Bing finally better than Google?

[Darren Dirt]

Could this be true? When you consider all the features that they copied, and now Google has REMOVED? (but Bing has retained)

At long last Bing is finally up to speed with Google from months ago hahahah

#irony

Google Search Forum "What has happened to Google instant page previews?"

Google changed their Search Engine Results Page (again)
Google & Bing are now same, but not same.
And if Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Bing should be very flattered by the most recent Google changes to SERP (SERP: Search Engine Results Page).


Google Web Search: Loved features gone.
1. Instant preview (gone, now)
2. Quick View (gone, now) 
3. Blocked sites (gone, recently - though defunct for ca. 1 year before termination)
4. Cache keyword Highlighting (gone, when over HTTPS/signed-in)
5. Clean copyable & Bookmarkable URLs (long gone)
6. Browser's AutoComplete (blocked by Google, long ago)


So, for Search & Display, then:
Google over Bing?
- Google shows pictures of Authors for some of results, thereby breaking indentation without providing value.
Bing over Google?
- Cache keyword Highlighting.
- Clean copyable & Bookmarkable URLs. (which btw also means Bing navigation is faster)
- Browser's AutoComplete (works fine w. the search box)


Results Quality?
I tried the search [ Google OS Blog DMCA ] ; Note! I did this only as a first test 2 days ago, and results are now different.
Looking for any of 4 parts of the Blog-serie: "A Bogus DMCA Takedown Request" (by Google OS Blog), hosted on the Google Blogger platform.
Relevant results, rankings?

Bing:
#5: "A Bogus DMCA Takedown Request (Part 4)"
#7: "A Bogus DMCA Takedown Request (Part 2)"

Google:
#17: "A Bogus DMCA Takedown Request - Google Operating System"
Though! Google also, at #8, gave: "A Bogus DMCA Takedown Request (Part 3) | ChromeBytes"
- that #8 (on chromebytes.com) is Scraped content!


Is Bing Better?
For casual searching, then Bing may already be a match, and might soon be better.
For deep searches (using advanced search operators), then Bing's index is still smaller than Google's.


Now what?
I will, for casual searching, be trying out Bing as my primary choice of search engine.
 


Bing always give me:
* Cache keyword Highlighting
* Clean copyable & Bookmarkable URLs
* Browser's AutoComplete (which Google actively blocks)

Google always give me:
* Pictures of Authors for some results' (breaks indentation in SERP)



_____
BTW: For those not stopping doing only casual searches w. Bing, but ventures into advanced/deep searches w. Bing - then
: Be gentle - Bing is still in Beta.
And then some helpful pointers for you:
* Advanced search options
  http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/ff808438.aspx
* Advanced search keywords
  http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/ff808421.aspx
* Bing Query Language ; This one is more Devlopers' related.
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff795667.aspx
________________________________________________________________________________

Note! So far: I'd recommend DuckDuckGo which (except for the issue of indexed volume) - is the best general Search Engine on WWW today.

[Lazybones]

I switch to bing when I can't find something in google.

I still like the general output of google better.

[Mr. Analog]

What I'm finding I don't like is there seems to be some kind of predictive filtering happening so if I'm looking for something new in the same category I very often find results bleeding in from other searches I made in the past. If I go incognito mode I get different results.

This kind of behaviour is the OPPOSITE of what I want.

[Thorin]

Hmm, Incognito Mode to force Google to return the same results every time we run the same search.  That's a pretty smart workaround for Google Search trying to outsmart the searcher.

Google's still my default search engine.  Some of the stuff I try to find is pretty difficult to get the right keywords for, though, so I tend to do multiple searches with multiple engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, even Yahoo).  There aren't that many general web search engines anymore, though.

[Mr. Analog]

I hate that I have to fool it though.

Same with YouTube "recommendations" recommending videos I've watched over a year ago but they happen to be thematically similar.

[Tom]

Most of the time I like the smart results from google. I tend to find stuff sooner with it. But then again, I have a fairly one track mind when using google, so there isn't much in my history to confuse it. Programming, linux, hobby electronics, etc.

But just to compare google vs bing, I post this lovely example image again!



It /could/ be that the user groups of both search engines are just that different, but somehow I don't think that's the whole story.

[Mr. Analog]

Google has a long history of censorship that can be researched through Wikipedia or sites like http://chillingeffects.org/

There is a lot of regionally-based blocking that happens, auto-complete keywords that don't auto-complete, etc

[Tom]

Google does indeed bend to local governments on occasion to filter things out.

But MS seems to filter things out on a whim.

[Darren Dirt]

Google's still my default search engine.  Some of the stuff I try to find is pretty difficult to get the right keywords for, though, so I tend to do multiple searches with multiple engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, even Yahoo).  There aren't that many general web search engines anymore, though.

Wow, a lot has changed in 14 months. Google has gotten worse in some ways (privacy, "noise" etc.), and DDG is definitely better.


Warning: DuckDuckGo fanboy ravings ahead! \o/


So this morning on my phone's web browser I made it so the default homepage/newpage is now http://duckduckgo.com/

Later I wanted to quickly check something about a Doctor Who character, just wanted to double-check his appearances and connections to other characters. Without thinking I typed into my phone just his name -- I accidentally did not put "Doctor Who" or "TARDIS" or anything in the query to help narrow down the context like I usually do.

Pleasantly surprised to see that DDG's results started with a handy "About" tab that listing most of what I wanted to know in a nice skimmable format!

Also super-helpful for finance/investment research http://www.thestreet.mobi/story/11550975/1/the-digital-skeptic-duckduckgo-cooks-googles-goose.html


I looked a little deeper to discover why DDG is far more than just a privacy-respecting query service. As I dig I must say it is far more "intelligent" than that -- it reminds me of WolframAlpha but without the clutter and confusing syntax. It's like Wiki[pedia/a] pages but without the excess verbiage and distractions ... Heck might even consider it a "good enough" implementation of the mythical Semantic Web!!

And it is smart like this* for a lot more categories of queries than just summaries of fictional character biographies or corporations:
https://duckduckgo.com/whatsnew



This review especially hits close to home; it comes from the perspective "Why I stuck with DDG after giving Bing and Ixquick a try":
http://www.ghacks.net/2012/02/02/why-i-switched-to-the-duck-duck-go-search-engine/
^ Based on comments and tips in there, I am actually going to switch my default search to DDG on my home laptop, and on my work PC too!
AKA... Hey Google (and NSA etc.) -- ┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐

More background on how DDG works @ https://www.quora.com/DuckDuckGo-search-engine




*appears to me this "summary info based on best-guess category of what you're asking" feature is called "Instant Answer" (based on my reading of this: https://duck.co/blog/goodies-page-replacement ) and imo Instant Answer fulfills the need of > 50% of my frequent compulsive info-addict search queries. (And if I ever want more detail I can simply scroll down and click away...)

[Mr. Analog]

I saw a story today about GMail passing info to the cops about some people storing and sending images to other people. The thing that stuck out to me though was that Gmail basically built up a profile on this dude and then went to the cops

We all knew that they profiled people to send advertising to them but now they're going beyond that. Kind of scary when you think about it

[Mr. Analog]

Damn autocorrect changed "pedos" to "people" lol

[Darren Dirt]

Damn autocorrect changed "pedos" to "people" lol

so... FYP?

I saw a story today about GMail passing info to the cops about some pedos storing and sending images to other people. The thing that stuck out to me though was that Gmail basically built up a profile on this dude and then went to the cops...