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DuckDuckGo is far less cluttered, which makes sense considering they have less things to push aside from the results: http://i.imgur.com/OnBJHkS.png http://i.im

DuckDuckGo is far less cluttered, which makes sense considering they have less things to push aside from the results: http://i.imgur.com/OnBJHkS.png http://i.imgur.com/OnBJHkS.png

GuiA 13y ago
In light of "designy" things like this, and other "ideological" things that have transpired in the past few weeks, I've been forcing myself to use DuckDuckGo. It's been about a month now, and I find the results terrible. I want to love it, but the first 10 results are pretty much never what I want. Sadly, Google still performs better on this front for me. If anyone has tips to make it better, I'd be very happy to hear them.
- antjanus 13y ago
  Bing is a little bit better in terms of screen real estate. They seem to push the top organic results at the top of the page, and put local results in between the top 2-3 and the next 6 results. There are barely any ads. Also, after a year of non-stop use, i can tell you right now that Bing predicts what I'm looking for far better than Google ever did.
  - psbp 13y ago
    Are we using the same bing? The searches I just tested returned just as many bing-centric results as google does.
- Ziomislaw 13y ago
  I believe it might be because DDG is not Google. What works on google might not work the same in DDG. How long have you been using google? Probably long time. During this time you (unconsiously) learned how to ask questions "google way", now you need to learn to quack :p I also found that DDG sometimes (not very often) does not find what I am looking for. Mostly it is because I know nothing of the subject ie. using a description of a "thing" I am looking for instead of its name, etc. - theese are the things google is better at. Regardless, if you find such query than please submit it to ddg, they are very responsive and results do get better.
  - Afforess 13y ago
    >How long have you been using google? Probably long time. During this time you (unconsiously) learned how to ask questions "google way", now you need to learn to quack :p I understand this, but most of us are looking for an alternative to Google and not a completely different search engine.
    - yen223 13y ago
      Google with Adblock does the trick.
      - hga 13y ago
        "Out of the box" I don't find that to be true, at least not with Linux 32 bit Firefox 21.0 and Chrome 27.0.1453.93 just now. Same results for auto mechanic and Italian restaurant, except my local market is too small for anyone to have bought ads for the latter. I assume I could configure Adblock Plus to hide the Google ads, but at least for me and what I normally search for they're not really an issue.
    - dotmanish 13y ago
      Take a look at StartPage (http://startpage.com http://startpage.com) - similar Privacy Policy.
      - Afforess 13y ago
        I did, but it still includes local results (it thinks I am in New York City). I signed up for a Google API account and tried the Google custom search engine and searched for "pizza restaurants" and received different results than with Startpage. Startpage tried to sell me NYC pizza. Google Custom Search: http://i.imgur.com/PLZ79Vk.png?1 http://i.imgur.com/PLZ79Vk.png?1 Startpage: http://i.imgur.com/5ui5LQc.png http://i.imgur.com/5ui5LQc.png
- api 13y ago
  I've found DDG to be better at finding obscure content, and the Goog to be better at finding what I call "canonical" content. For example, if I search for "binary tree" I probably want Wikipedia followed maybe by StackExchange. Google does that, while DDG sends me deep into the netherworld.
  - PanickedOmlette 13y ago
    Yeah, sadly that happens sometimes. I revert to Google (with bang syntax) when I am looking for something programming related and want a lot of results from stackoverflow. However, DDG is definitely better at finding some things. I recently searched for gentoo+postgresql related stuff and got highly relevant results, which weren't in Google's SERP.
    - yaddayadda 13y ago
      If you want just stackoverflow results and are already using bang syntax to get them from Google, then you should just switch from !g to !so.
      - ufo 13y ago
        An additional bonus of "!so" is that works with stack overflow search syntax like tag names between brackets.
  - yaddayadda 13y ago
    One awesome thing about DDG is their !bang searches. It won't automate an unknown search, but if you know the first thing you're going to want is the Wikipedia entry you just search ["binary tree" !w]; for related StackExchange questions ["binary tree" !so]; you can even do a straight goggle search ["binary tree" !g]. For the available !bangs check out - https://duckduckgo.com/bang.html https://duckduckgo.com/bang.html
    - bad_user 13y ago
      You don't need DDG for that, when you can use Firefox (or Chrome). All you need to do on a website with a search box is to right-click on that search box -> Add Keyword for this Search... and then add a shortcut. The cool thing about it is that it is extensible. You don't need to settle for the fixed "bangs" that DDG provides. For example, I have a "dex" shortcut for searching an online dictionary of my native language. Also, it takes less time to add a shortcut of interest than it is to read the DDG documentation page to find out the right bang for you. If you care about privacy, then this is also a no-brainer, since you don't go through a third-party server anymore.
- limejuice 13y ago
  I've been using DDG for about 1 year now, and I haven't missed google at all. The few times I don't find what I want, I !g to see google results, but they haven't seemed any better. I find as more subject specific sites have grown, that generic search like ddg and google aren't as important to me. I do more searches on sites like stackoverflow, yelp, maps.google.com, tripadivsor, etc. than ddg.
  - yaddayadda 13y ago
    I've been doing the Duck about that long now, and I miss google enough that !g gets used daily. But, I also try to do all of my initial searches, even !g, !so, !w, !gi, and !a through DDG. And, I've set my Firefox address bar to default to DDG.
- runn1ng 13y ago
  Try startpage https://startpage.com/ https://startpage.com/ It's basically google, but without the tracking. (Or so they say.)
Kylekramer 13y ago
Not exactly a fair comparison considering you are using some sort of software to block the ad I get on that search. I only get three search results on my screen, if you consider the Wikipedia info and ad to not be organic, very similar to Google search. And frankly, those search results are useless. If I am searching for auto mechanic, it is highly unlikely I am doing so to know the definition of an auto mechanic. Google may be creepy in its tracking, but at least by tracking me they can point me to a mechanic in my area.
- tripzilch 13y ago
  > Google may be creepy in its tracking, but at least by tracking me they can point me to a mechanic in my area. Surely you mean "at least by tracking me they can point me to a mechanic in my area without having to go through the trouble of specifying the area in the search box". You almost make it sound as if Google is providing you service that is worth being tracked over. They're not. It's perfectly possible to find what you're looking for without the search engine knowing who or where you are. The only thing you get in exchange for being tracked is the "convenience" of not having to type "New York" after your query.
WayneDB 13y ago
I've been using StartPage.com which another HNer had recommended. I like it better than DDG because it seems faster and it also uses Google's search results instead of Bing's.
fuzzywalrus 13y ago
I've really tried to make a go of getting out of the google verse. I set DuckDuckGo as my default but it was interfering with my ability to work, when searching for code. I'm using Bing as my default but occasionally I still use google for searching some snippets.

