Linux Beginners Search Engine

[PcMojo]

I really like your idea! I wish it was in place a few years ago when I started using Linux. It is so much quicker to search for an issue with Cinnamon without having to add keywords like "Linux, desktop environment" to every search.
I recently switched to Linux Mint and found that my Firefox browser search was missing some search engines. When I clicked on "Manage Search Engines" it brought me to this web page http://www.linuxmint.com/searchengines.php. I now understand why Mint is pushing users towards sites that share revenue and I don't have a problem with that since it benefits the users in the long run. But I was thinking, since your search engine isn't about driving profits, I wonder if we could get it added to the choices on the “manage search engines” page (non-commercial section). It would be great for when you are trying to figure out a Linux issue to be able to set your engine in the search bar and anything unfamiliar in the articles you are reading, you could just highlight and click on search. After getting your answer you could close the new tab and continue reading the main article.
Another idea I had was to somehow give preferential search result treatment to forum stickies. Many of these are great how-to and explanatory articles that were so good forum moderators saw fit to separate them from normal threads because of their popularity and usefulness. Also, you may want to eventually include some sort of quick voting poll when users are clicking back to the search result page; ie “Was that article useful?” and rate it 1-10.
Anyway, lots of luck with your much needed project!

[mrjoeyman]

Thanks for the input. I have made some tweaks to insure the potential addition of stickys in your searches. But with a little experimentation I find that if you also add the term "sticky" (no quotes) along with your search submission, it greatly helps with the addition of any stickys on the subject. As far as adding it to your browser search engine sources, I haven't researched this so as to know IF and HOW you could do it. I am including a link that will allow you the code to use it as a gadget on your homepage or blog, and who knows, maybe you can integrate it into your browser also. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me on this will chime in! Thanks again

http://www.gmodules.com/ig/creator?hl=e ... d2q/gadget

[PcMojo]

There is a free class at Udacity for learning Python. They teach by working on one big project and the project is creating your own search engine / web crawler. I thought someone on your project may find it useful. Here's the link http://www.udacity.com/overview/Course/cs101/CourseRev/apr2012

[sunewbie]

I really like your idea! I wish it was in place a few years ago when I started using Linux. It is so much quicker to search for an issue with Cinnamon without having to add keywords like "Linux, desktop environment" to every search.
I recently switched to Linux Mint and found that my Firefox browser search was missing some search engines. When I clicked on "Manage Search Engines" it brought me to this web page http://www.linuxmint.com/searchengines.php. I now understand why Mint is pushing users towards sites that share revenue and I don't have a problem with that since it benefits the users in the long run. But I was thinking, since your search engine isn't about driving profits, I wonder if we could get it added to the choices on the “manage search engines” page (non-commercial section). It would be great for when you are trying to figure out a Linux issue to be able to set your engine in the search bar and anything unfamiliar in the articles you are reading, you could just highlight and click on search. After getting your answer you could close the new tab and continue reading the main article.
Another idea I had was to somehow give preferential search result treatment to forum stickies. Many of these are great how-to and explanatory articles that were so good forum moderators saw fit to separate them from normal threads because of their popularity and usefulness. Also, you may want to eventually include some sort of quick voting poll when users are clicking back to the search result page; ie “Was that article useful?” and rate it 1-10.
Anyway, lots of luck with your much needed project!

hi,

thanks for the inputs.

My apologies for not replying.

I did not get email notification so could not reply you early.

I am not technical, but you can add it in opera as custom search engine and use a shortcut key to search using LBSE

This is the default page given by google.

you can right click on the search field and give a shortcut key to it.

e.g. if you give 'ls' as a shortcut key, then in address bar, you can type

ls <space> search query

you can also find custom search in drop down menu of search box (which is next to address bar)

Regarding tweaking search engine and search results, which require scripting, it's something alien to me. I am an end user

If you can do it and is helpful to others in long run, I can share authorship.

Please email your ID and I will add it.

I humbly request you to do create a mock custom search for all R & D before tweaking search.

Kind Regards

sunewbie

[igor83]

This is excellent. Thank you, sunewbie. Your search engine makes a good addition to any ubuntu-based Linux user's home page.

Would you like me to mod the html to add links to the distro icons (Ubuntu / Mint / etc.)?

[igor83]

and I maintain my own Google Custom Search as well.
http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=01621 ... lwko&hl=en

30'ish Linux-Specific sites.

Is there a list of these sites anywhere?
I guess for now I like sunewbie's custom search because I know where it's polling.

[linuxaria]

added http://linuxaria.com/ - Tips & Tricks
http://blog.sudobits.com/ - Tips & Tricks

thanks

Thanks !!

[sunewbie]

Added http://www.cyberciti.biz/ - Tips & Tricks

Thanks to @Thinker

my pleasure @linuxaria

This is excellent. Thank you, sunewbie. Your search engine makes a good addition to any ubuntu-based Linux user's home page.

