do the weaker bit and assume that since I searched TPS yesterday, when I search "reports" today, it should consider upranking tps reports.
        Nbox9 5y ago
        I admire how focused you are on drive & gmail search quality. I have a lot of concerns about using user data to improve search that are larger than this specific feature or discussion. This leads me to implement strategies to reduce new data generated, such as loading URLs directly instead of accessing them from search. I’d like to conclude by conceding your approach will generate the better results, but that the best search results aren’t what I’m optimizing for.
cma 5y ago
Google turns off maps nav search history if you turn off web search history. Maps could easily switch to local to the device instead, since you usually nav with the same device over and over and could rebuild common history if you got a new device (or transfer history), but it feels like they want a carrot and stick.
- jcranberry 5y ago
  Well the google PM said that before this change all their apps history were unified, and they just split off the workspace apps. But maybe you're right and the only reason it's still that way rather than split up is a business decision rather than a developmental/resource allocation decision.
ravar 5y ago
My (non google) browser stores my history just fine.
zepto 5y ago
1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.
- joshuamorton 5y ago
  > 1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow. > 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client. Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in.
  - Rebelgecko 5y ago
    Easy, just store your search history in a Blockchain and pull it down every time you log in.
    - tekknik 5y ago
      Why a blockchain? Or is this sarcasm?
  - zepto 5y ago
    > No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow. That doesn’t contradict that it was switched off intentionally. > Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in. Logging in to what? Are you saying you want your search history synced between your browsers? If so, that’s a solved problem that doesn’t require Google to track you.
    - joshuamorton 5y ago
      The search history in this context is Gmail and drive in app search history. This has absolutely nothing to do with your browser.
taneq 5y ago
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
magicjosh 5y ago
Just to clarify this comment is sarcastic right? It gets confusing in text. (genuinely asking)
- jcranberry 5y ago
  No, I wasn't being sarcastic
  - magicjosh 5y ago
    Ah ok! So then the other replies are valid then. Agree with others, to me this is useless. Browser handles it already if I wanted it, and I never use that anyway.
marssaxman 5y ago
I certainly do not want that! I want to search through the web as it is, not as some search engine imagines I would prefer it to be, based on its inevitably limited understanding of my preferences. Smart systems which sometimes work and sometimes don't are vastly more frustrating than dumb systems which do exactly what they're told, every time.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

Nbox9 5y ago

Why would I want Google to store my search history? I can look at my search history just fine with my local copy on my web browser. (Web browsers store previously visited websites)

joshuamorton 5y ago
The search history in this case isn't your browser search history, but in-app search history within gmail/drive. Your browser doesn't store that.
- Nbox9 5y ago
  Which drive files I open is 100% in my web browser history.
  - joshuamorton 5y ago
    But searches made in the drive UI are not. (and gmail history certainly is not, and actually drive files viewed in certain contexts aren't either)
    - csande17 5y ago
      > But searches made in the drive UI are not. What? Yes they are! Browser history includes every page you navigate to, including the "search results for 'tps report'" page of a cloud storage service.
      - joshuamorton 5y ago
        Ah you're quite right (I was expecting that the queries would be POST-like, not GET-like). This distinction doesn't matter too much though, because having the browser be responsible for this fails in at least two ways: 1. The browser shouldn't need knowlege of how to parse every query language of every webapp you use. 2. The browser can't actually give you the results of those queries. If I search for "tps reports", the browser knows I entered that query string, but it doesn't know what the 15 results were, and so can't, for example take my prior search into account when I search for "12/17/2022" to uprank the TPS report for that date, as opposed to some other report. Nor can it even do the weaker bit and assume that since I searched TPS yesterday, when I search "reports" today, it should consider upranking tps reports.
        Nbox9 5y ago
        I admire how focused you are on drive & gmail search quality. I have a lot of concerns about using user data to improve search that are larger than this specific feature or discussion. This leads me to implement strategies to reduce new data generated, such as loading URLs directly instead of accessing them from search. I’d like to conclude by conceding your approach will generate the better results, but that the best search results aren’t what I’m optimizing for.

cma 5y ago

Google turns off maps nav search history if you turn off web search history. Maps could easily switch to local to the device instead, since you usually nav with the same device over and over and could rebuild common history if you got a new device (or transfer history), but it feels like they want a carrot and stick.

jcranberry 5y ago
Well the google PM said that before this change all their apps history were unified, and they just split off the workspace apps. But maybe you're right and the only reason it's still that way rather than split up is a business decision rather than a developmental/resource allocation decision.

ravar 5y ago

My (non google) browser stores my history just fine.

zepto 5y ago

1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.

joshuamorton 5y ago
> 1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow. > 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client. Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in.
- Rebelgecko 5y ago
  Easy, just store your search history in a Blockchain and pull it down every time you log in.
  - tekknik 5y ago
    Why a blockchain? Or is this sarcasm?
- zepto 5y ago
  > No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow. That doesn’t contradict that it was switched off intentionally. > Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in. Logging in to what? Are you saying you want your search history synced between your browsers? If so, that’s a solved problem that doesn’t require Google to track you.
  - joshuamorton 5y ago
    The search history in this context is Gmail and drive in app search history. This has absolutely nothing to do with your browser.

taneq 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

magicjosh 5y ago

Just to clarify this comment is sarcastic right? It gets confusing in text. (genuinely asking)

jcranberry 5y ago
No, I wasn't being sarcastic
- magicjosh 5y ago
  Ah ok! So then the other replies are valid then. Agree with others, to me this is useless. Browser handles it already if I wanted it, and I never use that anyway.

marssaxman 5y ago

I certainly do not want that! I want to search through the web as it is, not as some search engine imagines I would prefer it to be, based on its inevitably limited understanding of my preferences. Smart systems which sometimes work and sometimes don't are vastly more frustrating than dumb systems which do exactly what they're told, every time.