A New Ichido
Ichido now has it's own independent search index.
After much effort, the next version of Ichido is finally ready to launch. Ichido version 3 has a new UI, shows 2x as many search results per page, uses an entirely different search algorithm, many more search result tags, and is now using its own independent search index.
The Need For A New Version
Ichido version 1 and 2 were using a 3rd party index (the Bing index) for providing search results. In those prior versions, the workflow of the entire Ichido system was roughly as follows:
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The front end application receives a query from the user.
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The application would parse the query, process any search operators, and then sends a rebuilt query to the 3rd party index.
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The 3rd party index would send back ~50 search results.
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The application then parses the domains from the results, and fetches search results tags from Ichido’s database that included in the search results. Tags were added to search results at the domain level.
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The application builds the page and then sends the results back to the user.
Relying on a 3rd party index resulted in many limitations, including the inability to modify the search algorithm and reduced accuracy when adding tags to search results. The 3rd party search engine also had a limitation on the number of search results that were returned, and would only allow the user to view a few pages of search results, even if hundreds of thousands of documents matched the query. However, Ichido version 3 uses it’s own independent search engine index, thus relaxing a lot of the limitations of the prior version. The new workflow is:
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The front end application receives a query from the user.
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The application would parse the query, process any search operators, and then send a rebuilt query to the Ichido search server.
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The Ichido search server uses it’s algorithm to generate search. 100 search results, as well as the search result tags, are then sent back to the application. Every page now has it’s own set of tags.
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The application builds the page and then sends the results back to the user.
New Search Algorithm
Now that Ichido no longer relies on a 3rd party index, the Ichido search engine has full control over the search algorithm. The new algorithm is roughly as follows:
f(+content, +rank, +feeds, +security, +compatibility, -trackers, -ads, -captcha, -seo, -obfuscation)
Where:
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frepresents the search result scoring function (the algorithm). -
+represents an increase in the search result score. -
-represents a decrease in search result score.
Bang Operators And Instant Operators
The new version of Ichido still supports Bang operators and Instant operators.
Bang operators are prefixed with ! and will redirect the user to a different search engine. For example, the following query will redirect to DuckDuckGo’s search engine:
!ddg query
And this query will redirect to Google:
!g query
Instant operators are prefixed with !! and will redirect to the nth Ichido search result. For example, !! will redirect to the first result, !!2 the second result, !!3, the third, and so on.
Search Engine Tags
Ichido now has many more search result tags. The tags provide extra information and links to the user before navigating the page. Here is a brief overview of some of the tags:
Site Feature Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
Atom |
Atom feed link. |
H-Feed |
A page with H-Feed microformats. |
JSON Feed |
JSON Feed link. |
Opensearch |
Opensearch description link. |
Pingback |
Pingback link. |
RSS |
RSS feed link. |
Webmention |
Webmention link. |
Social Link Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
DeviantArt |
DeviantArt account link. |
Discord |
Discord channel link. |
Email address link. |
|
Facebook account link. |
|
Mastodon |
Mastodon account link. |
Matrix |
Matrix channel link. |
Patreon |
Patreon account link. |
Subreddit link. |
|
Telegram |
Telegram channel link. |
Tumblr |
Tumlr account link. |
Twitter account link. |
|
XMPP |
XMPP channel link. |
Additional Info Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
Google Links |
A page with links to Google-owned web properties. |
Google Analytics |
A page with links to Google Analytics trackers. |
Google Tag Manager |
A page with links to Google Tag Manager trackers. |
Cloudflare |
A page that is using to Cloudflare services. |
CAPTCHA |
A page that may require a CAPTCHA to solve. |
UTM Trackers |
A page with UTM Tracking Parameters in URLs. |
Affiliate Links |
A page with affiliate marketing links. |
Ads/Trackers |
A page with ads or trackers. |
SEO |
A page that is using SEO services or libraries. |
WebP |
A page with WebP images. |
Disclaimer: The tag parsing code may produce false positives and false negatives, and web pages may change over time.
No Ads, Trackers, JavaScript, Or Referers
Ichido tries to preserve user privacy and security by minimizing the amount of data that is saved and sent through the network, while also trying to maximize usability. Ichido has:
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No ads or ad search results.
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No trackers.
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Does not have or require any JavaScript.
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Removes Referer headers from outgoing search result links.
New Blog Site
The Ichido blog site has been redesigned using a similar theme as the search engine pages.
Keyboard Navigation
The new search result pages are designed to be navigated with mouse or keyboard. Tab and Shift+Tab will move the cursor forward and backward through the search results.
More Donation Options
I’m accepting donations through Libera Pay, and now through Patreon as well.
More Updates In The Future
There are still many new features I want to add to Ichido, and will continue working on it for the foreseeable future. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to send me an email at anthony.m.mancini@protonmail.com .