Web site search engines other than Google

[Lazy Bastard]

Out of curiosity, does anyone use anything other than Google for general web searches? If so, is there any particular reason why?

[dlevere]

I use IncyWincy: The Invisible Web Search Engine

IncyWincy is a showcase of Net Research Server (NRS) 5.0, a software product
that provides a complete search portal solution, developed by LoopIP LLC.

LoopIP licenses the NRS engine and provides consulting expertise in building search solutions.

IncyWincy Highlights:

• 200 million pages spidered and indexed
• hundreds of thousands of search engines indexed and searchable
• runs on a cluster of NRS servers running the Linux Operating System
• user listings, premium keyword purchase, and custom website spidering
• personalized search with relevancy boosting for particular content categories
• search types: web, directory, forms, search engines, images, metasearch
• search and page alerts, bookmarks, and mail accounts

The Invisible Web:

• IncyWincy discovers search engines when spidering the web
• Search results can be filtered to those with search engines
• Search engines are presented as 'related searches' on search result and directory pages
• IncyWincy features a unique search engine relevancy algorithm
• IncyWincy excels at searching into other search engines and lets you monitor their results with alerts

NRS Engine:

• Supports Windows and Linux servers
• Free for the first 1000 pages
• Highly customizable: Use XML feeds, or design entire applications
• Crawl and index targetted web pages, sites, images, and directories
• Use the Open Directory Project or your own directory
• Build portals with user accounts, advertising, and subscription payments

[Sly Hedgehog]

^no dirty pics..

so i'll stick around with the only and one Google

[Lazy Bastard]

Interesting @ IncyWincy. I shall have to check that out.

[Hacc]

@ dlevere: They are doing a good job at being a virtual Claude Rains. No mention of it on Wikipedia.

I just found out about DuckDuckGo two weeks ago (where have I been?). It has a very handy goodies section. The things I normally enter into Google such as a math equation or wanting to know the U.S. dollar's worth for another country, is already organized in the 'Calculations' and 'Conversions' sections. So far, it has not disappointed me.

About DuckDuckGo

A very interesting illustration. I didn't know about some of the things mentioned (for example, the Google snoop).

[Sly Hedgehog]

DuckDuckGo is awesome!

i'm going to bookmark it

[OldSchoolGamer]

Bing is a good alternative to Google.

Webcrawler also seems good. It blends the top search results from Google, Yahoo!, Bing Search (formerly MSN Search and Live Search), Ask.com, About.com, MIVA, LookSmart and other popular search engines.

[Abystus]

@ dlevere: They are doing a good job at being a virtual Claude Rains. No mention of it on Wikipedia.

I just found out about DuckDuckGo two weeks ago (where have I been?). It has a very handy goodies section. The things I normally enter into Google such as a math equation or wanting to know the U.S. dollar's worth for another country, is already organized in the 'Calculations' and 'Conversions' sections. So far, it has not disappointed me.

About DuckDuckGo

A very interesting illustration. I didn't know about some of the things mentioned (for example, the Google snoop).

Well I have to say I might be sold on DuckDuckGo. I just made it my homepage after turning the safe search off heh. From what I can tell it's as fast as google or bing, and fully customizable.

[Hacc]

Well I have to say I might be sold on DuckDuckGo. I just made it my homepage after turning the safe search off heh. From what I can tell it's as fast as google or bing, and fully customizable.

Heh. That was the first thing I changed. I have no reason for it, as no kids use my computer. I have fast results on my end, too.

[OldSchoolGamer]

I won't switch to DuckDuckGo because it doesn't have "preview results" like google does. I love the preview results feature that lets you view what the website looks like before even clicking the link for it. That is one of the reasons why I stick with Google.

[Hacc]

Well, you have a point there, as I was fond of that feature. However, it's a feature I don't consider a great loss and may be implemented in the future. If it can be enabled in some way, then I'll be an even happier user.

[Sly Hedgehog]

when i look at IncyWincy again, it don't look bad to me. i'll just search for emulators on there lol

[dlevere]

The Dark Web Explained

There is one quite interesting dark side of the Internet that has existed for some time, yet which very few people know about. This is something known as the Dark Net or Deep Web.

The Dark Web, also known as the deep web, invisible web, and dark net, consists of web pages and data that are beyond the reach of search engines.

What is the Dark Web? How did it come about?

Once upon a time (during 1995) in Edinburgh University, an Irish teenager named Ian Clarke produced a thesis for his computer science course proposing a revolutionary new way for people to use the Internet without detection.

He called his project a “Distributed, Decentralized Information Storage and Retrieval System”. The idea was that by downloading Clarke’s unique software (which he intended to distribute free) anyone could chat online, share files or read or set up a website with almost complete anonymity.

To cut a long story short, Clarke’s tutors weren*’t too impressed, but this didn’t stop the student from going ahead with his project — releasing his software called Freenet in 2000. Since then, at least two million copies of Freenet have been downloaded, which is also now readily available on several websites. Simply do a Google search for “freenet download” to find it.

Entering the Realm of the Deep Net

After downloading the 10 MB file, installing the software takes barely a couple of minutes and requires minimal computer skills. Then you enter a previously hidden online world where you can find resources such as “The Terrorist’s Handbook: A practical guide to explosives and other things of interest to terrorists”. Freenet is also the portal to accessing pirated* copies of books, games, movies, music, software, TV series and much more.

