Do you remember life before Google?

Beverly Level X³

April 7, 2014, 12:31 pm

Write the reason you're deleting this FAQ

I don't really know what life without Google (search or products) would be like as I was not online till almost the mid 2000's. By then, Google Search was very well established in popularity with users.

Though at the start, I remember using AOL search and Yahoo search some too, as they were default on my computer. Even back then, the results were nothing like Google's.

Now, I depend on Google Search to help me with my work day and don't want to imagine life without it.

Comments

Please login or sign up to leave a comment

Join

Wayne

Pretty much, Google is all I have ever needed to use, even from the first day. I've been online since 2001, and even then Google was my first choice. And, over the years I've been happy to watch the company grow and evolve to meet my needs.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

jeffreyjose48

As far as I can remember, I used yahoo before. I have access on the internet through it. But now that the google is there, I am using it more than yahoo.

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

keeplearningseo

Google is the best search engine ever and will stay forever. Without Google, Internet is nothing for me.

Bcz, I don't check another search engines without Google. This is my number one choice.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

mqss

Yes, I remember Yahoo and Altavista that were both running before Google came out.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Asmodeus

I started in 1999 when MSN search and Excite were all the rage. I remember when Google first started I thought it was great that their scrappy upstart search engine was gong to take on the "giants". However, now that they have become the Giant I can't stand them. Google has WAY too much power and have a horrible tendency to buy anything they think will become big online (lots of articles on that one).

Now the entire internet has to bow to their will (site owners AND site visitors) and it completely kills the free exchange that the internet was based on in the first place. Someday we'll be born with a Google chip in our brain.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Beverly

I started in 1999 when MSN search and Excite were all the rage. I remember when Google first started I thought it was great that their scrappy upstart search engine was gong to take on the "giants". However, now that they have become the Giant I can't stand them. Google has WAY too much power and have a horrible tendency to buy anything they think will become big online (lots of articles on that one).

Google pries way too much, even recently admitting that they are scanning all our emails. Their defense is how they scan emails just to be able to serve better ads. But, to me, it feels like a privacy invasion.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Asmodeus

Google pries way too much, even recently admitting that they are scanning all our emails. Their defense is how they scan emails just to be able to serve better ads. But, to me, it feels like a privacy invasion.

I find it uber creepy how anything associated with Google ends up tracking your behavior, even without being logged into their service. If I'm logged in and want suggestions or recommendations, then ok, but not otherwise.

Both Google and Facebook have a nasty habit of following people in the name of "serving better ads". Ugh.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Miken34

I remember AOL as well. Seems like forever ago that I used that.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Keith

Sometimes, even now when I install a software, it will be sneaky and install a preferred search engine that is not my own. I hate when this happens as I have to go into settings and change my preferred search engine again. I guess these companies are being paid to change my search provider, but I think it's a really lousy thing to do to a consumer.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Sylvester

Feels like Google has always been around, so for me it's the only one I use. And, maybe there was another search engine before Google but since I don't remember using it, then it might as well have not existed.

13 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

elladavidson

I remember AOL....wow that was a while back.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Beverly

I find it uber creepy how anything associated with Google ends up tracking your behavior, even without being logged into their service. If I'm logged in and want suggestions or recommendations, then ok, but not otherwise.

Both Google and Facebook have a nasty habit of following people in the name of "serving better ads". Ugh.

I noticed something weird happening last night. I had logged out of my Gmail and went back to Google search and it showed me still logged in to Google. Someday, it will be irrelevant if we are signed in or out of Google. Maybe that day is already here. Whatever makes Google's job easier.

I remember AOL....wow that was a while back.

First computer that I ever owned used AOL as a browser and so AOL search was my default search.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Charlotte

Google is the default search engine on every browser that I use now, so I don't think twice about using this for my search. I'm not searching anything illegal, so I don't worry they might be tracking me.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

benlovesjane

I remember AOL vaguely. Can not say that I really cared for AOL that much.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ralph101

I used AOL back in the day. Man that was a long time ago.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

angie828

Seems so long ago. But sadly I do remember when AOL was popular.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Beverly

Sometimes, even now when I install a software, it will be sneaky and install a preferred search engine that is not my own. I hate when this happens as I have to go into settings and change my preferred search engine again. I guess these companies are being paid to change my search provider, but I think it's a really lousy thing to do to a consumer.

I really don't like it when a search engine changes my search engine without permission. This happened to me the other day after a software update. My search provider was changed, so everytime I would try to search from my browser bar it would come up with Yahoo listings. It was very disconcerting.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Ethan

Google has grown and evolved over the years, constantly improving. And, while I have used other search engines through the years and even before Google was the giant they are now, I don't think of that now.

Google gives me everything I need when it comes to search and other sites like Youtube.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ShyAnne

Some day, there will be entire generations of people who were born after the invention of Google and cannot remember life before Google. Will that actually be a good or bad thing as they will just accept Google's privacy practices as being normal, even if they are very intrusive.

12 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

galegatling

Life before Google was, hard I guess since we are living in the modern era. But it sure was fun. Back in the day, I always rely on books and libraries to get my educational informations such as research materials. But at that time, there was Google already for sure (at my current age on that time). But living in a poor village with no internet or mobile, it really made an impression. But it was fun for the most part.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Corzhens

I don’t remember exactly when I learned of Google. My search engines are Yahoo and MSN because I was a Hotmail user and later on I shifted my allegiance to Yahoo. I think it was 2003 when Google was introduced to me. It did not attract me much at first but when I was searching for something that was not available in my search engines, I turned to Google. Lo and behold, I was able to find what I was searching for. That goes to show the speed and functionality of Google.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

cmoneyspinner

I remember using AOL, Yahoo, and Bing. I even remember using a search engine called Dogpile. What it did was comb through all of the other search engines and presented the best results. In the end, I just use Google. Before Google, it was the public library.

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?