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DuckDuckGo Web Brouser
Vanity | 1/10/2021 | Hootowl99

Posted on 01/10/2021 1:03:14 PM PST by Hootowl99

Bah... Here’s a no good rotten Vanity! LOL!

I downloaded the DuckDuckGo web browser on my IPhone today and have been messing around with it. The app is in the AppStore and downloads and installs like any other app. Nothing uncommon to note.

Setup was simple with 2 or 3 settings to enable or not. The descriptions were clear enough on what the settings are for and there’s a click button on the bottom of the Duck’s webpage so that you can change them later if needed.

First impressions... So far, so good. It does have a bit different personality so to speak on button pushing compared to IE, Edge and Safari. I don’t use Chrome period so have no comments on that platform.

One thing I like lots is it is a one button push to get a list of tracker cookies blocked on a webpage. For example, ESPN had 15 cookies blocked, ie. Google, YouTube, Adobe, Oracle, Twitter, Facebook, Neilson and 5 or 6 others. FR initially had one cookie blocked, which I assume had to do with the password. After I enabled cookies one the sign in page, subsequent visits to FR show zero cookies blocked.

I am getting LOTS fewer ads, in fact zero ads on ESPN’s homepage as an example. Note that I didn’t list any ESPN cookies in the list above. The Duck does not block cookies by the owner of the webpage (ex. ESPN) but does delete them when you leave the website. While you are on a sign in page, you can disable cookie deletion so that you can retain the signin without having to resign in on a subsequent visit. I did this for FreeRepublic, for example. My IPhone’s retained password’s function pasted the username and password into the FR sign in and required the fingerprint authorization.

I don’t think that I can import my Bookmarks from Safari. I’m still looking but haven’t come across that capability. Worst case is I’ll have to do it manually. I’m retired so have nothing but time to spare but it will take awhile to manually transfer bookmarks. Oh well, it will give me an excuse for a thorough house cleaning. I’ve got several hundred bookmarks offhand that have been accumulating over 20 years. There are cobwebs in there!

Searching uses The Duck of course. I’m spoiled by just being able to type into Safari’s address bar but it looks like I need to click a button at the bottom of the page then select New Tab, which brings up DuckDuckGo’s search page. Adds a couple of clicks and a few seconds to doing a search.

Oh, my background as a software evaluator... I’ve been using computers since the mid-70s. Mainframes first then through the generations of desktops, laptops, phones and pads. I got a kick out of an experience once when a 30,000 employee petrochem company tasked me to a small test panel to evaluate new software before committing to corporate wide usage. I don’t claim any special whiz bang skills but a personality quirk curses me with a low patience threshold for sloppy or difficult to use software. Basically, I was valued because if I could (or would) use a software then any damn fool could.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: brouser; browser; duckduckgo; searchengine; vanity
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To: OneVike

“Like Google they limit the ability to reach certain sites.”

DDG uses Google search


21 posted on 01/10/2021 1:29:00 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: The MAGA-Deplorian
Via ITunes, I've synced numerous iPhones with Windows laptops that I've installed iTunes on by simply plugging the phone into the laptop with the USB port. I really don't manage anything, just walk away and after awhile they both share the same bookmark library including folder organization. One time I thought this failed but poof, a couple of days later they sync’d up.
22 posted on 01/10/2021 1:29:11 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: Hootowl99
Dear Freepers, this thread is about the DuckDuckGo Android "privacy browser" app, not the DuckDuckGo search engine. The search engine can be used by anyone with internet access, while the browser app requires Android 5.0+.

Google Play listing:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.duckduckgo.mobile.android&hl=en_US

23 posted on 01/10/2021 1:31:33 PM PST by TChad (The MSM, having nuked its own credibility, is now bombing the rubble.)
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To: Hootowl99

Just tried out brave browser, meh.

Not real impressed with it. No way to adjust screen type size it seems, no way to add “top sites” permanently it seems. And can’t find out how to include the menu bar for pages like in Firefox, I fund it important to have. Also no way of opening up to a select site it seems

Would like waterfox for android but not sure they make such an animal?

Any good suggestions for alternative to lousy Mozilla firefox that isntbgoogle connected or Chinese, Russian, ?


