OT - Cannot Search Old Posts Using Google As Newsgroup Reader

[Jay Chan]

I am currently using Google as the newsgroup reader. It works fine
for years. Recently I have noticed that when I seach something in a
newsgroup such as this one, all I get are very recent posts. Can
someone tell me a way to expand the search?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

 

[John Doe]

I am currently using Google as the newsgroup reader.

Sorry to hear that.

It works fine for years.

Recently, reports indicate that Google includes a link to report
spam, simply by clicking on the link at the top of the post?
Google users should click on that link. The rest of us will
appreciate it, assuming Google really wants to help clean up the
massive amount of spam flowing through its servers from Hong Kong
into USENET.

Recently I have noticed that when I seach something in a
newsgroup such as this one, all I get are very recent posts. Can
someone tell me a way to expand the search?

Actually, that is a common problem with the way Google handles the
public USENET archive. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
It is a piece of junk.

 

[Paul]

I am currently using Google as the newsgroup reader. It works fine
for years. Recently I have noticed that when I seach something in a
newsgroup such as this one, all I get are very recent posts. Can
someone tell me a way to expand the search?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Google has changed their search policy with respect to USENET/dejanews
archive.

Basically, the old way of doing searches, emphasized the quality
of the search. They really did a good job of digging out good
results.

Well, the board of directors had a meeting, and ask the question
"how are we making money on this thing". The answer is, it costs
a lot, in terms of the number of computers used to support all
these real-time searches. So some evil person in the meeting,
spelled it out for them. "Give the users results with plenty
of Google sponsered advertising on the returned pages."
So they broke and hobbled the search engine for USENET, making it virtually
useless. That means more searches can be done with fewer computers,
but with poorer results.

If you accept the default setting, to return web forum
searches, you'll be connected to all the USENET leech sites that
have Google Adwords on them.

So, Google makes more money, and you become their "click monkey".
They make money, and... you lose.

So when someone says "let me Google that for you", what they don't tell
you, is they've actually switched to using some other search engine.

I have about 20000 posts on USENET, and hardly any of them
can be found by doing a (Dejanews) search any more. I have a lot of
web links in those postings, which are now lost to me.

Is Google evil ? You decide...

Paul

 

[Michael Cecil]

Google has changed their search policy with respect to USENET/dejanews
archive.

Basically, the old way of doing searches, emphasized the quality
of the search. They really did a good job of digging out good
results.

Well, the board of directors had a meeting, and ask the question
"how are we making money on this thing". The answer is, it costs
a lot, in terms of the number of computers used to support all
these real-time searches. So some evil person in the meeting,
spelled it out for them. "Give the users results with plenty
of Google sponsered advertising on the returned pages."
So they broke and hobbled the search engine for USENET, making it virtually
useless. That means more searches can be done with fewer computers,
but with poorer results.

If you accept the default setting, to return web forum
searches, you'll be connected to all the USENET leech sites that
have Google Adwords on them.

So, Google makes more money, and you become their "click monkey".
They make money, and... you lose.

So when someone says "let me Google that for you", what they don't tell
you, is they've actually switched to using some other search engine.

I have about 20000 posts on USENET, and hardly any of them
can be found by doing a (Dejanews) search any more. I have a lot of
web links in those postings, which are now lost to me.

Is Google evil ? You decide...

Paul

I don't think they're evil. No one ever said Usenet posts would be around
forever. We just got used to searching DejaNews and they just want to
make some money.

Hopefully, when they see fewer and fewer people bother even trying to do a
search they will change it back and make it usable again. Or that same
moron might suggest they drop the search feature altogether.

 

[Jay Chan]

Google has changed their search policy with respect to USENET/dejanews
archive.

Basically, the old way of doing searches, emphasized the quality
of the search. They really did a good job of digging out good
results.

Well, the board of directors had a meeting, and ask the question
"how are we making money on this thing". The answer is, it costs
a lot, in terms of the number of computers used to support all
these real-time searches. So some evil person in the meeting,
spelled it out for them. "Give the users results with plenty
of Google sponsered advertising on the returned pages."
So they broke and hobbled the search engine for USENET, making it virtually
useless. That means more searches can be done with fewer computers,
but with poorer results.

If you accept the default setting, to return web forum
searches, you'll be connected to all the USENET leech sites that
have Google Adwords on them.

So, Google makes more money, and you become their "click monkey".
They make money, and... you lose.

So when someone says "let me Google that for you", what they don't tell
you, is they've actually switched to using some other search engine.

I have about 20000 posts on USENET, and hardly any of them
can be found by doing a (Dejanews) search any more. I have a lot of
web links in those postings, which are now lost to me.

Is Google evil ? You decide...

    Paul

Thanks for the info. Seem like I cannot depend on Google for
searching old posts. Then, what's the alternative?

Jay Chan

 

[Mike Easter]

I am currently using Google as the newsgroup reader.

Perhaps you should be asking your question in a googlegroup, such as
http://snipr.com/rqyez A Google Help Group is a place where product
enthusiasts can find answers, ask questions, and share expertise with
other users about specific Google products.

Recently I have noticed that when I seach something in a
newsgroup such as this one, all I get are very recent posts.

From GG helpgroup search 'search' result: http://snipr.com/rqygw Why
is advanced search so broken? ... Google Group Search does NOT function
.... Search gives only recent results?

 

[Jon Danniken]

I don't think they're evil. No one ever said Usenet posts would be
around forever. We just got used to searching DejaNews and they just
want to make some money.

Hopefully, when they see fewer and fewer people bother even trying to
do a search they will change it back and make it usable again. Or
that same moron might suggest they drop the search feature altogether.

Not only all is all of that information becoming lost, but there was a lot
of cultural wisdom, and a lot of creativity in those hundreds of thousands
of posts, the heydey of USENET, the proto information sharing resource on
the web.

Oh how I miss dejanews. It was so easy to read, a screenfull of text that
you could be lost in for hours.

Jon

 

[John Doe]

Not only all is all of that information becoming lost, but there
was a lot of cultural wisdom, and a lot of creativity in those
hundreds of thousands of posts, the heydey of USENET, the proto
information sharing resource on the web.

Oh how I miss dejanews. It was so easy to read, a screenfull of
text that you could be lost in for hours.

One of the first bad signs was when Google removed the "relevant
groups" result from the left-hand side of the search results page.
That was there for a good purpose, it allowed a conscientious user
to figure out which discussion group would be the best for him (or
her) to ask a question. Removal of the relevant groups result was
an indication that the administrator was inept and/or that Google
Groups was not interested in preserving USENET functionality.

I would be willing to pay a small fee for subscription to a USENET
archive. There are plenty of premium binary news servers, I am
surprised that no one offers a replacement for DejaNews. There
must be some private USENET archive out there that can be easily
converted for use as a DejaNews replacement.