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
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.
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.
I understand this, but most of us are looking for an alternative to Google and not a completely different search engine.
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.
Google Custom Search: http://i.imgur.com/PLZ79Vk.png?1
Startpage: http://i.imgur.com/5ui5LQc.png
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.
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.
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.
1. type ["binary tree" !w] in the url bar
than it is to:
1. type [wikipedia] in the url bar (I don't even know if it's a com or org, but DDG would be fine with just [wikipedia]. If I knew whether it was com or org, then I could skip the next step.)
2. click the wikipedia link in the now displayed DDG results
3. find the field to enter the site-specific search terms (for many -- but not all -- it's in the upper right corner)
4. type ["binary tree"] in the site-specific search box
1. Start to type wikipedia 2. Hit tab as soon as wikipedia.org is the first choice 3. Start typing the query and note that the suggestions are coming from Wikipedia, not google
Significantly faster than waiting several seconds for DDG to redirect
For me:
1) Wikipedia (in featured box), 2,3) Some Exchange/Notes migration software called "Binary Tree" that owns binarytree.com, 4) cslibrary.stanford.edu on binary trees w/exercises, 5) "Binary Trees in C++" from cprogramming.com, 6) "Binary Tree" at dictionary.reference.com, and 7) "Binary Tree" on mathworld.wolfram.com
...above the fold.
1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_tree
2) binarytree.com - Binary Tree: Exchange Migration and Notes Migration Software
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.
It's basically google, but without the tracking. (Or so they say.)
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.
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.