[vox-tech] [help@google.com: Re: [#19464334] Searching for dotfiles]

[Peter Jay Salzman]

On Thu 13 Jan 05, 12:42 PM, Mark K. Kim <lugod at cbreak.org> said:
> On Thu, 13 Jan 2005, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
> 
> > On Thu 13 Jan 05, 12:31 PM, Mark K. Kim <lugod at cbreak.org> said:
> > > Unless you've indexed a right-to-left language that has punctuation
> > > marks??
> > >
> > > Or if you've indexed "quoted text" with the quote character before the
> > > term?
> > >
> > > Or if you've indexed *strong text* with the star character before the
> > > term?
> > >
> > > Or if you've indexed /regexp string/ or /italicized string/ with the slash
> > > before the term?
> > >
> > > Or ...
> > >
> > > -Mark
> >
> > Yeah, but we're talking specifically about *dotfiles*, so....
> >
> > Pete
> 
> Most dotfile has a corresponding /etc file with same syntax so...

Yes, but I don't care about /etc/application/2.1.5/config/.dotfile.  I care
about:

   .dotfile

> should Google allow dotfile searches specifically for unix users but not
> their global equivalents?

Yes.  Because if anybody wants information on ".vimrc", they'll search for
".vimrc".  If they want to search for /etc/vimrc, they'll search for
"vimrc".

> I don't think a generic search engine like Google should be that specific.

I'm simply advocating returning searches for "foo" if you ask for "foo".
How is that specific?

Besides, the Google people are smart.  I'm sure they'd be able to make
dotfiles searchable if they put their minds to it!

> It's up to the person doing the search to use the right keywords:
> 
>    forward unix email

Perhaps.  Good point.  But "forward unix email" isn't quite what a person
searching for information on ".forward" is looking for.  Results can range
anywhere from exactly what the person wants to configuring sendmail.

Pete

-- 
The mathematics of physics has become ever more abstract, rather than more
complicated.  The mind of God appears to be abstract but not complicated.
He also appears to like group theory.  --  Tony Zee's "Fearful Symmetry"

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