A column for people who remember what
the world was like before there was color.....
Search Directory Tips & More On DVORAK Keyboards May 3rd, 2000
Many people with Macs have access to, and choose to use, Sherlock when searching the internet. However, those with operating systems prior to Mac OS 8.5 have to search for things the old fashioned way. In computer talk, that means the way things were done a year ago. Even with Sherlock there are times when your search is so specific that a generic word or words in Sherlock may not get you exactly what you need.
As an example, if you are looking for a source that will give you the exact color codes for setting up colors on a web page you probably don't want to have to check out 50 sites that are about color, but not the kind you are looking for. Each of the major search engines has it's own quirks and codes and if you know what they are, it can speed up your search. For those who are interested in some really basic search engine information you may want to read previous columns on this subject. There are several columns referenced in the Index. Meanwhile, here are several of the more well known search engines along with some tips for getting the best use out of them. Almost all of the search engines have advanced features of some kind that allow you to really get specific with your search so those are covered as well.
Yahoo (www.yahoo.com)
Use + (with no space) before a word which must be there.
Use - (with no space) before a word which must not be included.
Enclose phrases or words which must appear together in double quotation marks.
Yahoo - Advanced Search Option
Allows you to do a more specific search. You may choose a search method from between intelligent default, an exact phrase match, matches on all words, or matches on any word. You choose the search method by clicking on a button. You may also choose a search area between Yahoo categories, or web sites. Yahoo categorizes subjects in its own directory.
Excite (www.excite.com)
Use + (no space) before words which must be included
Use AND (in caps) for multiple words which must be included
Use - (no space) before words which must be excluded
Use AND NOT before multiple words which must be excluded
Use quote marks to enclose a phrase.
Excite - Advanced
Contains pulldown menus that:
Allow you to specify what the items found should contain, must contain, or must not contain.
Allow you to specify words or phrases along with a box to enter the words or phrases you seek.
Allow you to specify the language and country
Allow you to specify the kind of site (commercial, government, etc.)
Allow you to specify whether you want titles and descriptions or just titles
Allow you to specify how many responses you want per page
AltaVista (www.altavista.com)
Use a + (no space) before words which must be included
Use a - (no space) before words which must be excluded
Place words which must appear together in quotation marks.
AltaVista - Advanced
Use AND between words that must be included.
Use OR if one of your words must be included
Use NOT if your word must not be included.
Use AND NOT with multiple words if you next word must not be included
Use NEAR between words which must be within 10 words of each other
Use Parentheses around a phrase or group of words that must occur together. AltaVista is case-sensitive. Use capitals when you want capitals. Also allows you to select your preferred language and to specify dates if you wish.
InfoSeek (http://infoseek.go.com)
Use + (no space) before a word which must appear
Use - (no space) before a word which must not appear
Use double quotation marks around a phrase or words which must appear together
InfoSeek is case-sensitive. use capitals when you want capitals.
InfoSeek - Advanced
Contains pulldown menus that:
Allow you to specify whether you want to search by document, title, URL, or hyperlink
Allow you to specify whether a word or phrase must, should, or should not be included
Allow you to specify words or phrases along with a box to enter the words or phrases you seek.
Allow you to specify whether you want titles and descriptions or just titles
Allow you to specify how many responses you want per page
Allow you to specify the country
Google (www.google.com)
Only searches for pages that exactly match your search words so "cheap plane tickets" and "cheap airline tickets" return different sets of results. Automatically adds "and" between the words you enter so it only returns those pages that include all of your search terms. Use double quotation marks around a phrase or words which must appear together Recognizes hyphens, slashes, periods, equal signs, and apostrophes as phrase connectors. Use a - (no space) before words which must be excluded Searches are not case-sensitive
Google - Advanced Search Options
Google has the best instructions for using both the basic and the advanced search options. Any new user should find these to be most helpful. You can find the instructions at their Help Page. One unique feature of the advanced search will allow you to check and see what sites point to a specific site. For instance if you have your own home page you can find out if any other site points to it. To quote from the Google explanation:
The query link: <url> shows you all the backlinks for a given URL -- that
is, what pages point to that URL. For example, link:www.google.com will show
you all the pages that point to Google's home page. You cannot combine a
link: search with a regular keyword search.
Reader Feedback
A couple of readers took time to provide interesting feedback on the Dvorak typing system, including misinformation from me about the need to purchase a new keyboard before you could successfully learn the Dvorak method.
A reader named Brett sent the following:
I'm just a novice at using the Dvorak layout, but I think your statement that readers who are interested in it would need to buy a keyboard that supports it are misleading, at least based on my experience. I use three computers regularly, all of which have a Dvorak layout. The two on which I am the sole user I have popped the keys off of and moved them around to match the layout. works fine. The other one still has the physical keys in the "Qwerty" pattern and I just switch back and forth between the keyboard layouts setting, ignoring the letters written on the keys. It works fine once you can touch-type.
One of my favorite correspondents, MoofMoof sent this information:
Most major systems (Mac, Linux, Windows) have support for configuring Dvorak on a standard keyboard (though for touch only, as the key caps will still show QWERTY). It is interesting that I was able to implement a custom keyboard layout for Mac and Linux but could not figure out a way to make it work in windows (VPC). I cannot remember if you observed that Dvorak is one option that is better for people with arthritis in the hands because they generally require less movement than QWERTY. In my experience, it takes something on the order of 4 to 6 months to retrain one's touch skills to a different scheme - probably about a couple hundred hours of practice.
I also recommend the Kensington Turbo trackball . I find it to be an excellent design - nice loose movement, well arranged buttons that can be customized for specific applications, and it even works natively in LinuxPPC as a 3-button device. The two caveats are that it requires a wrist pad (I found a nice inexpensive soft oval one at CompUSA for around $10) and it is currently, AFAIK, only ADB (not available for iMac or big blue or gray).
Bill Mather followed up on the Mac Updates covered in last week column with the following:
I thought you should know that if your running 8.6 on your mac, you don't need these updates as they are in 8.6 already. only 8.5 or before needs them. you should also install apples firmware per Apple. Hope this helps some readers also.
A Final Thought From Me
Last September I wrote a series of columns on making web pages. (You can find them all listed in the Index .) It was a very exciting adventure and several of you wrote to share the pages you created as a result of the columns. Following the completion of the series I continued to learn more about web pages. I made one for my sister so she could sell products, I made one as a fund raiser activity for a coworker in need, and now I am making one as a wedding gift for a dear friend. All of this is to say that I have learned a lot and if there is interest among readers, I will do a follow-up column covering the nifty things I have learned how to do. In fact, you can check out my new personal home page if you would like to see some of the new stuff.
If you have any tips, suggestions, or other comments about this, or any other Mac topics, send them to me so that I can share them with other readers.
Copies of Nancy's book Tips, Hints, and Solutions for Seasoned Beginners Using Apple Macintosh Computers With OS X are available in PDF download versions for US$9.57 and in print version for $18.15 plus $4.00 shipping. To view sample pages and get ordering information visit the September 14, 2004 column.
Check out Nancy's complete index of all her columns for the most complete list of tips anywhere. The list is categorized and is a great reference when you are looking for help!
Talking to a generation that remembers what the world was like before there was color,
covers issues for people who don't care how their computer works, but rather what their computer and the internet can do for them.
Nancy has a Master's degree in Human Services Administration and prior to her retirement she worked for almost 30 years in field of mental health and mental retardation. She has been a Mac user for 11 years, and has recently developed an avocation of teaching basic computer skills in both group and one-to-one settings.
