Google Takes The "+" Out Of Search

    Google Takes The "+" Out Of Search


    Posted: 24 Oct 2011
    When you control over 60% of the search market, you can more or less do whatever you want. Google has decided to forcibly change the way our brains understand the act of search by ditching the “+” operator. Google searches will now ignore that symbol in web searches, but there is an alternative, clumsy as it is.
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    Maximum PC | Google Takes The "+" Out Of Search
    Brink's Avatar Posted By: Brink
    24 Oct 2011



  1. Posts : 2,578
    Vista 64 bit and 32 bit (SP2)
       #1

    I am sorry that Google has made this choice. It's one more example of trying to 'fix' something that isn't broken -- which is all too frequent with Microsoft, and apparently now with Google as well. And the explanation given for the reason for this choice does not make sense. Putting double-quotes around several words is not exactly the same as having two or more words joined with the + sign.

    One would hope that the primary aim of these software giants would be to make the users' job easier, not harder. Sadly, that's not the case.
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  2. Posts : 552
    Windows 8 Pro x64
       #2

    Oh, is this why my searching for "C++" has been turning up better results lately?
    If I wanted to search for specific stuff, I just use advanced search. It's much easier, IMO.

    Imperfect1 said:
    I am sorry that Google has made this choice. It's one more example of trying to 'fix' something that isn't broken -- which is all too frequent with Microsoft, and apparently now with Google as well. And the explanation given for the reason for this choice does not make sense. Putting double-quotes around several words is not exactly the same as having two or more words joined with the + sign.

    One would hope that the primary aim of these software giants would be to make the users' job easier, not harder. Sadly, that's not the case.
    I find it makes more sense personally. It reminds me of strings in C++, and similar languages.
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  3. Posts : 36
    Win Pro 7 32-bit
       #3

    I almost never used the + but did use the quotation marked for multi-words research. Try "windows seven forums". :)
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  4. Posts : 5,092
    Windows 7 32 bit
       #4

    So are they also going to kill the '-' operator? Yin without Yang disturbs the balance.
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  5. Posts : 31,242
    Windows 11 Pro x64 [Latest Release and Release Preview]
       #5

    I assume you can still use the Boolean "AND" operator which was always the way to ensure two terms were included in a Google search

    I was a great user of the + operator added to the start of a single term but can see the logic of the change, [for whatever reason it's changed ] to include a specific phrase you use quotes even when the phrase is one word long - not too difficult to conceptualize

    I will be sorry to lose the - operator though "NOT" should still replace it
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  6. Posts : 5,092
    Windows 7 32 bit
       #6

    Barman58 said:
    I assume you can still use the Boolean "AND" operator which was always the way to ensure two terms were included in a Google search

    I was a great user of the + operator added to the start of a single term but can see the logic of the change, [for whatever reason it's changed ] to include a specific phrase you use quotes even when the phrase is one word long - not too difficult to conceptualize

    I will be sorry to lose the - operator though "NOT" should still replace it
    Don't know if they'll go that far. I was just joking. :) But searching for C++ solutions did kind of drive me nuts at times. Typing "C Plus Plus" or "C++" aiiyy!! Looks like the AI dude(John McCarthy) died a bit too soon. He could have surpassed Steve Jobs and Brian Kernighan in my estimation if he invented a convenient way to avoid the shift key. It really disrupts my typing rhythm. :)
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  7. Posts : 1,965
    win 7 X64 Ultimate SP1
       #7

    Operators


    Barman would "not subor" get it?

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  8. Posts : 31,242
    Windows 11 Pro x64 [Latest Release and Release Preview]
       #8

    I'm too Bl***y old to remember that far back - or should that be for ... next
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