I Cut My Google Search Dependence in Half
9 hours ago
- #self-hosted
- #search-engine
- #privacy
- The author built Hister, a self-hosted web history search tool, to reduce reliance on Google Search by 50% in 1.5 months.
- Google Search issues include too many ads, manipulative SEO tactics, AI-generated summaries lacking nuance, and privacy concerns.
- The author realized many searches were 'recall searches'—refinding previously visited pages—rather than 'discovery searches' for new information.
- Hister indexes visited pages locally, offering fast, private, and comprehensive search, especially for authenticated or private content.
- Key features of Hister include automatic indexing, full-text search, authentication-aware indexing, and powerful query capabilities.
- After 1.5 months, Hister answered 50% of the author's Google searches locally, with benefits like offline access and rediscovery of old content.
- Hister is open-source (AGPLv3) and welcomes contributions in development, UI/UX, documentation, and translations.