Comment by r0h1n | Hacker News Reader

Comment by r0h1n | Hacker News Reader

Perfectly valid expectation with near impossible odds of coming true.

Google has gotten so rich, entrenched and popular that IMHO no competitor can dislodge it. I say this as a thoroughly-disappointed user who's tried nearly all the alternatives to Google in the various segments that it operates in. I've managed to stop using nearly all Google services except Android (running CM) and Search.

As others have pointed out in the thread, DDG is nowhere near as good, especially if you're not in the US (I'm in India). After having forced myself to use DDG for a month, I've now resigned myself to Google searches with a couple of extra steps: - all searches performed while logged out of all Google services - browser plugins to rewrite all Google tracking URLs from search results

So sure, we need viable search engine competition. But don't wait up for it either.

"Google has gotten so rich, entrenched and popular that IMHO no competitor can dislodge it."

Isn't this the definition of a monopoly? And if so, isn't that reason enough to consider search as a public good or a publicly regulated means of accessing information?

Sure, but what are you saying the implications of this be? Is handicapping the best options for search really whats best for consumers?

The key word there is "IMHO"

Judging from the various anti-trust cases that have been brought on against Google around the world it's clear that proving that is nearly impossible too. More so because Google operates in a sector (Internet software) that is theoretically open to infinite competition and zero switching costs.

That theory - infinite competition and zero switching costs - seems to be completely ungrounded in any kind of reality.

There's a whole issue of what the definition of 'using google' is to people. Even if I never search with Google, I'm still often using google stuff - or, more precisely, Google services are using/tracking me. And there's no obvious way to turn it off or opt out of it.

incognito mode.

Depends on one's definition of "cost".

Given the current western governments' stance on privacy and freedom of speech / access to information, this sounds like dystopian proposition.

If you think Google is impervious to competition, maybe you're thinking about the challenge in the wrong way. If someone beats Google it won't by being exactly the same as Google but better, but by solving what Google solves in a better way. A relevant Quora answer: http://www.quora.com/Search-Engines/What-should-a-new-search...

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