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

[Bill Kendrick]

On Thu, Jan 13, 2005 at 01:25:49PM -0800, Mark K. Kim wrote:
> The syntax for /etc/vimrc (or more accurately, /usr/share/vim/.../vimrc)
> is same as that of ~/etc/.vimrc.  So why would one be motivated to search
> for .vimrc when one simply wants to find out the syntax of vimrc files in
> general?

Because most end-users would be discussing their ".dotfiles", versus
their "/etc/rcfiles" in places like mailing lists (e.g., vox-tech)
or other online forums.

Example "how-to" pages on sites would probably also say:

  "to forward all your mail to another address, stick it in a file called
  '.forward'"

or...

  "to do such-n-such cool thing in Mutt, put 'foo=bar' in your '.muttrc'"

and not mention the /etc files specifically.  So, you'd lose a lot of
potential results by looking for one versus the other. :^(



<snip> 
> If Google started making exceptions for everything, it really is going to
> slow it down for everone.

Well, they DO have those sub-sites, like "www.google.com/linux", remember! :)


They're using comodity hardware in the scale of 1000s or 10s of 1000s, so
adding particular features here and there can't be TOO expensive.

I mean, hell, they include a frickin' calculator in the search UI!


(Go to Google and search for "150F in C" and you'll get the temp of my
apartment's hot water, in Celsius :^) )



-bill!