24 posted on 01/10/2021 1:33:05 PM PST by Bob434
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To: TexasGator
I think you’re correct, goggle plus several other engines. However, my understanding is the Duck does not pass any personal info forward to anyone and uses its own proprietary algorithms to evaluate and prioritize the search results.

I was a webmaster some 15 years ago and one of the tools I had then was to observe the search engine bots crawling the site continuously. At that time, I do not recall ever seeing a Duck bit crawling for their own content data.

25 posted on 01/10/2021 1:38:34 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: OneVike

Luck of the draw I suppose. I’ve never recognized this if it was occurring for me. Thanks for mentioning.


26 posted on 01/10/2021 1:40:48 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

It’s okay... You can let it out.


27 posted on 01/10/2021 1:42:46 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

I’ve never tried out Brave. You like it?


28 posted on 01/10/2021 1:44:50 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: EinNYC

Yep, I agree with you re. image variety and quantity advantage google has.


29 posted on 01/10/2021 1:49:24 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: humblegunner

Boss, you’ve created about the most perfectly simple, functional and secure platform for the purpose. Dancing bear emojis are cute but have no utility. Thank you and my compliments.


30 posted on 01/10/2021 1:55:49 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: Hootowl99

They are beginning their decent in to liberal land. There search results are getting worse and worse.


31 posted on 01/10/2021 1:56:03 PM PST by Organic Panic (Flinging poo is not a valid argument)
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To: TexasGator

Didn’t know that. Makes sense now


32 posted on 01/10/2021 1:56:34 PM PST by OneVike (Just another Christian waiting to go home)
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To: metmom

That is how I ended up doing. Someone wealthy individuals need to come up with a new search engine, but seems like most Big Tech people eventual turn against God. Must be the big bucks.

It’s like everything, eventually the left muscles their way into these companies and Like Disney they turn purely evil.

I remember when Walt ran Disney, and Reagan was a spokesman for GE. Both corperations are hard lefty commies today.

Money is the root of many types of evil, and once you get wealthy, the temptations are strong and spiritual blindness seems to slowly effect their logic.


33 posted on 01/10/2021 2:01:37 PM PST by OneVike (Just another Christian waiting to go home)
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To: Hootowl99

Every once in a while I run into something on a website that just doesn’t work. For example, if I want to review a movie on IMDB and click to review in Brave I get a blank black screen on the right. If I copy the link and paste it into Chrome it works fine.


34 posted on 01/10/2021 2:05:17 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: humblegunner

Duck to Go is owned by Microsoft.
Use Brave


35 posted on 01/10/2021 2:29:17 PM PST by cp124 (They can live in there own fake reality and I will live in mine.)
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To: Hootowl99

There are instruction on how to use DDG from within Safari, but I can’t change my search engine settings to DDG in Safari like the instructions say. How the heck are you seeing the tracking cookies blocked?


36 posted on 01/10/2021 2:30:17 PM PST by diatomite (That grifter crook Biden or Kamella isn't my president and never will be!! Resist!!.)
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To: cp124

I like Google.
Hasn’t harmed me in 20 years.

Oh, sure, some folks like to cry and prance about with they hair on fire...


37 posted on 01/10/2021 2:31:41 PM PST by humblegunner (Balls To Picasso.)
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To: Hootowl99

DuckDuckGo is nothing but a front to google search.


38 posted on 01/10/2021 2:33:11 PM PST by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: humblegunner

I was trying to get info on PA elections when they had more votes than voters.

In Google, I typed: MORE VOTES THAN VOTERS.
The query results referred to the PA election, all results said, “False”. (I didn’t look past the first page.)

In DuckDuckGo, I typed: MORE VOTES THAN VOTERS.
Query results gave me the info I wanted.

So it’s easy to get results, but it’s obvious Google is manipulating with left-leaning intentions.


39 posted on 01/10/2021 2:37:10 PM PST by MayflowerMadam (If you "win" at Monopoly because you stole money from other players' piles, you didn't actually win.)
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To: Hootowl99

I mainly use it because it brings up a bunch of results you won’t see on Chrome, it dawns on you that search results on Google are highly censored. For example, if you search on terms that are anti-tech, anti-Facebook, Google, etc., you will get a handful of results, on DDG you will get a lot more.


40 posted on 01/10/2021 2:45:01 PM PST by kaehurowing
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