I was just getting interested in Neeva as a paid search engine with some cool AI tools where you’re not an advertising target because you pay. This explains the sudden refund from Neeva - they apparently got bought out and are no longer being a search engine. I don’t really know what to make of it all.

I suppose it makes my decision between it and Kagi easier - I don’t really have a choice. Kagi is a lot more expensive, but I get work to pay for it. Though that does make it harder to potentially recommend to other people I know.

Not that I ever thought paid search would massively take off, but unlike many tasks, search can be centralized enough on a per user basis that something other than ads is worth exploring.

  •  Pigeon   ( @Lowbird@beehaw.org ) 
    15•11 months ago

    Ditto. Brave also promotes their own crypto-coin ponzi nonsense. And at one point I believe they made a far-right website a default link on their homepage, before outcry compelled them to remove it.

    Duckduckgo search engine works as well as google’s, though. Except that I haven’t yet figured out what the equivalent formatting for “site:reddit.com” is for it, if site specific search is even a supported function (surely?)

    Edit: I won’t scold anyone for using a free browser though. It’s not like you give them $$$. But they do get your data, and while they claim to be about privacy I don’t exactly trust them as far as I can throw them.

    •  davido   ( @davido@beehaw.org ) 
      5•11 months ago

      Brave also promotes their own crypto-coin ponzi nonsense.

      This kinda pained me as well as its a centralized coin that requires you to verify with a passport to even get access to the earned rewards. Literally the opposite of having a private browser. Still happy with it as browser for mobile though, others dont really compare (Firefox had a bunch of bad design decisions I didnt like).

    •  Smoke   ( @Smoke@beehaw.org ) 
      4•11 months ago

      Duckduckgo search engine works as well as google’s, though. Except that I haven’t yet figured out what the equivalent formatting for “site:reddit.com” is for it, if site specific search is even a supported function (surely?)

      The bang for reddit is !r, so you can type !r Apples to learn what reddit thinks about the fruit-cum-trendy computer company.