DeGoogle Me Please! Search Engine URL Help Needed!

[scooby0786 6]

Hi all,

To keep it simple and to the point, I've degoogled my life in many aspects, all that's left is my search engine.
In Address bar/ Manage search engines, I've always used the following search parameters Google (CUSTOM):

Search engine: Google
Keyword: kwrd
URL: http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=%s

The above works perfectly for me. Super fast. Minimum clicks to get required results. 

Tried changing my search engine to Ecosia or DuckDuckGo (DDG).
The following links are examples of what I get when searching for: "Lost IMDb" straight from the URL bar in Firefox (FF) or in the new Chromium based Edge, just for test purposes.

Bing: https://www.bing.com/search?q=lost+imdb&cvid=cf7bb45385ee493bb184321a370884a9&FORM=ANAB01&PC=U531
DDG: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lost+imdb&ia=web
Ecosia: https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=lost+imdb&addon=opensearch
Google default: https://www.google.com/search?q=lost+imdb&oq=lost+imdb&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l4j69i60j0l2.2363j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Google (CUSTOM):  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411008/
 

Please open those links in your browser, you should see what I see.

Bing looks good for my needs. Notice the information on the right of the page that gives ratings by TV.com, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. On the left of the page is the link to the Lost IMDb page as the first result option.
Ecosia is barely doable, but would prefer the results to look similar to Bing or to "Google results as per my parameters above" which takes me straight to the IMDb page of Lost.
DDG results are just awful. I can't imagine anyone getting results like that and still use that search engine.

I primarily use FF browser for all my needs.
May also use Edge/Brave for general needs. Would prefer not using any extensions.

I would like to use Ecosia and DDG as my search engines for more privacy reasons, as they don't data hoard anything about you.
Searx.me engine seems too much for me. Or please just tell me what you guys use that yield results similar to what I am used to.

I found this page for DDG: https://duckduckgo.com/params
I really have no idea how to use that to create search parameters/results to my liking (similar to Bing or CUSTOM Google).

What I would like from you fellow privacy conscious individuals is your preferred:

Search engine:
Keyword:
URL:

Preferably to work with Ecosia or DDG search engines.

Searching straight from your browser URL bar for "Lost imdb" should give you (me) similar results to this:
https://www.bing.com/search?q=lost+imdb&cvid=cf7bb45385ee493bb184321a370884a9&FORM=ANAB01&PC=U531
Or this: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411008/ (straight to the page)

Using Google (CUSTOM) takes me straight to the page when searching something specific like that. Or "Tyson wiki" would take me straight here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson
A random search like, "how cool is airvpn" would give me options of different links like this: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=how+cool+is+airvpn

I don't believe most serious AirVPN users use Google search engines, but I can't imagine them getting crappy results like I do in their preferred search engine.

Can anyone help me achieve results like this using DDG, Ecosia or whatever else you guys use, please?

If anyone answers, it may take me a few days to try your suggestions and come back to you.

Thank you for reading.



 

[OpenSourcerer 1442]

DuckDuckGo has got a settings page. Set your preferences, then Show bookmarklet. A link with all the settings you changed with their respective params is generated and ready to use, no need to set them manually.
DuckDuckGo's hits are sufficient most of the time, but sometimes Google lists better answers, especially to specialized problems. Fortunately searching somewhere else is really easy with DDG, simply prefix !b for Bing, !g for Google, etc
 

5 hours ago, scooby0786 said:

DDG results are just awful. I can't imagine anyone getting results like that and still use that search engine.

Don't know what you are seeing, I got the IMDb page for Lost TV Series, IMDb Full Cast page of the same, and Season 6 page for it on IMDb in #1/2/3, then its german Wikipedia page on #4.
Bing's summary of that series is very good, but so is Google's if you search for it without "imdb". Both are giving comprehensive overviews:

• Bing gives you ratings from different resources, Google only from Play Movies and simply links to the rest
• Google tells you where you can watch this, Bing doesn't
• Both include results from their image search
• Both give you the most important facts on the show
• Google invites you to write a review on Play Movies, Bing doesn't

DuckDuckGo is inferior as it quotes Wikipedia and provides some links to the same review aggregators. Ecosia is even worse, as it only quotes and links to Wikipedia. Searx doesn't do any summaries, but that's because instant answers are not its strength.

