Subj : Re: Community
To   : Arelor
From : boraxman
Date : Thu Oct 06 2022 00:27:37

 Ar>  > Here are two good web search engines to try.
 Ar>  > 
 Ar>  > https://wiby.me
 Ar>  > 
 Ar>  > This focuses on sites with simpler design.  You won't get the Javascrip
 Ar>  > laden, slo
 Ar>  > 
 Ar>  > Another is
 Ar>  > https://search.marginalia.nu/
 Ar>  > 
 Ar>  > Which again focuses on non-commercial content and shows you stuff you m
 Ar>  > not have 
 Ar>  > 
 Ar>  > --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
 Ar> 
 Ar> Thanks for the links. Do they use their own searching indexes? BY your
 Ar> description, it
 Ar> sounds like so. Gigablast is the only search engine with open source code
 Ar> published
 Ar> and which actually operates its own index in full, but results are kind
 Ar> of meh (and
 Ar> the last version of their engine at github leaves something to be
 Ar> desired)
 Ar> 
 Ar> --


I believe they do.  I do not view this as definitive search engines, just as alternative ways of accessing information.  We've become so accustomed to searching that we've forgotten other ways of categorizing information.  Curated links lists, webrings and such.

I don't know if you remember, or were even there, but in the late 90's you may search for something, but quite often you could "click" around and find different sources on a topic, going from one person or organisations page to another.  Some websites still list references, but it is more just a "this is where I got this information from" type of thing.  StackOverflow gives you related questions, but its hard to surf a topic.

I remember that Yahoo had pages of links on topics.

The standard way people do things now, is to just use search after search, so we really do things Googles way and no other.

Using those search engines I listed, I've found many interesting web pages I would not have otherwise come across.  Their value is more in
1) Finding the corner sites, the enthusiast sites
and
2) Finding things that you didn't think you wanted, or didn't realise you were looking for.

Think of a library. You go in, and you can browse books on a topic, or author.  Imagine a library where you could never see the books, and could only search keywords, and you'd only get the popular books.  You wouldn't know what other books on the topic your researching exist, which your keywords won't find.

If you want to learn about Ancient Greece, browsing the section on Ancient Greece will allow you access to more information, than just getting answers to very specific questions.  Google, in catering to people who ask questions, have turned the worlds greatest Library of Alexandria into just a 'dial a fact' service.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
 * Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

.