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> Use Super-A. You can tell Unity exactly what you want to search. And in future you’ll be able to do that from the home lens, too, more easily than the current

> Use Super-A. You can tell Unity exactly what you want to search. And in future you’ll be able to do that from the home lens, too, more easily than the current Lens Bar at the bottom of the Dash. From http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1182 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1182 It sounds like they're working to expand the search functionality with users' best interests in mind, not adding advertisements as everyone seems to think. > it is being done to track my interests for monetary gain in the form of referral links They're just search results, not ads. Read the blog post from Shuttleworth.

droithomme 14y ago
Thanks. The article states "If a user buys something from Amazon as a result, money is sent to Canonical in the form of affiliate payments." Is the article in error, or has the behavior changed in response to criticism, or do the amazon links have Canonical affiliate codes? The last seems to be the correct answer - affiliate links are used. I see no evidence Stallman is incorrect and the Shuttleworth blog article does not say they don't use affiliate links. http://askubuntu.com/questions/192725/how-do-i-make-sure-that-canonical-get-affiliate-benefits-when-i-buy-from-amazon http://askubuntu.com/questions/192725/how-do-i-make-sure-tha... > The Amazon affiliate referral happens if you've arrived at the Amazon property via a 'tagged' link. Both links clicked via the dash which go to Amazon sites, and the shortcut in the launcher will add the tag. The tag adds a cookie which lasts for 24 hours. If you buy anything during that period, Canonical will get some affiliate revenue.
- Irregardless 14y ago
  I'm actually not sure after reading both again -- Shuttleworth seems to imply that they're not doing this for money, but he doesn't explicitly say it. Either way, these search results are distinctly different from the ads in the launcher that people were talking about a couple weeks ago, but everyone seems to be mixing the two up. Both can be easily disabled, though. And searching your own machine is still an option.
  - white_devil 14y ago
    > Shuttleworth seems to imply that they're not doing this for money, but he doesn't explicitly say it What else would Amazon referrals be about, if not money?
    - lotu 14y ago
      You can do things for more than one reason. They can think these results will be beneficial to users and help keep Canonical solvent.
      - nvmc 14y ago
        I find it very hard to believe that anyone, let alone the presumably technologically proficient people at Canonical, would actually think that sponsored search results are useful. When was the last time anyone clicked a sponsored Google result?
throwaway2048 14y ago
I am not a fan of the somewhat common rhetoric that "ads are the new user valued content". If HP or Toshiba installed a browser tool bar into IE that gave them everything you searched for, nobody would question calling it spyware. And if it redirected your searches to some sleazy google proxy type site, i dont think anyone would hesitate calling that advertisement.
- Irregardless 14y ago
  These aren't ads though, and Canonical isn't collecting this data with the intention of serving you ads -- they're just diplaying relevant Amazon results along with normal web results when you do a web search through the dash. It's also very easily disabled, and you still have the option of doing local searches confined to your machine.
  - throwaway2048 14y ago
    does anyone actually want amazon product results when searching for local files? Doubtful Does Canonical make money off this arrangement? Definately so there is a display of products/services the user never asked for, that results in a monetary gain by the company pushing them. Id call that an ad.
  - jiggy2011 14y ago
    I search my computer for something and it says "hey, you could buy this". sounds like an ad.
  - freshhawk 14y ago
    "collecting this data with the intention of serving you ads" "they're just diplaying relevant Amazon results" How are these not ads? Especially when they have affiliate codes? I can't think of a reasonable definition of "ad" that doesn't include this.
  - carlisle_ 14y ago
    Ok so when I'm searching for something on my computer I'm presented something other than the files I'm searching for right? From Wikipedia: "Advertising is a form of communication for marketing and used to encourage or persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to continue or take some new action. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common." Sounds to me it's exactly the definition of advertising.
Nux 14y ago
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
- Irregardless 14y ago
  Is the road to heaven similarly paved with bad intentions? And is it devoid of good intentions? I don't think so.
  - mylittlepony 14y ago
    Your logic is broken.
nitrogen 14y ago
They're just search results, not ads. Read the blog post from Shuttleworth. Search results from a collection of commercial products, provided by a retailer of commercial products, are ads.

