Comment by naet
2 years ago
I think the result grading is too opinionated here.
For example, the first query is "download YouTube videos", for which Google is ranked "terrible" for not showing you a command line open source program. But the literal first result is an ad supported site where I can paste in a YouTube link and download it right from the browser. That seems like exactly what most people would want or to the CLI tool the author is searching for. The author seemed to be looking for sites without ads as what they wanted to see in search results more than search relevance.
Search is a very gamed system with a lot of SEO spam type results, but I think a much better analysis could be done for more meaningful results. Also I recreated some of the searches and got very different results (including ublock origin in the top three responses). Again, a more scientific ranking system could help uncover better data on searches.
The author describes that site as such, which seems fair to rate as "terrible":
> Some youtube downloader site. Has lots of assurances that the website and the tool are safe because they've been checked by "Norton SafeWeb". Interacting with the site at all prompts you to install a browser extension and enable notifications. Trying to download any video gives you a full page pop-over for extension installation for something called CyberShield. There appears to be no way to dismiss the popover without clicking on something to try to install it. After going through the links but then choosing not to install CyberShield, no video downloads. Googling "cybershield chrome extension" returns a knowledge card with "Cyber Shield is a browser extension that claims to be a popup blocker but instead displays advertisements in the browser. When installed, this extension will open new tabs in the browser that display advertisements trying to sell software, push fake software updates, and tech support scams.", so CyberShield appears to be badware.
That's how he described it but I tried it myself and found it perfectly functional to download a video with different options for size / quality. It has ads but not nearly as bad as described.
It's a service that is quasi illegal and explicitly breaks the YouTube terms of service. I think the search engine did a good job surfacing what was searched for, there just aren't going to be any free online YouTube downloaders without advertising.
Which web site did you use to successfully download a youtube video? Which youtube video did you download?
It'd be useful to know what site you used to verify - but if we're talking about the same site, IMO a website that presents Dan's experience sometimes, and your experience sometimes, is actively harmful.
Yeah, if one typed “YouTube downloaded cli” you the results the author was thinking.
It seems like the author wants to search to read their kind without specifying what kind of YouTube downloaded they want