Comment by JumpCrisscross
3 days ago
> bring back the google from 5-10 years ago
Given Kagi's abysmal adoption rates, it's clear that good search isn't worth it for most people.
3 days ago
> bring back the google from 5-10 years ago
Given Kagi's abysmal adoption rates, it's clear that good search isn't worth it for most people.
I tried Kagi but just didn't see notably better results than other search engines. Maybe if I spent more time on the power user tools, or if Kagi offered more of a trial period I would have, but adding yet another monthly subscription is a high bar for me and what I saw didn't clear it.
These days my default assumption is that any SAAS product will get worse and more expensive over time, so it has to be pretty good to justify reworking my online habits around, given that I don't know how long I'll keep using it. Hopefully Kagi will be the exception to that rule, but I wouldn't bet on it.
I was recently looking for an article I remember reading a bit over a year ago. I could even remember some exact phrases that appeared. I tried to find it on Google for more than 10 minutes, ultimately to no avail. I then went looking through chat histories and was able to find where I had shared it to someone.
I relayed this story to a friend who suggested I try Kagi. It was on the first page on my first attempt. I was also able to use it to find a different article I was sure I read even longer ago, that I didn't have as clear memory of.
That subscription fee is just too big of an obstacle in a time when everything has a subscription and is still often degrading in quality. Seems like an unsolvable chicken and egg scenario though, since relying on advertising to make it free would just result in the same issues as everything else.
It's quite literally this. It costs more than free and people don't want that. We're poor and poorer and everyone is overburdened by subscriptions for everything. I get that HN is in a rich bubble but most folks can't afford rent, food, and a search engine.
> costs more than free and people don't want that. We're poor and poorer and everyone is overburdened by subscriptions for everything
But that’s also the answer on preference. Google is good enough for most people. For everyone else, there can be a paid premium layer. Similar to news, this might be the equilibrium, not an anomaly.