That's only one use case out of many. It gets much more evident that completely different algorithms are used when you search for answers to specialized computer problems. Error strings is one example.

[scooby0786 6]

Quote

Don't know what you are seeing, I got the IMDb page for Lost TV Series, IMDb Full Cast page of the same, and Season 6 page for it on IMDb in #1/2/3, then its german Wikipedia page on #4.

I'd love to get that result, but I don't. This is what I get instead: Results for Lost search
Anything related to Lost is #5 on Rotten Tomatoes. Would you mind giving me your search URL prefix that you use?
 

Quote

Fortunately searching somewhere else is really easy with DDG, simply prefix !b for Bing, !g for Google, etc

I don't know where to prefix that. I looked at Show bookmarklet after changing some settings and the URL prefixes do change, but I still get the same result as the option above.
I'm not smart enough to figure this out, unfortunately. And I can't find any real bookmarklet link for DDG anywhere.
 

Quote

Bing's summary of that series is very good.

Do you feel using Bing is a safe option, though? I know it's better than Google in privacy data storage sense.
I can also switch off any data collection via a Microsoft Account under Privacy settings for Bing, but would you still trust them to keep your searches anonymous? 
 

2 hours ago, giganerd said:

That's only one use case out of many. It gets much more evident that completely different algorithms are used when you search for answers to specialized computer problems. Error strings is one example.

What search engine and browser do you use? If you don't mind me asking.
In your browser, under search settings, do you have any data filled in the following fields:
Search engine:
Keyword:
URL:

Example, my current settings are as follows:
Search engine: Google
Keyword: kwrd
URL: http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=%s

Would like that to be:

Search engine: DuckDuckGo
Keyword: Unknown yet.
URL: Unknown yet.

If I can get the right keyword and URL to filter results page as I like, I'd be good to go.

I'd also appreciate if you could answer the following question for me.
If I'm using a VPN and I'm not logged into any Google service, etc, Google can't data mine and create a profile in my name, right?
 

2 hours ago, giganerd said:

but so is Google's if you search for it without "imdb". Both are giving comprehensive overviews

Ah, yes, that info on the right side of the Bing page is available on Google search as well without the "IMDb". Just Rotten Tomatoes is replaced by Amazon rating. That's cool. Thanks for that.
I just need the result page to show like that on DDG, though.
Or whatever search engine you would recommend.

Thanks

 

[OpenSourcerer 1442]

5 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

I'd love to get that result, but I don't. This is what I get instead: Results for Lost search

It's nonsensical to make it a link since, when anyone clicks it, DDG uses the settings of the user if existent and otherwise takes region into account. So my results aren't always the same as yours.
 

7 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

I don't know where to prefix that. I looked at Show bookmarklet after changing some settings and the URL prefixes do change, but I still get the same result as the option above.

Search for lost imdb, then write !g in front of it (!g lost imdb) to see what I mean.
 

9 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

I'm not smart enough to figure this out, unfortunately. And I can't find any real bookmarklet link for DDG anywhere.

In the settings:

 

16 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

Do you feel using Bing is a safe option, though? I know it's better than Google in privacy data storage sense.
I can also switch off any data collection via a Microsoft Account under Privacy settings for Bing, but would you still trust them to keep your searches anonymous? 

Personally I don't trust Microsoft at all, so no. And being logged in to a Microsoft account kind of defeats the purpose of these settings.
 

17 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

What search engine and browser do you use? If you don't mind me asking.

Waterfox is still my primary browser despite that System1 thing, but I'm also using Ungoogled Chromium whenever I need a "second opinion" on a website.
Now, search engines are a bit more involved. There are certainly a few I'd call "general purpose" engines like the biggest ones, others are more specialized, like the aforementioned DuckDuckGo which caters to privacy, Searx for the more technical clientele or Yandex for the Runet (Russian-language part of the internet). I once began reading a publication, unclassified by NSA in 2013, titled "Untangling The Web – A Guide To Internet Research" about methods of searching the internet. It loses a few words on the differences between search engines and how, for effective finding of content, it's not nearly enough to stick to only one, gotta use them all. After all, no engine provider shares their algorithm openly, so there will most certainly be differences.
 

