Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Is DuckDuckGo still worth it, and if not, are there alternatives? 6
doc1623 writes: I've been using DuckDuckGo for many years, but it seems to have degraded in basic search quality and functionality, i.e. syntax and results. I'm just stating my thoughts, and asking what you think. Are any plans, discussions on fixing some of this, or is this by design? Lastly, I'm asking for alternatives.
The first thing I remember, not working anymore, was code and/or error message searches. It used to be you could be code or error messages, and get an exact match right away. Quotes, parenthesis, negatives, and pluses seemed to follow.
I looked up and compared the old syntax circa 2013 vs the current
Comparison:
____________________________________________________
* EACH
* old: "Every search term should be used by default"
* current: OR by default (If you type in only two words, don't you want both? there example is "cats dogs")
* OR
* old: exactly "or"
* current: the default, with more than one word.
* QUOTES:
* old: exact match
* current: "If no or few results are found, we'll try to show related results" (if I put a phrase in quotes, I'm looking for an exact match, why would people want more results that are less relevant?)
* MINUS:
* old: not included
* current: fewer (I only put in the minus when there are too many irrelevant results)
* PLUS:
* old: included (not in 2013, but I'm fairly certain this was the original behavior)
* current: more (equivocal)
Is it just me, or does the older syntax make so much more sense than the current rules? I really don't understand WHY it became more diluted and equivocated.
The first thing I remember, not working anymore, was code and/or error message searches. It used to be you could be code or error messages, and get an exact match right away. Quotes, parenthesis, negatives, and pluses seemed to follow.
I looked up and compared the old syntax circa 2013 vs the current
Comparison:
____________________________________________________
* EACH
* old: "Every search term should be used by default"
* current: OR by default (If you type in only two words, don't you want both? there example is "cats dogs")
* OR
* old: exactly "or"
* current: the default, with more than one word.
* QUOTES:
* old: exact match
* current: "If no or few results are found, we'll try to show related results" (if I put a phrase in quotes, I'm looking for an exact match, why would people want more results that are less relevant?)
* MINUS:
* old: not included
* current: fewer (I only put in the minus when there are too many irrelevant results)
* PLUS:
* old: included (not in 2013, but I'm fairly certain this was the original behavior)
* current: more (equivocal)
Is it just me, or does the older syntax make so much more sense than the current rules? I really don't understand WHY it became more diluted and equivocated.