droithomme 14y ago

Thanks. The article states "If a user buys something from Amazon as a result, money is sent to Canonical in the form of affiliate payments." Is the article in error, or has the behavior changed in response to criticism, or do the amazon links have Canonical affiliate codes? The last seems to be the correct answer - affiliate links are used. I see no evidence Stallman is incorrect and the Shuttleworth blog article does not say they don't use affiliate links. http://askubuntu.com/questions/192725/how-do-i-make-sure-that-canonical-get-affiliate-benefits-when-i-buy-from-amazon http://askubuntu.com/questions/192725/how-do-i-make-sure-tha... > The Amazon affiliate referral happens if you've arrived at the Amazon property via a 'tagged' link. Both links clicked via the dash which go to Amazon sites, and the shortcut in the launcher will add the tag. The tag adds a cookie which lasts for 24 hours. If you buy anything during that period, Canonical will get some affiliate revenue.

Irregardless 14y ago
I'm actually not sure after reading both again -- Shuttleworth seems to imply that they're not doing this for money, but he doesn't explicitly say it. Either way, these search results are distinctly different from the ads in the launcher that people were talking about a couple weeks ago, but everyone seems to be mixing the two up. Both can be easily disabled, though. And searching your own machine is still an option.
- white_devil 14y ago
  > Shuttleworth seems to imply that they're not doing this for money, but he doesn't explicitly say it What else would Amazon referrals be about, if not money?
  - lotu 14y ago
    You can do things for more than one reason. They can think these results will be beneficial to users and help keep Canonical solvent.
    - nvmc 14y ago
      I find it very hard to believe that anyone, let alone the presumably technologically proficient people at Canonical, would actually think that sponsored search results are useful. When was the last time anyone clicked a sponsored Google result?

throwaway2048 14y ago

I am not a fan of the somewhat common rhetoric that "ads are the new user valued content". If HP or Toshiba installed a browser tool bar into IE that gave them everything you searched for, nobody would question calling it spyware. And if it redirected your searches to some sleazy google proxy type site, i dont think anyone would hesitate calling that advertisement.

Irregardless 14y ago
These aren't ads though, and Canonical isn't collecting this data with the intention of serving you ads -- they're just diplaying relevant Amazon results along with normal web results when you do a web search through the dash. It's also very easily disabled, and you still have the option of doing local searches confined to your machine.
- throwaway2048 14y ago
  does anyone actually want amazon product results when searching for local files? Doubtful Does Canonical make money off this arrangement? Definately so there is a display of products/services the user never asked for, that results in a monetary gain by the company pushing them. Id call that an ad.
- jiggy2011 14y ago
  I search my computer for something and it says "hey, you could buy this". sounds like an ad.
- freshhawk 14y ago
  "collecting this data with the intention of serving you ads" "they're just diplaying relevant Amazon results" How are these not ads? Especially when they have affiliate codes? I can't think of a reasonable definition of "ad" that doesn't include this.
- carlisle_ 14y ago
  Ok so when I'm searching for something on my computer I'm presented something other than the files I'm searching for right? From Wikipedia: "Advertising is a form of communication for marketing and used to encourage or persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to continue or take some new action. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common." Sounds to me it's exactly the definition of advertising.

Nux 14y ago

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Irregardless 14y ago
Is the road to heaven similarly paved with bad intentions? And is it devoid of good intentions? I don't think so.
- mylittlepony 14y ago
  Your logic is broken.

nitrogen 14y ago

They're just search results, not ads. Read the blog post from Shuttleworth. Search results from a collection of commercial products, provided by a retailer of commercial products, are ads.