You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean the GDPR really got them spinning. but they would have gotten there eventually anyway.
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@bigmattoidchimpin@annihilation.social @WandererUber@poa.st @ocean@raru.re
Ha-ha-ha-ha! Yeah, that's exactly why I called it machine-assisted translation — it wasn't a translation per se, more like a rough draft to work with. If you were doing translation commercially it could save you some time, but you still had to speak both languages to work with it. Software like that often included tools for proofreading and additional dictionaries you could plug in as it couldn't even detect the context — the field the text is from and you had to give it a few kicks in the back to get better results: that's a medical text, that's an engineering article, etc. Using wrong dictionaries could give you really funny results
The technology later got adopted in a more mainstream way, but the results were… yeah, like that 🤭
When I use Google Translate via SimplyTranslate today I get thrown back to those days: like WTF is this?!!! This word obviously has different meaning in this context! I'm using it to translate posts in foreign languages on Fedi and it's still somewhat usable for that, but in its current form I sure won't be using it to write comments in foreign languages. I'm just not confident about the results AT ALL
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@Cyrillic@lab.nyanide.com @ocean@raru.re
Noticed that too! I'm keeping no cookies — they are getting cleaned up as soon as I close the tab, Google should know nothing about the region. The IP addresses I'm using are detected either as US or as Polish in all the GeoIP databases, and yet Español… where did THAT come from?
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean Do you have a link to that info on Google that you can share? Thanks in advance.
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@prisixia @ocean @Stellar No libraries anymore, at least not in the USA. Libraries are also much slower to update information & don't have the obscure topics alot of people look up, such as how to install pyssnshit (everyone's favorite python script), or the history of the use of sewing machines in Australia. Any libraries that are still operational are going to be horrifically underfunded & not even have a card index to search them with, & with certain governments restricting access to certain written knowledge (Germany 1940s, USA 2020s), alot of very important things that libraries have are about to disappear. Libraries may have been the backup plan when the Internet failed at one point, but now the Internet is the backup plan for libraries failing, but the most important parts of the Internet are failing at the same time. I have not heard well of libraries in other countries either. For most places in the world it may be fine, but for many they aren't a solution.
@jackemled @prisixia @ocean @Stellar
The US has one of the strongest network of public library systems in the world.
There have been forced closures and reduced funding around the country, yeah; but thousands of public libraries in the US continue to exist. Some with increased local support to keep up with rising costs. Almost all libraries in this century use digital catalogs based off database matching for searches and have staff that will pick up a phone to call contacts for obscure resources like for specialty books at universities. Many have suscriptions to journals and teaching services. Visiting a library regularly increases knowledge sharing as the staff, patrons, and event hosts swap info from shared interests.
I get the feeling, tho, that you're talking about a near future where the federal government has taken over the state goverments and its companies have corrupted all digital systems? Or, what are you describing?
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@jackemled @prisixia @ocean @Stellar
The US has one of the strongest network of public library systems in the world.
There have been forced closures and reduced funding around the country, yeah; but thousands of public libraries in the US continue to exist. Some with increased local support to keep up with rising costs. Almost all libraries in this century use digital catalogs based off database matching for searches and have staff that will pick up a phone to call contacts for obscure resources like for specialty books at universities. Many have suscriptions to journals and teaching services. Visiting a library regularly increases knowledge sharing as the staff, patrons, and event hosts swap info from shared interests.
I get the feeling, tho, that you're talking about a near future where the federal government has taken over the state goverments and its companies have corrupted all digital systems? Or, what are you describing?
@shadowfals @prisixia @ocean @Stellar Maybe I'm not seeing it because I'm in a very conservative area & constantly hearing about threats to city & state libraries in other places. In my home town too our libraries weren't great & never got anything digital besides one desktop computer meant for accessing one state research paper library & nothing else. I haven't been home for a few years so I'm unsure how they're doing now, but I doubt any books about gender or sexuality are still there with the local politics. Libraries will always be important resources, but books are fundamentally fragile devices that can't be easily duplicated & distributed out of control like digital information.
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@shadowfals @prisixia @ocean @Stellar Maybe I'm not seeing it because I'm in a very conservative area & constantly hearing about threats to city & state libraries in other places. In my home town too our libraries weren't great & never got anything digital besides one desktop computer meant for accessing one state research paper library & nothing else. I haven't been home for a few years so I'm unsure how they're doing now, but I doubt any books about gender or sexuality are still there with the local politics. Libraries will always be important resources, but books are fundamentally fragile devices that can't be easily duplicated & distributed out of control like digital information.
@shadowfals @prisixia @ocean @Stellar It's more like the present & my worries for the very near future. The Library of Alexandria was burned by the Romans, & I don't see why it can't happen again to any library, especially since it has happened again numerous times.
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean Indian CEOs. Every time.
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean On my quick scroll through the replies, I don’t see anyone mention this article; Zitron tells the whole story;
The Man Who Killed Google Search
Wanna listen to this story instead? Check out this week's Better Offline podcast, "The Man That Destroyed Google Search," available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else you get your podcasts. UPDATE: Prabhakar has now been deposed as head of search, read here for more details. This is the story
Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At (www.wheresyoured.at)
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purposeNo surprise there.
And that is why I keep DuckDuckGo at the ready. I can't tell you how many times I've found what I need there after coming up empty handed with Google.
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose -
@ocean I didn't know. I've been using Qwant for years.
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean it backfires because I've since moved to other engines and ai
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@AryaMiller @ocean librewolf on desktop, fennec on mobile
@realestninja @ocean thanks
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose -
You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean I have avoided using Google search for years, simply because it turned to shit.
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@virtualbri @ocean how all drug dealers work.
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You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean
I have a horrible feeling that business schools will be using this as an example of a successful strategy. It's like suggesting aircraft manufacturers ignore safety concerns because every one that falls out of the sky is a business opportunity. Oh. -
You noticed how google search became unusably shit a few years ago?
Turns out that was on purpose@ocean have you read this article?
The Man Who Killed Google Search
Wanna listen to this story instead? Check out this week's Better Offline podcast, "The Man That Destroyed Google Search," available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else you get your podcasts. UPDATE: Prabhakar has now been deposed as head of search, read here for more details. This is the story
Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At (www.wheresyoured.at)
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@adavid @ocean The actual article quoted is here: https://journalrecord.com/2025/02/20/is-google-making-search-worse-to-sell-more-ads/
I just want a decent search. I don’t find alternatives (most often relying on Google or bing results) to be all that better. Pls someone capable do something 