Would you like me to mod the html to add links to the distro icons (Ubuntu / Mint / etc.)?

My apollogies for late replies, but I did not get notifications. Once I received email notification and upon clicking was got a blank page.

Anyways,

Sure why not

I will PM you

Thanks for the help.

[newconvert]

Hello sunewbie, I love your search engine. I have found a few solutions through it to help me get my new Mint installation configured. In fact, it is my firefox homepage for this user name on my computer.

My only problem is that many of the results are old articles, and the info in them is no longer current. The newest distros do things different than what someone wrote in 2008 or even 2011. So here's my request:

Is it possible to add a date range to either the first page, or to the top of the results page?

For the main page, something like a single radio button saying "Limit results to last 6 months." would suffice.

I don't need just the most recent articles, and a question asked and answered last summer may be what I need to know too. So I think a 6 month window is a perfect default.

For the results page, is it possible to add a more precise refinement like Google's page will do? So, for example, if I want to just see Linux Mint 14 topics I can limit the search to after its release date.

Possible solution:
I just googled for "google search by date" and found this page http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-search-by-date-on-google/, which gave a searchline option, called 'daterange'. But in a geeky twist, you have to use julian dates, which is based on the number of days since Jan 1, 4713 BC. We are currently at 2456291.

So to search for articles from the last six months I would take today's date, 2456291, minus 180 from it to get 2456111, and put 'daterange:2456111-2456291' on the search line. This gives me everything from last summer to today.

Actually, if I add 180 to the second number, and just use 'daterange:2456110-2456471', it will search from July 1 2012 up to June 27 2013, so I don't have to figure out the date each day. That would work for me.

Is it possible to incorporate this into a search modifier on your page?

[sunewbie]

Hello sunewbie, I love your search engine. I have found a few solutions through it to help me get my new Mint installation configured. In fact, it is my firefox homepage for this user name on my computer.

My only problem is that many of the results are old articles, and the info in them is no longer current. The newest distros do things different than what someone wrote in 2008 or even 2011. So here's my request:

Is it possible to add a date range to either the first page, or to the top of the results page?

For the main page, something like a single radio button saying "Limit results to last 6 months." would suffice.

I don't need just the most recent articles, and a question asked and answered last summer may be what I need to know too. So I think a 6 month window is a perfect default.

For the results page, is it possible to add a more precise refinement like Google's page will do? So, for example, if I want to just see Linux Mint 14 topics I can limit the search to after its release date.

Possible solution:
I just googled for "google search by date" and found this page http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-search-by-date-on-google/, which gave a searchline option, called 'daterange'. But in a geeky twist, you have to use julian dates, which is based on the number of days since Jan 1, 4713 BC. We are currently at 2456291.

So to search for articles from the last six months I would take today's date, 2456291, minus 180 from it to get 2456111, and put 'daterange:2456111-2456291' on the search line. This gives me everything from last summer to today.

Actually, if I add 180 to the second number, and just use 'daterange:2456110-2456471', it will search from July 1 2012 up to June 27 2013, so I don't have to figure out the date each day. That would work for me.

Is it possible to incorporate this into a search modifier on your page?

Hi newconvert. Sorry for delayed response.

I am not a geek, just an end user with no technical knowledge. i created LBSE for personal use and it developed with time, when I thought I should share it with others. I was pleasantly surprised to see it is well received.

I understand and have faced the same problem.

I will have a look into it, but looks like this type of customization is not my cup of tea.

If you wish to try it, I would share authorship. For safety reasons, and for avoiding to recreate the wheel, just incase things go wrong, please can you create a small mock CSE, before you can try it on LBSE.

Your suggestions will be helpful for troubleshooting, but for theory part, old articles are equally helpful.

All I want is that CSE should be very easy to use for end users (like me )and yet be effective.

There were many ideas at the time I shared it with fellow Mint users, but due to my lack of technical knowledge, i was unable to implement them.

Please PM me if you wish to contribute.

Once again thank you for your suggestion.

[newconvert]

No problem sunewbie, I wouldn't know how to make that change either. I'm not a coder myself. Maybe someone else who reads it can do something.

Until then my solution is simple. I made a text file on my desktop named daterange, and inside I have "daterange:2456110-2456471". So I can open the file, copy that line, and paste it into the search whenever I want to limit results to more current items. Works for me.

Anyway, thanks for the response. See ya later.

[sunewbie]

Hello newconvert,

I have managed to add 'Sort by Date' and 'Sort by Relevance'.

but this is only possible on the default CSE page provided by Google and not on our customized Page.

To add to it, this option is offered by google.

Upon landing on results page, you will see Sort by 'Date' text on right top corner, just below the refinements / filters.

By Default, CSE sorts results by Date. though no Drop down menu appears, upon clicking on the text 'Date' or anything on the Box, you will see another option, 'Relevance'



There is a catch though. If someone in forums raises a dead thread, or someone comments on an old blog, Google will re-index and think that content is updated and hence thinks it as a newest / latest page. In this case, that page link will be shown on top in search results.

btw, you suggestion is also helpful and works well, but everyday, you will have to change date range, which would include more complications in a sense that new users will have to convert current date into julian format.

