How to Use LBSE

Introduction and Purpose

Hello,

I am a Linux end user. In an attempt to simplify search, and to bring all the search results effectively in one place, I created Linux Beginners Search Engine primarily for New Linux Converts and End Users.

For a Beginner Ubuntu is a very good choice to start with. In this Custom Search Engine (CSE), I have collected popular Ubuntu derivatives. Many tips and solutions applicable to Linux Mint are also applicable to Pinguy OS or Zorin OS or even Ubuntu.

I am not earning anything from LBSE as I do not have any ad-sense account.

Links for LBSE

Linux Beginners Search Engine by @mrjoeyman (has improved look-n-feel of this CSE and has given some eye candy effect.)

If you wish to customize and add it to your blog / website. Here is the link. This is the Default CSE URL provided by Google.

(Note: Date Range Filters are not shown in mrjoeyman's CSE page. Please use Default page if you want to use Date Range Filters.)

CSE is for everybody. I do not have an adsense account. Anybody interested in further improving can share his/her thoughts with @mrjoeyman. I would be happy to share authorship.

CSE Searches forums and wiki of Ubuntu, Mint, Bodhi, Pinguy OS, Zorin OS, VirtualBox, Wine, LibreOffice, K3b, with refinements (labels / Filters). It also includes some blogs and websites providing tips and tricks.

Note: Since all derivatives that LBSE searches are ubuntu derivatives, so they are released after ubuntu is released and their support ends with end of support for ubuntu.

I have also changed Date range filters. The range now starts from April instead of January. I am not been able to make Filters like 'Since Last year' as I only know how to enter fixed date range and not dynamic range which automatically changes every day.

I am not active in any other Linux Forum since long time, hence I will focus on Mint while making any changes in LBSE.

Refinement Filters

Clicking on Refinements searches urls only under that particular refinement, further filtering the search.

e.g. searching for 'Upgrade Kernel' and clicking on Refinement 'Mint' will only search Mint Forums, Mint Blog and Mint Community.

CSE with keyword ‘Upgrading Kernel’ with 'All Results' Refinement Filter (default selection)

Date Range Filter

(Note: Date Range Filter do not appear in customized CSE page. If you wish to use Date Filter, then please use Default page provided by Google.)

Date Range Filter will filter your search results according to Relevance (default), newest first, and various date ranges. It is displayed on Top-Right corner of Results page just below Refinement Filters. 'Relevance' filter is enabled by default. You wont see a drop down menu, but upon single clicking on the text 'Relevance' or anywhere in the box (rectangular border surrounding text 'Relevance'), you will see more options. You can select anyone of them to dynamically filter search results. Please find screenshot below.

After some R & D, it is decided that the filter 'Relevance' shows most needed irrespective of date it was uploaded or posted on net. Date filters are useful in case you are searching for an information that you have already searched once and remember that they it was published at some time maybe a year before.

Linux World is very dynamic and evolving fast. Linux distros and apps are evolving fast. So it is possible that many instructions that were applicable to older version of Linux Distro say Linux Mint 8 are not applicable any more to Latest Releases e.g. Mint 14. Mint 8 has already reached EOL (End Of Life) meaning it's support has ended and is no more maintained. At that time, a particular tweak or word around posted by a blogger might be very helpful and so very popular. Again the blog is still regularly updated so Google may give high rank to it's content. Due to this and other factors like relevance of search key words, etc, even older posts of popular blog may appear before the recent posts. Due to this reason, further filtering results (apart from refinements) by 'Date - Newest First' or any particular date range will filter out unwanted results.

Older Search results can be useful if you are using LTS version which is supported for 3 years (for Mint 3) and 5 Years (for Mint 13). So in case you are using still supported Mint 9, then you may be searching for older results. Most blogs will focus on giving tips & tricks for latest version or at most latest LTS release, which, in this case is Mint 13 Maya. Mint 9 uses Gnome2 as default DE (Desktop Environment), while Mint 13 uses Cinnamon and MATE as their main DE. Newer results will not be helpful. Hence an option of searching before April 2012 and April 2011 are given, when many tips & tricks and workarounds were focused on the then latest LTS, Mint 9 Isadora.

Default Selection is 'Relevance'

So if you are searching for 'Upgrade Kernel' with Default filter 'Relevance' and no refinement selected (i.e. All Results), you will get following results

If you change the Date Range Filter from 'Relevance' to 'Date - Newest First' for same search query and not further filtering results by selecting any refinement (i.e. using default - 'All Results'), then you will get following results

Add Refinement in your search query

If you are regularly using LBSE and want to search for a specific purpose or distro say 'Mint', then you can use the 'more:' operator to specify the Refinement Label as part of the query.

e.g. If you are searching for 'Upgrade Kernel' and want to filter the search to Refinement Label 'Mint', in this case you add 'more:Mint' to the search query.

You query in search box will look like:

Upgrade Kernel more:Mint

To make things simpler, I have changed refinement 'Bodhi + E17' to 'Bodhi'.

Source

Enabled Image Search

Sometimes, we find useful links to resources from images as well. Many times, we remember screenshots, as one may have habit of remembering pictures. Some results, which are not displayed on first page are not easy to find, mainly in case you are searching it after some time and remember that it has a screenshot / picture and you remember the title of screenshot, then you can quickly find the page you are looking for through Image Search.

You will find 'Image' tab next to 'Web' tab which is enabled by default.

Hope you find it useful.

Basic & Advanced Search Tips

Apart from filters and selecting a date range, one can exclude results from a website or URL, use operators, punctuation and symbols, site specific searches, etc to further enhance search results.

For details, please refer Official Google Documentation

• Operators and more search help

• Punctuation and symbols in search

• Basic search help

Add LBSE to your Favorite Browser

You can add LBSE to your Browser(s). After adding any CSE to your browser, you can search using LBSE straight from your browser address bar.

Visit LBSE Default Google Home Page

Right Click in the Search Box

Click 'Add as a Search Engine' . Note: Firefox users need to install Addon Add to Search Bar (current version as on 20th Feb 2013 is v2.0 for FF v 18.0.1)

Give Name and Keyword

Search Directly by adding keyword in your address bar / omni bar, awesome bar

e.g. if you have given keyword "lb" (without quotes), where 'l' is small letter 'L'

Type

lb [space] [search query]

So if you are searching for "Cinnamon" then you will need to enter

ls Cinnamon

If you are using Google Chrome / Chromium, you will notice change in address bar, indicating name of CSE that you have entered.

Note: Screenshots taken in Chromium.