What perhaps started as a seemingly innocent project has today become a means for a plethora of online criminal activity from creating and sharing viruses to accessing and distributing child pornography — all anonymously of course.

The Internet has always been associated with openness and is often labeled as the ultimate form of freedom — where free speech, free access and lack of censorship have prevailed. Yet where do we draw the line when it is simply becoming easier to engage in online criminal activity without been traced?

To put it into better perspective, the Dark Web has grown so fast that it is estimated to be at least 500 times larger than the surface web.

How is the Deep Web different from the Surface Web?

To put it very simply, the web is defined as a collection of hyperlinks that are indexed by search engines. In other words, the pages/content that appears when we do a Google search, is the Internet as we know it - called the surface web.

The Dark Web, also known as the deep web, invisible web, and dark net, consists of web pages and data that are beyond the reach of search engines. Some of what makes up the Deep Web consists of abandoned, inactive web pages, but the majority of data that lies within have been crafted to deliberately avoid detection in order to remain anonymous.

Michael K. Bergman — who first coined the phrase “deep web” describes how searching on the Internet today can be compared to dragging a net across the surface of the ocean; a great deal may be caught in the net, but there is a wealth of information that is deep and therefore missed. – Wikipedia

In 2001, Bergman published a paper on the deep web that is still regularly cited today. “The Deep Web is currently 400 to 550 times larger than the commonly defined world wide web,” he wrote.

“The Deep Web is the fastest growing category of new information on the internet … The value of Deep Web content is immeasurable … Internet searches are searching only 0,03% … of the [total web] pages available.” – Bergman

How deep does the dark net go?

No doubt the Internet has changed significantly in the past eight years, yet researchers today have only just begun the plunge to the depths of the Deep Web. The bottom line is that there is simply too much data available for any search engine to index the entire deep web.

Coupled with this issue is the deliberate use of invisible web space by individuals who do not want to be found. This is the origin of groups of criminals who sent out millions of spam e-mails suggesting that you have won the international lottery before quickly disconnecting. No matter what developments are made toward catching such crooks they will always find new ways to remain hidden.

Craig Labovitz, chief scientist at Arbor Networks, a leading online security firm, was quoted in an article in the Guardian saying, “In 2000 dark and murky address space was a bit of a novelty,” says Labovitz. “This is now an entrenched part of the daily life of the Internet.”

“Defunct online companies; technical errors and failures; disputes between Internet service providers; abandoned addresses once used by the U.S. military in the earliest days of the Internet — all these have left the online landscape scattered with derelict or forgotten properties, perfect for illicit exploitation, sometimes for only a few seconds before they are returned to disuse … it just takes a PC and [an Internet] connection.” – Labovitz

Is there any light to the darkness?

Surely it was not young Ian Clarke’s vision to create a breeding ground for online criminals, which is sadly the predominant direction that the Deep Web seems to have taken. He merely wanted to offer free software to those seeking anonymous online communication.

There are secretive parts of the Internet that were specifically designed for U.S. secret service field agents and law enforcement officers to surf questionable websites and services without leaving tell-tale tracks. However, these merely seem to be more to the advantage of the crooks been sought after.

Perhaps the domain of the dark net would make sense in oppressive regimes such as China* where the government goes to farcical extremes to censor images that contain large expanses of supposedly naked flesh. (These include images of Garfield — the orange, perhaps flesh-colored cat). It could certainly have a positive impact in countries such as Iran — allowing people to rally support against oppressive governments without fear of being apprehended.

It’s a shuddering thought that due to the immense size and growth of the Deep Web there is virtually no way to stop it. It may not all be bad but there is a large enough criminal aspect to it to warrant concern.

[Lazy Bastard]

Yep, the "dark web" is an interesting concept. Basically, Google acts as the internet for most people, which has been troubling me lately. If Google decides not to index something, or to index it incorrectly, or to censor it, then it effectively doesn't exist, aside from word-of-mouth spread of the explicit URL.

I like DuckDuckGo. I'll remember that. Also, DuckDuckGo lists GameHacking.org as its first result for "Gamehacking", and fifth for "game hacking". Google gives us fourth for "gamehacking", and seventh for "game hacking". Although, our position has been jumping around lately, and we were in first place just a few weeks ago, on the second page about a week ago, and now back near the top again. It will continue to fluctuate for about another month or so, as all our other domains are indexed as permanent redirects by Google and focused on GameHacking.org, which apparently takes about 90 days.

[OldSchoolGamer]

That is very interesting regarding the Dark Web. So the only way to access this Dark Web is to download & use that kid's software called "FreeNet"?

Also, LazyB... would it benefit this website (in regards to google's standing or whatever else) if members would use the URL GameHacking.org versus GSHI.org? Or does it not make a difference? Because I have this site saved in my "favorite's bar". So whenever I visit this website, I just click the little "GH" icon that is in my favorites bar. The URL is GSHI.org. I changed it to GameHacking.org awhile ago but I switched it back to GSHI.org because the were some minor problems when using the URL GameHacking.org. Those minor problems I believe were already discussed in a thread, issues consisting of "log in" problems etc. These issues might have already been fixed so I should change the URL to GameHacking.org. Unless it doesn't matter?