I have also enabled 'image search' as sometimes, I have found it faster way to find info.

Once again, thanks for the input.

[sunewbie]

After searching and doing R & D for about 2 hours, I finally managed to add date parameters.

I have found that the dates are easily noticed on results page with 'Tips & Tricks' filter / refinement, as most URLs in this category are blogs.

I am still trying permutations and combinations for date range. I have figured out how to sort within a specific date range, sort with 'upper bound' and 'lower bound' date parameter, meaning that we can sort search results before or after a particular date. Upper bound means the newest date is the date mentioned.

Google recognizes many formats including YYYYMMDD (without dashes).

Sceenshot:

Date Filter LBSE

Date Filter LBSE.png (139.68 KiB) Viewed 1830 times

Source (for my own ref):

Restrict to Range

Sorting and Filtering Results in Custom Search - Official CSE Blog

CSE Help - Sort Results

Some more links for future ref and for other interested members to explore

Providing structured dates - Using Page Dates

Structured Data Testing Tool

[sunewbie]

Hi All

As you all may have noticed, I have recently made a few modifications to LBSE. I have added date range filters. I am a little confused whether I should set filters from Jan or from April when ubuntu versions are released.

Please can somebody help in this matter.

Thanks and Regards

[xenopeek]

For Linux Mint it would perhaps make sense to be able to search since April or since October. However, I thought your search was also for users of other Linux distros? Personally I most frequently use Google's "past year" when searching. If you can't do a relative search like that, perhaps "Since this year" and "Since last year" would make good replacements. I don't think you'd often need to specifically go further back than that? Then either you find all or restrict it to somewhat recently.

[sunewbie]

For Linux Mint it would perhaps make sense to be able to search since April or since October. However, I thought your search was also for users of other Linux distros? Personally I most frequently use Google's "past year" when searching. If you can't do a relative search like that, perhaps "Since this year" and "Since last year" would make good replacements. I don't think you'd often need to specifically go further back than that? Then either you find all or restrict it to somewhat recently.

I was also thinking the same. Since all derivatives that LBSE searches are ubuntu derivatives, so they are released after ubuntu is released and their support ends with end of support for ubuntu.

I think think on other points that you have given, but more importantly, I should find a way to implement them

Thanks for your suggestions

[sunewbie]

Thank you Stevens

New Filter / Refinement Cinnamon added

URLs added under Cinnamon
viewforum.php?f=208
http://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/desklets
http://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/extensions
http://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/applets
http://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/themes
http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/

Except for the first URL which takes you to Cinnamon sub-forum, URLs are added under refinements Mint and Cinnamon

I have also changed Date range filters. The range now starts from April instead of January. I am not been able to make Filters like 'Since Last year' as I only know how to enter fixed date range and not dynamic range which automatically changes every day.

I am not active in any other Linux Forum since long time, hence I will focus on Mint while making any changes in LBSE.

[sunewbie]

I have made Many changes to LBSE in recent days.

For easy navigation, I have created a wiki type Website using google-sites.

Kindly have a look and give your opinion.

It has many features like announcements, recent updates, to-do list and recent activity.

Now there is more scope to expand site and give more info.

[sunewbie]

Update 27.1.2013

Added Arch Wiki

Created new refinement filter: ArchWiki

Arch Wiki is added because it has great documentation and is good source for someone who wants to learn Linux.

NOTE: Arch Linux does not use apt-get and is not based on Debian or Ubuntu. So please [b]DO NOT[/b] use commands shown in Arch for any Ubuntu based distros. It wont work. Arch is an independent Distro. Refer Distrowatch for further details or visit their official website, wiki and FAQ,

Arch Linux is not for End Users or new converts.

Quote from Official FAQ

Q) I am a complete GNU/Linux beginner. Should I use Arch?

A) This question has had much debate. Arch is targeted more towards advanced GNU/Linux users, but some people feel that Arch is a good place to start for the motivated novice. If you are a beginner and want to use Arch, just be warned that you must be willing to invest significant time into learning a new system, as well as accept the fact that Arch is fundamentally designed as a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) distribution. It is the user who assembles the system and controls what it will become. Before asking for help, do your own independent research by Googling, searching the forum (and reading the rest of these FAQs) and searching the superb documentation provided by the Arch Wiki. There is a reason these resources were made available to you in the first place. Many thousands of volunteeredhours have been spent compiling this excellent information.

source
----------

https://wiki.archlinux.org/ - Tips & Tricks, ArchWiki
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB2 - GRUB, ArchWiki

[sunewbie]

Added 5 new sites to

Tips & Tricks

http://docs.xfce.org/
http://goodies.xfce.org/
http://blog.xfce.org/
http://wiki.xfce.org/tips
http://wiki.xfce.org/howto