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I'd be more OK with this if Google had a good API for their search results. But they've deprecated it, and now there is no alternative. So I'll continue to use

I'd be more OK with this if Google had a good API for their search results. But they've deprecated it, and now there is no alternative. So I'll continue to use 3rd parties that scrape Google results, until they change their mind.

mark_l_watson 2mo ago
I agree, then need to bring back Nelson Minar’s old search API, or something like it. Google does supply search grounding with Gemini API calls, and that is handy, but not general enough.
- wwind123 2mo ago
  Last time I looked into this (about a month ago), there's a lot of restrictions on the use of Gemini's search grounding results. There's not even an easy or approved way to de-mangle their returned URL's to get to the real URL of the search results. Has that changed recently?
  - binarymax 2mo ago
    I haven't used it but they were silly about their programmatic search api in the same way. Can't use the results for anything other than showing them as-is on a results page.
nicce 2mo ago
I wonder how this changes things (EU forces to share search data): https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/eu-forces-google-share-search-data-open-android-134811713 https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/eu-forces-google-sh...
- benoau 2mo ago
  Doesn't the US too, following Google's antitrust loss last year? > Judge Mehta said in the 223-page ruling that Google must share some of its search data with “qualified competitors” to resolve its monopoly. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/technology/google-search-antitrust-decision.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/technology/google-search-...
- anticensor 2mo ago
  Easy workaround for Google: charge a non token non symbolic amount for Google Search.
  - inigyou 2mo ago
    They would have no customers, losing them all to Bing (i.e. DuckDuckGo)
userbinator 2mo ago
I stopped using Google once it started requiring JS for search. That was the day the open web truly died.
- charcircuit 2mo ago
  EMCAScript has an open standard that anyone can implement.
  - userbinator 2mo ago
    But it shouldn't be necessary, nor is "can" any reasonable defense. The same goes for the BS about "open standard" web that is actually just Google-controlled and churning constantly to anticompetitively maintain their monopoly.
    - charcircuit 2mo ago
      >But it shouldn't be necessary It's up to sites if they want to require an open standard and risk losing clients that haven't implemented it yet. >churning constantly to anticompetitively maintain their monopoly. Google open sources the implementations of these. Competing browsers like Brave and Edge are able to integrate this open source code to support them without themselves having to deal with constantly implementing new features.
    - inigyou 2mo ago
      Well I don't think it should be necessary to use HTML to read your comments, but here we are. Why don't you make a de-JSing Google proxy? Like SearX-NG?
      - Crestwave 2mo ago
        HN has an official API that returns JSON objects. Meanwhile Google actively blocks and attempts to pursue legal action against scrapers. Not to mention prohibiting it through TOS (getting your Google account revoked can be life-ruining for many people).
SerpApi 2mo ago
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mark_l_watson 2mo ago

I agree, then need to bring back Nelson Minar’s old search API, or something like it. Google does supply search grounding with Gemini API calls, and that is handy, but not general enough.

wwind123 2mo ago
Last time I looked into this (about a month ago), there's a lot of restrictions on the use of Gemini's search grounding results. There's not even an easy or approved way to de-mangle their returned URL's to get to the real URL of the search results. Has that changed recently?
- binarymax 2mo ago
  I haven't used it but they were silly about their programmatic search api in the same way. Can't use the results for anything other than showing them as-is on a results page.

nicce 2mo ago

I wonder how this changes things (EU forces to share search data): https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/eu-forces-google-share-search-data-open-android-134811713 https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/eu-forces-google-sh...

benoau 2mo ago
Doesn't the US too, following Google's antitrust loss last year? > Judge Mehta said in the 223-page ruling that Google must share some of its search data with “qualified competitors” to resolve its monopoly. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/technology/google-search-antitrust-decision.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/technology/google-search-...
anticensor 2mo ago
Easy workaround for Google: charge a non token non symbolic amount for Google Search.
- inigyou 2mo ago
  They would have no customers, losing them all to Bing (i.e. DuckDuckGo)

userbinator 2mo ago

I stopped using Google once it started requiring JS for search. That was the day the open web truly died.

charcircuit 2mo ago
EMCAScript has an open standard that anyone can implement.
- userbinator 2mo ago
  But it shouldn't be necessary, nor is "can" any reasonable defense. The same goes for the BS about "open standard" web that is actually just Google-controlled and churning constantly to anticompetitively maintain their monopoly.
  - charcircuit 2mo ago
    >But it shouldn't be necessary It's up to sites if they want to require an open standard and risk losing clients that haven't implemented it yet. >churning constantly to anticompetitively maintain their monopoly. Google open sources the implementations of these. Competing browsers like Brave and Edge are able to integrate this open source code to support them without themselves having to deal with constantly implementing new features.
  - inigyou 2mo ago
    Well I don't think it should be necessary to use HTML to read your comments, but here we are. Why don't you make a de-JSing Google proxy? Like SearX-NG?
    - Crestwave 2mo ago
      HN has an official API that returns JSON objects. Meanwhile Google actively blocks and attempts to pursue legal action against scrapers. Not to mention prohibiting it through TOS (getting your Google account revoked can be life-ruining for many people).

SerpApi 2mo ago

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