Not exactly. It sort of depends on your interpretation of events and times.
When the original "Google" turned into Alphabet to split the core Google stuff like search and advertising from all the other side stuff like CapitalG, Waymo, etc. So the entire "Google" corporation as it was, turned into Alphabet. The new Alphabet motto is "Do the right thing."
The "new" Google subsidiary formed under Alphabet still used the phrase in its Code of Conduct. In 2018 they removed it from the preface, but it's still the last thing mentioned in the Code of Conduct.
Anyone using ai searches is automatically un trustable to me. Ive never once needed it and ive corrected many stupid people asking ai things and suddenly thinking they are smart on a subject that I'm actually knowledgeable in because I actually read and use my brain.
Kagi is maybe one aspect of capitalism that works. I pay, I get good product. I know it has a couple bad things (possible Russian ties) but yeah
I still remember when Google launched, the uncluttered homepage was the real differentiator, other search engines, especially AltaVista, were just as good at the time, but they would load their homepage with as much extra stuff as they could think of to attract people. Then Google came along with a quirky name (for the time) and a uniquely minimalist look that broke all the established rules, it wasn't necessarily better search at that point but it really looked different. Different times of course, a search engine was just another website, no different to your own personal page.
As far as I remember Alta Vista was ok at the beginning, but soon people figured out that you can get to the top result if you just repeat your top keywords multiple times in the meta Keywords tag. Another trick was to just add "free, mp3, sex" to each pages meta keywords to get more traffic. At this point Google was better, and also would load much faster on dialup than the image heavy sites like yahoo or Alta Vista.
I liked dogpile back in the late 90s because it would aggregate from several sources and wasn't terribly cluttered comparatively. I think I swapped to Google around 2000ish because it was so minimalist.
If google were just a search engine still, there wouldn't be a problem. But they are much much more now. Plus they suck at doing the thing they were supposed to do, i.e. searching.
I read something that said they are PURPOSELY bad at search now because if users have to click multiple pages, they see more ads. Like, how evil do you have to be to purposely corrupt your main thing just to sell more ads.
Yup, I know. They are, first and foremost, an advertising company. If they can integrate advertising into their products, you can bet money on them doing so. Which is all the reason i need to never use google again.
i also want to mention Donation based/ads(if not too intrusive) are also fine ig.
and sometimes(depends on country) your only option is monthly subscription (whatever its rent or internet price) you can find for sale buts its like in the millions and i think internet price is monthly only.
but yeah i dislike monthly subscription as much as you(and i agree with you)
i could use a Freemium service that has a monthly subscription too,but i wont buy the subscription. (i may abuse free trials kek)
but obviously i prefer perpetual license the most.
I’m really happy with Kagi but I’m scared its price might go up and I’d want them to really not depend on the GAFAM. I think their results or something is still coming out of these bad companies..
40 Comments
astraeus@lemmy.ml · 90 pts · 141d
Maeve@kbin.earth · 21 pts · 141d
Didn't that happen after people started pointing out their evil?
astraeus@lemmy.ml · 36 pts · 141d
NateNate60@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 141d
Up until the 2010s, Google was still viewed as a positive force. Facebook, on the other hand, has pretty much always been viewed as a villain.
osanna@lemmy.vg · 13 pts · 141d
"The dumb fucks trust me"
Niquarl@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 141d
It's in their contract though, some workers sued for wrongfully being fired after organising based on it.
halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · 3 pts · 141d
Not exactly. It sort of depends on your interpretation of events and times.
When the original "Google" turned into Alphabet to split the core Google stuff like search and advertising from all the other side stuff like CapitalG, Waymo, etc. So the entire "Google" corporation as it was, turned into Alphabet. The new Alphabet motto is "Do the right thing."
The "new" Google subsidiary formed under Alphabet still used the phrase in its Code of Conduct. In 2018 they removed it from the preface, but it's still the last thing mentioned in the Code of Conduct.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil
Aerosol3215@piefed.ca · 8 pts · 141d
Not sure about getting rid on "don't be evil" but Prabhakar Raghavan was driver for the enshitification of Google search.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/
slappyfuck@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 141d
I don’t think they got rid of it.
NachBarcelona@piefed.social · 0 pts · 141d
Then your thoughts don't align with reality.
slappyfuck@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 141d
It says it’s still there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil
SystemDisc@piefed.world · 0 pts · 140d
NachBarcelona@piefed.social · -1 pts · 140d
That's because you are very easy to manipulate and quick to judge, two outstandingly bad traits.
bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works · 39 pts · 141d
Capitalism cannot allow good. Good is not profitable. We must extract, squeeze, enshittify until the very end.
bilbaobun@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 141d
I’d argue ddg is good and they area product of capatalism. Nobody is forcing you to use google
JamonBear@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 140d
DDG is just Bing in disguise. It's nowhere near as good as google used to be back in last century.
bilbaobun@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 140d
I use it and I have no problems at all. Would say it’s on the same level, but the ai searches are actual relevant and tasteful unlike google
bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 140d
Anyone using ai searches is automatically un trustable to me. Ive never once needed it and ive corrected many stupid people asking ai things and suddenly thinking they are smart on a subject that I'm actually knowledgeable in because I actually read and use my brain.
