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If Google search disappeared, I would still remember the names of several sites like Stack Overflow that are always at the top of the results, and I’d just go d

by pavlov 2y ago

If Google search disappeared, I would still remember the names of several sites like Stack Overflow that are always at the top of the results, and I’d just go directly there. Maybe the original Yahoo! style curated list of categorized links would actually be more useful for me at this point than Google with all the SEO spam. That kind of high-quality directory combined with ChatGPT would probably replace Google for me.

mitthrowaway2 2y ago
Does anyone maintain a Yahoo-like directory anymore? I used to love browsing the internet that way, and I feel like it would be a really interesting way to find websites rather than content.
- Timwi 2y ago
  I agree, but I think such a project is just not realistic anymore. If you make it publicly editable (like a wiki) it'll just be full of spam, and if you don't, then you need swathes of human editors. And then you get into endless fruitless debates on exactly which websites should be listed and which should be excluded.
- habinero 2y ago
  I've had some luck googling "awesome" "<topic>" "github" -- people make lists of projects and links and papers and such and I've found some gems on there when I'm looking for dataviz or csv cli tools or what have you.
bayarearefugee 2y ago
> If Google search disappeared, I would still remember the names of several sites like Stack Overflow that are always at the top of the results, and I’d just go directly there. I kind of agree with this, but Google is still, IMO, the best way to search these sites even when you know they exist because most of them have terrible local search. Google searches with the site: tag are one of the few ways in which I find google search to be somewhat useful. Its pretty terrible these days at more generalized search due to their capitulation to SEO.
- mostlysimilar 2y ago
  I think this was true for a long time and so it's burned into a lot of us as conventional wisdom, but have you actually tried lately? I've made a habit to go directly to the website I want and use its search first. In almost all cases I find what I want, and I get to avoid touching Google.

by pavlov 2y ago

mitthrowaway2 2y ago

Does anyone maintain a Yahoo-like directory anymore? I used to love browsing the internet that way, and I feel like it would be a really interesting way to find websites rather than content.

Timwi 2y ago
I agree, but I think such a project is just not realistic anymore. If you make it publicly editable (like a wiki) it'll just be full of spam, and if you don't, then you need swathes of human editors. And then you get into endless fruitless debates on exactly which websites should be listed and which should be excluded.
habinero 2y ago
I've had some luck googling "awesome" "<topic>" "github" -- people make lists of projects and links and papers and such and I've found some gems on there when I'm looking for dataviz or csv cli tools or what have you.

bayarearefugee 2y ago

> If Google search disappeared, I would still remember the names of several sites like Stack Overflow that are always at the top of the results, and I’d just go directly there. I kind of agree with this, but Google is still, IMO, the best way to search these sites even when you know they exist because most of them have terrible local search. Google searches with the site: tag are one of the few ways in which I find google search to be somewhat useful. Its pretty terrible these days at more generalized search due to their capitulation to SEO.

mostlysimilar 2y ago
I think this was true for a long time and so it's burned into a lot of us as conventional wisdom, but have you actually tried lately? I've made a habit to go directly to the website I want and use its search first. In almost all cases I find what I want, and I get to avoid touching Google.