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Google's Complex URLs

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:33 pm
by Ambush Commander
First of all, Google isn't web standards compliant (but then again, neither are the DevNetwork Forums). But that's not really my question.

I'm just wondering: why does Google insist on dumping loads of extra parameters in my query strings? For instance, I google "php" from my FireFox search bar, and I get this URL:

http://www.google.com/search?q=php&star ... S:official

A bit long, don't you think? Even a google from the front page gives you this:

http://www.google.com/search?biw=984&hl ... gle+Search

Now, I don't know what half these parameters mean, but I do know that all I need is the "q" param, that is:

http://www.google.com/search?q=php

Will work perfectly fine. So why all the extra parameters? Have you ever run into this problem in web programming?

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:06 am
by method_man
that is interesting
those url's r like twice as long

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:26 am
by Burrito
maybe they're collecting data???

google is a tough nut to crack from all angles...damn google!

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:28 am
by method_man
8O
dont say that about google!!!
it is our god...

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:29 am
by Syranide
if you look they aren't so strange at all
- one is your query
- one is the start index
- two are the character encoding
- one is the language (or something like that)
- one is the browser

they probably send those parameters to track down if they need any "fixes" on the sight (such as with CSS and so on), I wouldn't think they used it for statistics, they wouldn't have used them as variables then.

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:32 am
by Burrito
don't get me wrong, I love google...well I should say I have a love/hate relationship with it.

I love it cause I use it all the time, I hate it cause it's tough to get ranked well on it for any consistently long period of time.

I've had a really hard time since the Florida update a few years back, damn Florida update nearly put me out of business...I hate google. :evil:

ok, I gotta go find a new hard drive, anyone know a good search engine to look on?

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:36 am
by phpScott
msn, ducks and runs away real quick :D

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:39 am
by Burrito
Syranide wrote:they probably send those parameters to track down if they need any "fixes" on the sight (such as with CSS and so on), I wouldn't think they used it for statistics, they wouldn't have used them as variables then.
not arguing for the sake of arguing, but what difference is there in tracking down fixes with url params and collecting stats with url params. obviously they could do either/both w/o the url params, so I guess I don't see your point?

only thing I can think is let's say someone just copies the url and sends it to a friend or pastes it for later viewing: with everything in the url, they could better "track" info, which really doesn't make a helluva lotta sense given that the friend might be running netscrape etc.

I don't have a clue, just speculating...

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:05 am
by Syranide
if you disregard of the browser being sent everything is pretty logical to me, but the browser, I don't know about the browser, but I can say as much as it doesn't show up with me.

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:46 am
by Ambush Commander
if you disregard of the browser being sent everything is pretty logical to me, but the browser, I don't know about the browser, but I can say as much as it doesn't show up with me.
Well, actually, that's more of Mozilla's fault. Hmmm... that's interesting.

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:29 am
by JayBird
Syranide wrote:...if they need any "fixes" on the sight...
You mean with glasses 8)

:lol: