So the DU site search available to everyone (search icon, upper right corner) is now DuckDuckGo and NOT Google?

[highplainsdem]

I was not expecting that, and don't remember EarlG announcing it.

But thank you! Nice change!

[EarlG]

1. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that

Actually I did mention it in response to someone else recently: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220491015#post2

But I forgot that it had been included in the software patch that was uploaded yesterday. Oops.

[Skittles]

10. LOVE IT!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. I switched to DDG several years ago and don't use Google except rarely for images & news if unsatisfied w DDG. . . . nt

[Scrivener7]

3. Excellent!

[usonian]

4. DDG has its failings, and I let them know in four-letter words, but it is a million light years ahead of Google.

Google completely pollutes search results with AI trash.

DDG gives you a chance to bypass AI trash.

DDG *does* put "results" (using it outside DU) of useless shit to buy ahead of actual search results, but

DDG DOES NOT STORE YOUR SEARCH QUERIES beyond one day. Caches are cleared.
GOOGLE REMEMBERS EVERYTHING FOREVER (and sells to sleazy ad brokers and anyone claiming to have a warrant)

DDG, unless you block ads, serves ads based only on your search terms and geolocation (so use a VPN) whereas Google keeps a profile of you (they disclaim it, liars that they are, but I am sure that they keep "shadow profiles" of people who are not signed in to Google, based on snooping on your system and browser. )


DDG very often has to be tricked with advanced search terms not to return results which are movies, shit to sell, popular music, etc.or the reverse.

[LearnedHand]

5. I gave up on DDG and subscribed to Kagi

My DDG results looked way more like Google’s ad drivel and botshit than before. They seem to be enenshittifying as fast as possible. Cory Doctorow’s praise for Kagi convinced me to give it a try. I like it a lot!

[usonian]

6. DDG must be getting tired of my four-letter word feedback, unless it's only AI listening!!

I ask about quantum electrodynamics and get info on the nearest brew-pub.

That said, if it searches only the DU data, one should get better results than Google on this site.

(I hope)

I know absolutely nothing about DU ads, and how they are served, and based on what. I have asked that we be able to gift ⭐️ star ⭐️ memberships all year round, and not just at fund-raising.

[LearnedHand]

7. How Kagi works on DU searches

In some cases, like on mobile devices, you can’t set Kagi as the default search engine and so must run a little app that redirects all searches through Kagi. This means when I search DU, it’s Kagi and not DDG that serves the results.

While I appreciate that DDG is still an order of magnitude better than Google, there are NO sponsored results in Kagi. They fund their service with subscriptions. If you haven’t seen Kagi yet, take a look.

https://kagi.com/

PS: LOL your “feedback” to DDG. If I thought it would change anything I’d give feedback too. But it looks as if they’re hell bent on enshittifying a really god product.

[usonian]

8. I am allergic to subscriptions but will give it a look.

I have been in or around ed-tech (before tech was available to ordinary people?) forever (with some forays into aerospace) and always wanted tech to be free, as in FOSS) so kids could use it to learn. And not this drug-dealer "free until you're hooked" like Mathematica, which was lifted from public domain maxima and commercialized.

So, I am very biased towards FOSS, and also against "surveillance capitalism" free, as in "You are the product"

I remember Kagi as a payment processor in the distant past.

I deal with things mostly rationally.

[LearnedHand]

9. I totally get it

And I’m right there with you WRT FOSS. But in this case, I’m purchasing freedom from advertising and sponsored results, in much the same way that paying for DU protects you from ads.

NB: I don’t think this Kagi is the same as the payment processor?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagi_(search_engine)