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The nice thing about making something Creative Commons Zero, as I did with &udm=14, is that they can just use everything, logo included, for their own purposes.

The nice thing about making something Creative Commons Zero, as I did with &udm=14, is that they can just use everything, logo included, for their own purposes. Great to see. I hope more apps like this appear.

Etheryte 2y ago
While I see how this app definitely improves a direct pain point people have, I think in the long run it isn't useful, as this way Google will just keep at it with its user hostile practices. I would much rather see users switch to a different search engine altogether, whether it's Kagi, DDG or something else, and reduce the grip Google has on the internet.
- monooso 2y ago
  I doubt the existence of this app will affect whether or when that happens. In the meantime, it's nice to have.
shortformblog 2y ago
I want to add: I got into a debate with someone last night about whether workarounds do more harm than good. I’m sure product teams hate them, but I am explicitly in the “good” category. They put attention on the wrongs that companies do, and the ways they could be doing things better but aren’t. Yes, it would be nice if the company just stopped doing the bad thing, or regulators stepped in. But fact of matter, in a vacuum of indifference, workarounds play an important role. As users, we don’t have the megaphone of the massive platform, but we do have the benefits of organic reach. We can tell people about them, and the idea spreads. And by giving something like this awareness by promoting the concept through a website or an app, it gives users a choice in the matter that they did not have previously. Sure, you could go through the extra couple of clicks to go to the Web interface every single time, as Google’s design clearly discourages, but it’s easier to just know this URL code. So tell other people about it (or push them to an alternative search engine, if you prefer). And use tools like this Safari add-on.
msephton 2y ago
Thanks for doing that, Ernie!

Etheryte 2y ago

While I see how this app definitely improves a direct pain point people have, I think in the long run it isn't useful, as this way Google will just keep at it with its user hostile practices. I would much rather see users switch to a different search engine altogether, whether it's Kagi, DDG or something else, and reduce the grip Google has on the internet.

monooso 2y ago
I doubt the existence of this app will affect whether or when that happens. In the meantime, it's nice to have.

shortformblog 2y ago

I want to add: I got into a debate with someone last night about whether workarounds do more harm than good. I’m sure product teams hate them, but I am explicitly in the “good” category. They put attention on the wrongs that companies do, and the ways they could be doing things better but aren’t. Yes, it would be nice if the company just stopped doing the bad thing, or regulators stepped in. But fact of matter, in a vacuum of indifference, workarounds play an important role. As users, we don’t have the megaphone of the massive platform, but we do have the benefits of organic reach. We can tell people about them, and the idea spreads. And by giving something like this awareness by promoting the concept through a website or an app, it gives users a choice in the matter that they did not have previously. Sure, you could go through the extra couple of clicks to go to the Web interface every single time, as Google’s design clearly discourages, but it’s easier to just know this URL code. So tell other people about it (or push them to an alternative search engine, if you prefer). And use tools like this Safari add-on.

msephton 2y ago

Thanks for doing that, Ernie!