34 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

Search engine: DuckDuckGo
Keyword: Unknown yet.
URL: Unknown yet.

If I can get the right keyword and URL to filter results page as I like, I'd be good to go.

Erm, not sure what you want to know, to be honest. Keyword, as in, the keyword I prefix in Firefox' address bar to search the following words on the search engine I configured? Like, enter ddg lost imdb to search at DuckDuckGo from the address bar? Otherwise, no, this settings layout is unknown to me.
 

37 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

If I'm using a VPN and I'm not logged into any Google service, etc, Google can't data mine and create a profile in my name, right?

A VPN does not protect you from tracking or malware. Browser fingerprinting is still possible.
 

39 minutes ago, scooby0786 said:

Or whatever search engine you would recommend.

Not going to recommend one, rather all of them. DuckDuckGo is probably a compromise between quality of results and privacy; a more or less good start due to their numerous !bangs. At some point you will need to use Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., anyway, if you are looking for something specific.

[scooby0786 6]

Quote

It's nonsensical to make it a link since, when anyone clicks it, DDG uses the settings of the user if existent and otherwise takes region into account.

Standard settings on Bing and Google engine and copy paste of that link should give you the same page it gives me (I believe), which is useless. DDG probably wouldn't for the reasons you stated. But here's a pic of what I get: Can't put it here, it puts it at the bottom of the page. 🙄 (Second picture)
Apparently, I figured if you use "Lost and IMDb", then "Lost" is in the first option as a result. Who would have thought? Ha.

14 hours ago, giganerd said:

In the settings: Erm, not sure what you want to know, to be honest. Keyword, as in, the keyword I prefix in Firefox' address bar to search the following words on the search engine I configured? Like, enter ddg lost imdb to search at DuckDuckGo from the address bar? Otherwise, no, this settings layout is unknown to me.

I'll explain in my usual essay self, then. Hope you have a cup-of tea. 😉
I found that bookmarklet setting the first time you mentioned it. I know I said I'm not smart enough, but I'm not that bad, neither. 😄
Maybe I didn't explain it fully as it was getting late yesterday.
Anyhoo, what I meant by keyword and bookmarklet URL regarding the following:

Search engine: DuckDuckGo
Keyword: Unknown yet.
URL: Unknown yet.

In certain browsers, like Edge, Google Chrome, etc, there is a setting called: Address bar / Manage search engines. In there, instead of just selecting a search engine, you can actually customize how that browser searches for your query straight from the address bar/URL bar. The following picture might help. You should be able to see 3 boxes that can take info such as the aforementioned criteria. I still can't put pictures where I want them to be like you did in your post, but I'll continue writing and you can check the pics below. The first pic should show:

Search engine: Google
Keyword: kwrd
URL: http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=%s

This above search URL is something that was customized back in 2010 and has never failed me since. The default google search URL, I believe, is this one: {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&{google:RLZ}{google:originalQueryForSuggestion}{google:assistedQueryStats}{google:searchFieldtrialParameter}{google:iOSSearchLanguage}{google:searchClient}{google:sourceId}{google:contextualSearchVersion}ie={inputEncoding})

The second one is also as good as Google is, but if you still use Google search engine occasionally, try that first URL into your settings page and check results. I'm sure you'll like it. Or maybe it's just me as I have been using it for years. 😉
If you do try it, make sure you change whatever is in "Keyword" to "kwrd" in the setting.
Also, choose option to add another search engine before prefilling the above info. If you don't like it, you at least still have the original Google search criteria as an option.

So when I said I can't find anything anywhere to try different "bookmarklet URL's" for DDG, I meant like the ones above that I have for Google. I was hoping I could change that "Bookmarklet URL" in DDG settings to something like the above set-up I have to give me similar, more accurate results like the Google search does. Now I'm beginning to see there's no such thing with DDG, maybe.
I hope that makes more sense now.

Don't know anything about WaterFox, but I do feel like trying it out since you mentioned it. If it's anything like FF, then you may not be able to customize the search engines as the pictures I provided. There is an extension in FF called "Google Browse by Name search engine" by Matt.
That gives me results closer to the above customized Google URL string that I use in other browsers.