Kagi is maybe one aspect of capitalism that works. I pay, I get good product. I know it has a couple bad things (possible Russian ties) but yeah
anothermember@feddit.uk · 36 pts · 141d
I still remember when Google launched, the uncluttered homepage was the real differentiator, other search engines, especially AltaVista, were just as good at the time, but they would load their homepage with as much extra stuff as they could think of to attract people. Then Google came along with a quirky name (for the time) and a uniquely minimalist look that broke all the established rules, it wasn't necessarily better search at that point but it really looked different. Different times of course, a search engine was just another website, no different to your own personal page.
GenosseFlosse@feddit.org · 12 pts · 141d
As far as I remember Alta Vista was ok at the beginning, but soon people figured out that you can get to the top result if you just repeat your top keywords multiple times in the meta Keywords tag. Another trick was to just add "free, mp3, sex" to each pages meta keywords to get more traffic. At this point Google was better, and also would load much faster on dialup than the image heavy sites like yahoo or Alta Vista.
toynbee@piefed.social · 3 pts · 140d
So where do I go for my free mp3 sex now?
SanicHegehog@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 140d
soulseek
TexasDrunk@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 141d
I liked dogpile back in the late 90s because it would aggregate from several sources and wasn't terribly cluttered comparatively. I think I swapped to Google around 2000ish because it was so minimalist.
myrrh@ttrpg.network · 2 pts · 140d
PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml · 21 pts · 141d
If google were just a search engine still, there wouldn't be a problem. But they are much much more now. Plus they suck at doing the thing they were supposed to do, i.e. searching.
osanna@lemmy.vg · 18 pts · 141d
I read something that said they are PURPOSELY bad at search now because if users have to click multiple pages, they see more ads. Like, how evil do you have to be to purposely corrupt your main thing just to sell more ads.
4am@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 141d
Search never made them money. Ads do. Ads are their thing.
We need to figure out a way to host content on the web that is just part of the network, without needing servers or big tech companies.
It’s not really possible I know but we need to anyway.
osanna@lemmy.vg · 2 pts · 141d
Yup, I know. They are, first and foremost, an advertising company. If they can integrate advertising into their products, you can bet money on them doing so. Which is all the reason i need to never use google again.
GenosseFlosse@feddit.org · 8 pts · 141d
Well the main thing for them now is to sell more ads...
Tattorack@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 141d
I dunno. Milk can age into cheese if done right.
I'd say it aged like a badly discarded biohazard container.
spicehoarder@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 141d
Aged like a used condom
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 141d
Mwa@thelemmy.club · 4 pts · 141d
maybe if it was a one time purchase.
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 141d
Mwa@thelemmy.club · 3 pts · 141d
i also want to mention Donation based/ads(if not too intrusive) are also fine ig.
and sometimes(depends on country) your only option is monthly subscription (whatever its rent or internet price) you can find for sale buts its like in the millions and i think internet price is monthly only.
but yeah i dislike monthly subscription as much as you(and i agree with you)
i could use a Freemium service that has a monthly subscription too,but i wont buy the subscription. (i may abuse free trials kek)
but obviously i prefer perpetual license the most.
SanicHegehog@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 140d
I'm not against a subscription for something like this. Kagi has ongoing server costs, I think it's only fair that users pay on an ongoing basis.
As opposed to, say, Office where the software can be more or less "finished" and I don't need or want updates.
Mwa@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 140d
Then fair enough ig?
Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 140d
I’m really happy with Kagi but I’m scared its price might go up and I’d want them to really not depend on the GAFAM. I think their results or something is still coming out of these bad companies..
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 140d
starlinguk@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 141d
I'm sure old Google didn't require a subscription.
Chais@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 141d
Because you were the product.
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 140d
Aren't they super into chatbots tho?
SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 140d
Maeve@kbin.earth · 14 pts · 141d
It's all about market capture, then anything they want.
BigDiction@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 140d
The 2007 acquisition of Doubleclick is the watershed moment that converted Google from a competitor into a monopoly of the Internet ecosystem.
Azrael@reddthat.com · 7 pts · 141d
Well that aged like milk. Google is primarily an advertising company now.
Lanske@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 141d
When it was cool to google....
Hawke@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 141d
Eh, their home page is still very clean, as described in the picture.