I have been quite fascinated by Google ever
since they started out as a search engine. Over the time
Google has become an indispensable tool for any serious
geek. I will describe a few techniques that I use. They
have been collected from various help pages, chat rooms
and books. If you find any error please point it out.
1.)
Common queries:
So how will you effectively use Google. Take this example.
A friend of mine was asking me over yahoo messenger what is
a blog. I told him to search on Google and find out. He tried
this. blog
Alas the answer was there but lost in thousands of links.
He alerted me that he can't find an answer. I told "
Ok , Let me see What is wrong? ". I tried this
What is blog
The answer was right there.
While formulating search queries you must be specific as
far as possible. A query like Linux vpn howto can yield a
different result than vpn howto. Google seems to be intelligent
enough to understand some human thought chain. So while making
queries be a bit descriptive and formulate a properly worded
query. Google ignores some of the common words such as 'the'
'and' 'a' etc while performing a search.
2.)
How to formulate a good search string :
Google uses AND logic for the queries by default. If you
search linux
vpn howto google searches for pages containing linux AND
vpn AND howto. You can put OR logic in the search box like
this
Try ( linux vpn - installation ) and see how it is different
from the above query. You can group a set of terms by enclosing
them in brackets. It is also possible to combine AND and OR
operators.
It may be noted that Google is not case sensitive regarding
search strings. Linux, LINUX and linux produces the same results.
However the operators such as AND and OR are case sensitive.
3.)
Searching for a file :
Suppose you want to search for pdf documents only. You can do
this by attaching a filetype modifier to your query. A typical
query can look like this
You can search in urls using inurl modifier.
Try inurl:smb.conf
Similarly you can use intitle modifier.
6.)
Searching in Google cache :
If you are looking for some old web site you can directly
search in Google cache.
Try cache:slashdot.org
and see the cached pages.
7.)
Looking for definitions :
This can be handy if your school going kid pesters you for
his home work.
Try
define:watt
It bring out definitions from around the web.
8.)
Looking at Google advanced search :
I think it is one link that most people try to ignore. It
is designed for commoners. Almost all the options I mentioned
above are available through advanced search.
The preferences page is also worth a visit. It uses cookies
to set preferences such as number of search results to be
displayed, language preferences etc.
9.)
Finding the price of some geek gadget :
Google has a companion site called froogle.com.
Its interface is exactly similar. But it returns prices across
various stores in the US. This feature can be very useful if
you plan to buy some strange hardware. Let us hope that froogle.co.in
will appear soon.
10.)
Google Calculator :
In the google search :
Type in an equation: (100+4567*10-200=)
What is the square root of 267? (sqrt(267))
11.)
Google labs :
Google is very innovative and always tries to introduce new
features. You can see some of the upcoming features atlabs.google.com
. Also Google conducts a puzzle champion ships annually.
Have a look at the page. You will see a number of text boxes.
Enter some words which belongs to a set of items and search.
Google will complete the set.
I typed in the names of following linux distributions "
Mandrake" "Suse" " "debian"
and hit larger set button. Google provided a huge list of
linux distributions.
Search