DuckDuckGo disables most search filters...

[Blacklab]

Internet search engine DuckDuckGo launched an update recently that removed most search filters, also called operators, from the search engine.

Removed search operators include " " to search for exact terms, the "-" and "+" operators to reduce or increase the weight of search terms, and filetype:type, which allowed users to search for specific filetypes using search.

DuckDuckGo disables most search filters from Search: https://www.ghacks.net/2023/04/24/duckd ... om-search/

According to Wayback Machine, the change to DDG's Syntax page was sometime after 28 Feb and before 7 March.

DDG's current Search Syntax page: https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo- ... ts/syntax/

Possibly due to a change in the way DDG is allowed to use results obtained from Bing?

[Mæstro]

From DuckDuckGo’s own syntax page, which you have linked, syntactic operators are failing for some unknown glitch. This is not a deliberate bid to simplify searching for dullards, which had been my first impression.
Rather troubling is the note on sources showing how DDG sees itself:

When people search, we believe they’re really looking for answers, as opposed to just links. For many categories of searches…there is usually a specialized search engine[,] content site…or dedicated source…that does a better job of actually answering searches than a general search engine can with just links. Our long-term goal is to get you Instant Answers from these best sources.

I had given up DDG for Qwant and MetaGer years ago, and those for Mojeek after the war in the Ukraine erupted, so this affects me little, but this is still unwelcome.

[andyprough]

I had given up DDG for Qwant and MetaGer years ago, and those for Mojeek after the war in the Ukraine erupted, so this affects me little, but this is still unwelcome.

This is good to know, I had tried Mojeek last year and was not impressed but today it's working really well.

These DDG search filters have always been hit-or-miss for me, but DDG is good enough for routine searches and works quickly, and the main reason I use it is they support Pale Moon. If I hear that Mojeek is also supporting Pale Moon then I'll probably use that for awhile.

I like the fact that Mojeek has a page of information specifically on using it with Pale Moon, that's another positive sign.

[Blacklab]

Hmm... all very odd... things would seem to be in flux at DDG wrt having working search operators or not?

When I read the Ghacks article mid-afternoon (Mon 24Apr23)... and then posted info here as DDG is set as Pale Moon's standard search plugin option out-of-the-box... the link to DDG's Search Syntax page found a very brief page with no list of operators... only how to search on other sites.

As DDG's note below the re-posted list of operators now says, they are having "non-trivial issues" ensuring their advanced search operators work!

[FranklinDM]

The - operator was the first to go, and it's been broken for over a year or so. I think it has something to do with them using results from Bing, since I recall reading that MS also made some changes that prevented users from excluding terms from their search results.

[Mæstro]

Qwant and MetaGer depend also on Bing’s results, if I am not mistaken. Have their operators also been crippled?

[BenFenner]

Boy I do hope this is temporary.

[Mæstro]

To make things even more awkward, Mojeek, in the .de and .com domains as well as my usual .co.uk, has failed to load since yesterday. A friend and I have tested in Pale Moon, Epiphany and LibreWolf; this is not a browser problem. Has anyone word of what might be going on?

[Nigaikaze]

To make things even more awkward, Mojeek, in the .de and .com domains as well as my usual .co.uk, has failed to load since yesterday.

Interesting. I am able to pull up mojeek.de, .com and .co.uk just fine right now. Using PM 32.1.1 in the USA.

[Mæstro]

Mojeek has been loading properly for me since ereyesterday. The problem had gone away as mysteriously as it had begun.

[Moonchild]

Mojeek has been loading properly for me since ereyesterday. The problem had gone away as mysteriously as it had begun.

Like any complex live service there will occasionally be interruptions.

[hustlah]

And still is a better search engine than Google