DuckDuckGo is far less cluttered, which makes sense considering they have less things to push aside from the results: http://i.imgur.com/OnBJHkS.png http://i.imgur.com/OnBJHkS.png

GuiA 13y ago

In light of "designy" things like this, and other "ideological" things that have transpired in the past few weeks, I've been forcing myself to use DuckDuckGo. It's been about a month now, and I find the results terrible. I want to love it, but the first 10 results are pretty much never what I want. Sadly, Google still performs better on this front for me. If anyone has tips to make it better, I'd be very happy to hear them.

antjanus 13y ago
Bing is a little bit better in terms of screen real estate. They seem to push the top organic results at the top of the page, and put local results in between the top 2-3 and the next 6 results. There are barely any ads. Also, after a year of non-stop use, i can tell you right now that Bing predicts what I'm looking for far better than Google ever did.
- psbp 13y ago
  Are we using the same bing? The searches I just tested returned just as many bing-centric results as google does.
Ziomislaw 13y ago
I believe it might be because DDG is not Google. What works on google might not work the same in DDG. How long have you been using google? Probably long time. During this time you (unconsiously) learned how to ask questions "google way", now you need to learn to quack :p I also found that DDG sometimes (not very often) does not find what I am looking for. Mostly it is because I know nothing of the subject ie. using a description of a "thing" I am looking for instead of its name, etc. - theese are the things google is better at. Regardless, if you find such query than please submit it to ddg, they are very responsive and results do get better.
- Afforess 13y ago
  >How long have you been using google? Probably long time. During this time you (unconsiously) learned how to ask questions "google way", now you need to learn to quack :p I understand this, but most of us are looking for an alternative to Google and not a completely different search engine.
  - yen223 13y ago
    Google with Adblock does the trick.
    - hga 13y ago
      "Out of the box" I don't find that to be true, at least not with Linux 32 bit Firefox 21.0 and Chrome 27.0.1453.93 just now. Same results for auto mechanic and Italian restaurant, except my local market is too small for anyone to have bought ads for the latter. I assume I could configure Adblock Plus to hide the Google ads, but at least for me and what I normally search for they're not really an issue.
  - dotmanish 13y ago
    Take a look at StartPage (http://startpage.com http://startpage.com) - similar Privacy Policy.
    - Afforess 13y ago
      I did, but it still includes local results (it thinks I am in New York City). I signed up for a Google API account and tried the Google custom search engine and searched for "pizza restaurants" and received different results than with Startpage. Startpage tried to sell me NYC pizza. Google Custom Search: http://i.imgur.com/PLZ79Vk.png?1 http://i.imgur.com/PLZ79Vk.png?1 Startpage: http://i.imgur.com/5ui5LQc.png http://i.imgur.com/5ui5LQc.png
api 13y ago
I've found DDG to be better at finding obscure content, and the Goog to be better at finding what I call "canonical" content. For example, if I search for "binary tree" I probably want Wikipedia followed maybe by StackExchange. Google does that, while DDG sends me deep into the netherworld.
- PanickedOmlette 13y ago
  Yeah, sadly that happens sometimes. I revert to Google (with bang syntax) when I am looking for something programming related and want a lot of results from stackoverflow. However, DDG is definitely better at finding some things. I recently searched for gentoo+postgresql related stuff and got highly relevant results, which weren't in Google's SERP.
  - yaddayadda 13y ago
    If you want just stackoverflow results and are already using bang syntax to get them from Google, then you should just switch from !g to !so.
    - ufo 13y ago
      An additional bonus of "!so" is that works with stack overflow search syntax like tag names between brackets.
- yaddayadda 13y ago
  One awesome thing about DDG is their !bang searches. It won't automate an unknown search, but if you know the first thing you're going to want is the Wikipedia entry you just search ["binary tree" !w]; for related StackExchange questions ["binary tree" !so]; you can even do a straight goggle search ["binary tree" !g]. For the available !bangs check out - https://duckduckgo.com/bang.html https://duckduckgo.com/bang.html
  - bad_user 13y ago
    You don't need DDG for that, when you can use Firefox (or Chrome). All you need to do on a website with a search box is to right-click on that search box -> Add Keyword for this Search... and then add a shortcut. The cool thing about it is that it is extensible. You don't need to settle for the fixed "bangs" that DDG provides. For example, I have a "dex" shortcut for searching an online dictionary of my native language. Also, it takes less time to add a shortcut of interest than it is to read the DDG documentation page to find out the right bang for you. If you care about privacy, then this is also a no-brainer, since you don't go through a third-party server anymore.
limejuice 13y ago
I've been using DDG for about 1 year now, and I haven't missed google at all. The few times I don't find what I want, I !g to see google results, but they haven't seemed any better. I find as more subject specific sites have grown, that generic search like ddg and google aren't as important to me. I do more searches on sites like stackoverflow, yelp, maps.google.com, tripadivsor, etc. than ddg.
- yaddayadda 13y ago
  I've been doing the Duck about that long now, and I miss google enough that !g gets used daily. But, I also try to do all of my initial searches, even !g, !so, !w, !gi, and !a through DDG. And, I've set my Firefox address bar to default to DDG.
runn1ng 13y ago
Try startpage https://startpage.com/ https://startpage.com/ It's basically google, but without the tracking. (Or so they say.)

Kylekramer 13y ago

Not exactly a fair comparison considering you are using some sort of software to block the ad I get on that search. I only get three search results on my screen, if you consider the Wikipedia info and ad to not be organic, very similar to Google search. And frankly, those search results are useless. If I am searching for auto mechanic, it is highly unlikely I am doing so to know the definition of an auto mechanic. Google may be creepy in its tracking, but at least by tracking me they can point me to a mechanic in my area.

tripzilch 13y ago
> Google may be creepy in its tracking, but at least by tracking me they can point me to a mechanic in my area. Surely you mean "at least by tracking me they can point me to a mechanic in my area without having to go through the trouble of specifying the area in the search box". You almost make it sound as if Google is providing you service that is worth being tracked over. They're not. It's perfectly possible to find what you're looking for without the search engine knowing who or where you are. The only thing you get in exchange for being tracked is the "convenience" of not having to type "New York" after your query.

WayneDB 13y ago

I've been using StartPage.com which another HNer had recommended. I like it better than DDG because it seems faster and it also uses Google's search results instead of Bing's.

fuzzywalrus 13y ago

I've really tried to make a go of getting out of the google verse. I set DuckDuckGo as my default but it was interfering with my ability to work, when searching for code. I'm using Bing as my default but occasionally I still use google for searching some snippets.