Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Have the Google People Gone Completely Nuts?

It's so annoying that in order to justify their insanely high salaries, the idiots Google has been hiring like crazy started futzing with what used to be the best search engine around. First, Google Search went to the dogs. The way the page is structured now is simply stupid. The lame search term suggestions the system is trying to give me are beyond useless. All they do is get in the way of my searches. The new Google Search keeps trying to give me stuff I really really don't need, which is very frustrating in urgent searches.

As if that weren't enough, now Google has gone and destroyed Google Images. Now, the page with the search results is horribly cluttered. It's next to impossible to understand what the images are or where they are from. Besides, I have still found no way to place these images into my PowerPoint presentations. (If anybody has found their way around this new bit of Google insanity, please tell me how you do it.) I also have no idea how any of the images can be printed out. Which makes the entire Google Images system completely useless. My students have an assignment to bring pictures of certain type of artwork to class, and now I have no idea how they will manage to do that.

What I don't understand is what's the point of messing with a search engine that managed to become world-famous in its original format? Why destroy such a great thing? To make the competitors happy, or what?

Google used to be the homepage on all my computers but obviously not any more. I hope somebody comes up with a normal, simple, clear-cut search engine and takes all of the millions of people dissatisfied with the new Google away from these losers.

14 comments:

eric said...

I've been using Dogpile religiously for 12 years. That's why I never use "google" as a verb.

Clarissa said...

I just tried dogpile and it's quite good. Maybe I will just use it from now on. Thanks for the suggestion, eric!

AutieLurker said...

Turning off Google Instant:

Go to google.com. Start searching for something. To the right of the search bar, you'll see a light blue link that says "Instant is on." Click it, and toggle it to "Off." Now Google will wait until you press Enter to start searching.

Putting Google images results in PowerPoint:

Click on the image. You'll be taken to a larger version of the image (the page it's from will be in the background). Right click on it and select "Copy." Then open PowerPoint, right click on a slide, and select "Paste."

Printing Google Images results:

Click the image you want. In the sidebar to the right, there will be a link that says "full-size image." Click it, and you'll be taken to a page that contains nothing but the image. Print it off like you'd print any webpage.

Hope this is helpful.

Clarissa said...

Thank you, AutieLurker!!

I have the best readers in the world!

Vinod Khare said...

While I understand your anger, the question is of considerable significance in the software world. Once you have created a very good product, do you change it or not? Almost everyone would like it to change, but only for the better.

However, better is ill defined in this case. Different people react differently to interface changes. I actually *like* the new image search as it allows me to see more images per page, I can compare them at a glance. I can always get the information that you wrote about by clicking through.

One easy solution a whole lot of software offers is to offer both the new and the old version. But that, as you can imagine, increases cost. It might actually be *more* confusing to some users.

Anyhow, it's an open design question. People call it "interface addiction" wherein you don't want the interface to change just because you're so used to it.

NancyP said...

Google images is still a boon for me, despite the less-than-clean searches it does for many disease entities.

Pagan Topologist said...

I have preferred, and exclusively used, Yahoo search for years.

Anonymous said...

I still use Google because I did what AutieLurker does. (It's also what I came here to advise you how to do.)

-Mike

Pagan Topologist said...

Interface addiction, huh? Is that why I despise automatic transmissions and think everyone with two functioning legs who chooses to drive a car or truck should be required to use a clutch? Or is it just that I have good sense, and recognize that automatic transmissions encourage sloppy, dangerous driving habits?

Clarissa said...

This isn't about interface, it's about functionality. If now getting a picture takes three times (and five actions) longer than before, the system loses value. Would you keep going to the same grocery store, if they insisted you go in the door and then out and in and out again before you can enter?

As to driving, I have autism, so any kind of driving is an insurmountable hurdle for me.

Pagan Topologist said...

"As to driving, I have autism, so any kind of driving is an insurmountable hurdle for me."

I confess that this surprises me. If I had been asked to guess, I would have said that you would be better at driving than a neurotypical person.

Clarissa said...

My autism has a strong neurological set of "symptoms." I can't judge distances and I don't recognize left and right. When you look into those little mirrors on the side of the car (ok, I have no idea what they are called), I don't know what I'm seeing. Also pushing the pedals with my feet is not easy.

I'm hoping to try to learn once again, though. So maybe it will work this time. :-)

Pagan Topologist said...

Both my flight instructor and my ballet teacher got angry when I confused left and right*. I still do, sometimes, although I remember instinctively now that the steering wheel is on the left side of the car. (I am afraid to drive in any country where it isn't.)

I just call those mirrors outside rearview mirrors.


* Never at the same time, though.

Unknown said...

I read all your comments, and shares ideas, for me its the user decision on what search engine they would use the important of it is what does engine provides services. In the side of online business like Latino Business they need a popular search engine so that the business will be ranked on the Paginas Amarillas. Keep on sharing and suggesting.