14 hours ago, giganerd said:

Not going to recommend one, rather all of them. DuckDuckGo is probably a compromise between quality of results and privacy; a more or less good start due to their numerous !bangs. At some point you will need to use Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., anyway, if you are looking for something specific.

I'm sorry to hear you say that. Another buddy of mine said the same thing. So I'm guessing it's not possible with other search engines like DDG to do that. Changing settings for DDG settings page and watching that Bookmarklet URL change isn't the same thing, unfortunately. Also, my browser deletes everything such as cookies and search history when I close it, so any setting changes fro DDG will also be deleted, I'm guessing. URL changes from "manage search engines" is permanent and not linked to any cookies or browser history.

I was hoping I could divorce Google and remarry DDG and have a similar set-up I had before.
It seems everyone's suggesting a form of search engine polygamy. Back to GoT we go, right? 😋

The title of this topic and with it being in off-topic, didn't think I'd get any responses. Thanks for all the feedback, your time and input.
I'll do as you guys suggest, then. Keep other search engines open as an option.

Kind regards

[OpenSourcerer 1442]

7 hours ago, scooby0786 said:

Search engine: Google
Keyword: kwrd
URL: http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=%s

We mean the same thing. Firefox only gives you the possibility to edit the keyword; search engine and its URL is set by the search plugin or OpenSearch decription file. It's actually one of the annoyances of Firefox for me – changing search plugin data is complicated.
My workaround is DuckDuckGo in a pinned tab with the bookmarklet URL containing my preferences, but for you the bookmarklet URL can be entered as the URL. For example, mine would be this:

Search engine: DuckDuckGo
Keyword: ddg
URL: https://duckduckgo.com/?kae=b&kl=de-de&kp=-2&kc=-1&kac=-1&kn=1&k1=-1&kaj=m&kam=osm&kay=b&kak=-1&kax=-1&kaq=-1&kap=-1&kao=-1&kt=n&ko=s&ka=n&k18=1&kg=p&q=%s

Be advised, though: Searching that way will effectively use HTTP GET method despite the preference to use HTTP POST, so what you searched will be visible in your history and elsewhere. POST is considered more private since the URL won't contain any of these parameters, but this works only if you search from the DuckDuckGo start page. Same goes for all other search engines, by the way.

[scooby0786 6]

15 hours ago, giganerd said:

search engine and its URL is set by the search plugin or OpenSearch decription file. It's actually one of the annoyances of Firefox for me

Yes, for me, too. Workaround for Google on FF is using that extension I mentioned: "Google Browse by Name search engine" by Matt. Results are similar to that customized Google URL I use.

15 hours ago, giganerd said:

Search engine: DuckDuckGo
Keyword: ddg
URL: https://duckduckgo.com/?kae=b&kl=de-de&kp=-2&kc=-1&kac=-1&kn=1&k1=-1&kaj=m&kam=osm&kay=b&kak=-1&kax=-1&kaq=-1&kap=-1&kao=-1&kt=n&ko=s&ka=n&k18=1&kg=p&q=%s

Oh, man, that's awesome. That's what I was after. Results are much better, but in German. 😀
Changing the de-de to uk-uk in the URL gives the results in English. And those !bangs that you mentioned are really nifty features.
I'll just have to get used to it. It will take some time as I won't be using it most of the time until I get used to it..
Teaching an old-dog new tricks and all that. 😋

15 hours ago, giganerd said:

so what you searched will be visible in your history and elsewhere.

Uh-oh. Is that in my browser history or some companies database? I'm guessing the latter.

I can't mark your post as a solution. Is that not possible?

[OpenSourcerer 1442]

6 hours ago, scooby0786 said:

Uh-oh. Is that in my browser history or some companies database? I'm guessing the latter.

The former
 

6 hours ago, scooby0786 said:

I can't mark your post as a solution. Is that not possible?

Guess it's not possible because it's the off-topic forum.

[scooby0786 6]

17 minutes ago, giganerd said:

The former 

Well, in this case I'm glad I'm wrong. That's minor. Browser settings delete everything upon closing. 😀

18 minutes ago, giganerd said:

Guess it's not possible because it's the off-topic forum.

Ah, weird, but good to know.
Thanks again for everything. Was looking hopeless at one point. 😉

Adiós