Not because DDG got better, but just because google got worse.

google is still better for site-specific searches, and google scholar still has minimal AI slop

  • BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
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    39 minutes ago

    Yes, I switched back in 2023 and noticed it was already better than google.

    All major search engines feel like they’re either filled with AI slop results, or just only returning major corporations’ sites anymore, though. DDG just falls into the latter, while Google is mostly the former.

  • dx1@lemmy.ml
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    45 minutes ago

    It’s my primary but Google unfortunately is often a fallback. And Google is tracking the shit out of us these days. Certain obscure searches don’t work well on DDG, sad to say.

  • Arfman@aussie.zone
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    30 minutes ago

    Google is almost unusable for me even with ad block. I’ve been using DDG for the last 3 or so years now.

  • HouseWolf@lemm.ee
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    3 hours ago

    I’ve been using DDG since 2016 and never felt it was worse in terms of “search quality” than Google.

    Especially nowadays I hear friends whine near weekly about Google, but it’s still somehow “better than DDG”.

    Honestly people just make excuses not to change what they’re use to. Even if what they’re used to has changed around them for the worse.

    My only real complain I have is I wish ‘search by date range’ was less finicky use and also worked in the image tab like it does in Google images.

  • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 hours ago

    no. i switch to using it as my primary search engine every once in a while, just to see how it’s doing. i always run into situations where i can’t find the thing im looking for. maybe im just the obscure searches man

  • BackwardsUntoDawn@lemm.ee
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    2 hours ago

    No. I was using big for the rewards points for a long time, the results were fine. I switched to kagi for ~6 months and it was good too. Since it’s a little expensive I switched to DDG to see if I noticed a difference, it’s been a little worse in comparison.

  • Viskio_Neta_Kafo@lemm.ee
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    3 hours ago

    Probably so. Haven’t used it much but Google has got so much worse. Being filled with adds and irrelevant results that DuckDuckgo probably is better now.

  • ScoreDivision@programming.dev
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    5 hours ago

    As a general purpose search engine yeah it’s just as good. Google has some nice extra features which aren’t too important (for example if you search UFC it shows full fight card info and results on the search page).

    Where it falls behind is for more "power user " type work. I only use Google at work as it makes finding very specific results with keywords and date ranges on certain sites etc much easier.

    Nowadays I use Qwant though to boycott us. It’s much slower but still does the job for day to day use.

  • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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    9 hours ago

    ive been using it consistently for the past few years. it works well for me, but sometimes ill go to other engines just to see what they come up with, or when results are lacking. sometimes they are better, sometimes they are worse.

    meaning ddg is probably good enough nowadays, at least for me.

    • irelephant [he/him]🍭@lemm.ee
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      9 hours ago

      You probably already know this, but you can use search “bangs” to search other websites from ddg.

      For example, to search google, you would put !g or !google at the start of your search.

      • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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        7 hours ago

        i do! it transformed my address bar, i sometimes use other engines through ddg now. its the main reason its my search provider.

      • AvailableFill74@lemmy.ml
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        10 hours ago

        If you wish to be understood, choose your words more carefully. If you wish to be treated with kindness, drop the defensiveness, learn to process feedback objectively, and take communication seriously. No one is being unkind or unreasonable here, except you.

          • AvailableFill74@lemmy.ml
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            10 hours ago

            “No one knows what the heck dae means you lazy bum. We invented words for a reason, try using them. If you’re illiterate then maybe try a YouTube video essay. “

            If someone said that, sure… but no one did. Perhaps the Original Poster needs to take communication more seriously and less personally.

            • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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              10 hours ago

              I think you’re making a significant deal out of something that is quite minor, personally. It’s okay, though. It’s minor, so we can agree to disagree. Cheers!

                • ScoreDivision@programming.dev
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                  5 hours ago

                  It’s an abbreviation on the internet. Do you act this way any time you see TIL, wtf, eli5 or other. Or are you just sour you don’t know this one

                • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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                  8 hours ago

                  Chill out, man. This isn’t parliament. Everything doesn’t have to be communicated as if we’re drafting laws.

                  Communication styles vary greatly, and tone is dependent on setting. What OP posted was completely fine. No need to throw around clown emoji 😝

    • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      DAE is a fairly common acronym on online forums, often used in titles such as these. You could have used Google (or DuckDuckGo) to learn its meaning 😊

      It’s simply “does anyone else.”

    • MrMeatballGuy@feddit.dk
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      11 hours ago

      Never saw that abbreviation before, but my assumption is it’s “does anyone else” since I can’t think of anything else that’d make sense in this context

  • Psythik@lemm.ee
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    9 hours ago

    Definitely not; DDG has always been bad. However, as others have pointed out, Google is getting worse and every day. That said, it’s still better than DDG, which isn’t saying much.

    There are no good search engines anymore. I got tired of having to add site:reddit.com to all or my searches to get actual answers, so now I’ve resorted to using AI and pretending that it isn’t just making up half the shit it spews. Perplexity is a half decent replacement for a search engine; it’s more accurate than most and it cites its sources:

    https://lemmy.world/post/26764870