Comments on: Help spread the “search://” meme! http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/ Thoughts, musings, and rants by Karl Fogel Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:41:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7-bleeding By: Karl Fogel http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/#comment-599 Karl Fogel Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:07:15 +0000 http://www.rants.org/?p=10#comment-599 (Responding to Jesse.) I often recommend to people that they do a search, and I see others recommending the same. But I hang out on open-source user support lists, where this is common. Often there isn't just one page you want to send someone to, rather it's a matter of giving them the search terms they need and letting <em>them</em> filter the results. The problem with sending a Google URL is readability -- it's URI encoded, so all the spaces and quotes look funny. Techies are comfortable with the encoded form, but normal human beings aren't. (Responding to Jesse.)

I often recommend to people that they do a search, and I see others recommending the same. But I hang out on open-source user support lists, where this is common. Often there isn’t just one page you want to send someone to, rather it’s a matter of giving them the search terms they need and letting them filter the results.

The problem with sending a Google URL is readability — it’s URI encoded, so all the spaces and quotes look funny. Techies are comfortable with the encoded form, but normal human beings aren’t.

]]> By: Jesse Hogan http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/#comment-454 Jesse Hogan Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:50:36 +0000 http://www.rants.org/?p=10#comment-454 I never find myself needing to tell someone to search for something; I guess I have different computer using habits. I usually just send the link of the page I want them to look at or, if I want them to see a Google search result I would send them the Google URL (with the search query parameters of course). If I had a friend who worked at Yahoo I would send them a Google link. Sorry to get off topic but Yahoo is dead to me given their recent behavior. I never find myself needing to tell someone to search for something; I guess I have different computer using habits. I usually just send the link of the page I want them to look at or, if I want them to see a Google search result I would send them the Google URL (with the search query parameters of course). If I had a friend who worked at Yahoo I would send them a Google link. Sorry to get off topic but Yahoo is dead to me given their recent behavior.

]]> By: Karl Fogel http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/#comment-446 Karl Fogel Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:16:18 +0000 http://www.rants.org/?p=10#comment-446 I think I was wrong, and that you can encode double quotes -- I misread the spec. You just can't include a double quote literally in a URI. It differs from those characters which can be included unencoded when used for their reserved purpose, but which must be encoded when included for any other purpose. Double quote isn't a reserved character, it's simply a prohibited character: it can't ever be present unencoded. Thanks for probing, David. I've corrected the text now, so your question will probably seem odd to future readers. But <em>we'll</em> know what you meant :-). The reasons I prefer "search://.../" to "search:/.../" are one, that people are used to it and know how to skip over the first pair of slashes, and two, that the two slashes makes a much better visual boundary anyway (you don't need it on the trailing end because you have a space to help you out there, plus the reader has already gone into the right "parse state" for the situation by then). I think I was wrong, and that you can encode double quotes — I misread the spec. You just can’t include a double quote literally in a URI. It differs from those characters which can be included unencoded when used for their reserved purpose, but which must be encoded when included for any other purpose. Double quote isn’t a reserved character, it’s simply a prohibited character: it can’t ever be present unencoded.

Thanks for probing, David. I’ve corrected the text now, so your question will probably seem odd to future readers. But we’ll know what you meant :-).

The reasons I prefer “search://…/” to “search:/…/” are one, that people are used to it and know how to skip over the first pair of slashes, and two, that the two slashes makes a much better visual boundary anyway (you don’t need it on the trailing end because you have a space to help you out there, plus the reader has already gone into the right “parse state” for the situation by then).

]]> By: David Carlton http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/#comment-445 David Carlton Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:27:52 +0000 http://www.rants.org/?p=10#comment-445 Why can't I use %22 to represent double quotes? I haven't read the entire RFC in detail, but section 2.1 makes it seem like percent encoding can be used with arbitrary binary data. Not clear to me whether or not search:// is better than search:/ - I'd have to think about that. Why can’t I use %22 to represent double quotes? I haven’t read the entire RFC in detail, but section 2.1 makes it seem like percent encoding can be used with arbitrary binary data.

Not clear to me whether or not search:// is better than search:/ - I’d have to think about that.

]]> By: Karl Fogel http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/#comment-442 Karl Fogel Sun, 22 Apr 2007 17:05:06 +0000 http://www.rants.org/?p=10#comment-442 Yeah, I've used that in the past too. Two problems with it: one, you still have to write text saying to do a search (so you're still typing more words, and figuring out how to phrase it each time -- do I say "Google" or "your favorite search engine", etc?), and two, it's not automatically parseable as a search, because so many other things can be surrounded by square brackets too. Thus, software support can't evolve as easily. Yeah, I’ve used that in the past too. Two problems with it: one, you still have to write text saying to do a search (so you’re still typing more words, and figuring out how to phrase it each time — do I say “Google” or “your favorite search engine”, etc?), and two, it’s not automatically parseable as a search, because so many other things can be surrounded by square brackets too. Thus, software support can’t evolve as easily.

]]> By: Fitz http://www.rants.org/2007/04/22/help-spread-the-search-meme/#comment-440 Fitz Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:01:42 +0000 http://www.rants.org/?p=10#comment-440 I just use [] around what you should search for. For example: [there will also be corn served] or ["there will also be corn served"] I just use [] around what you should search for. For example:

[there will also be corn served]

or

["there will also be corn served"]

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