The google custom search

[Sense Hofstede]

2009/7/24 Vincenzo Ciancia <ciancia at di.unipi.it>:
> Dear all,
>
> today I noticed that the consistency problem between the default ubuntu
> start page, which is a custom google search, and the search box at the
> top-right of firefox, has finally been solved. Now also the search box
> is a custom search.
>
> I already tried to raise the problem that average users are not so
> expert to know what a custom search is, but they will certainly notice
> that "googe in linux does not work as in windows" since google will not
> show maps, images, and do conversions on the fly in the custom search.
>
> There is also the problem that localization is currently broken in ALL
> ubuntu installations except english speaking, since localised results
> are not returned, hence ubuntu will return english results first to my
> italian-only speaking mother (well she speaks some spanish, and latin
> too, but this does not change the problem).
>
> In the past, silence was the main answer. What I would prefer is 1)
> clarificaition on why this is needed, since it seems mostly a trick, and
> 2) some effort in localization, and in using all the google goodies by
> default, maps, images, conversions. Images and videos may even be
> questionable, even if I would rather not use google if e.g. finding
> inappropriate content is a concern, but maps and conversions are useful
> tools and people uses those every day.
>
> But if 1) and 2) can't be achieved, at least an explanation on why there
> are no links in the default search page (and maybe in the results)
> explaining what a custom search is, would be appreciated. Given that
> users certainly may not know what a custom search is (e.g. even if I am
> a computer scientist, and worked in the IT, I did not care about custom
> searches until ubuntu started giving me strange results), educating them
> by putting in-place documentation, in the form of a short sentence and a
> link, would be appropriate.
>
> I can understand that a custom search may bring money to canonical
> (correct me if I am wrong, as I said I did not care about custom
> searches until very recently). I think the majority of users would be
> happy to be able to help ubuntu by just searching the web. However, they
> should be made aware of the choice, instead of silently tricked into the
> system.
>
> Vincenzo
>
>
>
>
>
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>
Hello,

I'm curious about this as well. I guess the custom search is used
because otherwise it couldn't be included in the Ubuntu Start Page and
the quick search was adapted for the sake of consistency.
But why are there two different custom searches? (c) and (d)

Kind regards,
-- 
Sense Hofstede
<http://qense.nl/>

PS: Sorry for sending it only to Vincenzo first.
PPS: I mean karmic, it turned out Vincenzo meant jaunty.