One constant problem for Google was the suggestion of suggestions surrounding downloads. A search phrase followed by torrent, or a name of one of the larger file hosting websites often displayed links to copyrighted contents.

Up until now it was enough to enter a name and the first chars of the downloading service or method, for instance Simpsons To which would have been auto-completed to Simpsons Torrent.

That however is a thing of the past as Google has blocked several terms from its auto-completion feature. Among them Bittorrent, torrent, Rapidshare and Megaupload. The filter in its current stage would block suggestions for Linux torrents for instance.

The search results on the other hand remain untouched, only the user has to enter the full search term manually to make the search.

As Torrentfreak points out; It is very strange that only some keywords are blocked while others remain untouched. Other Bittorrent software like Bitcomet, torrent sharing sites like The Piratebay or Isohunt, and other file sharing services like 4Shared or Mediafire are still included in the suggestions and auto-completions.

Even worse for the companies blocked is that suggestions have also been disabled for their names. If you search for Rapidshare for instance you won’t see instant results, you won’t get suggestions and you won’t get auto-complete until the name has been fully entered into the search form.

This means that the affected companies will likely see a drop in traffic coming from Google.

Google is blocking suggestions regardless of legalities. They block suggestions for instance suggestion to find Ubuntu torrents or the homepage of Rapidshare or Megaupload. That alone should be reason enough to refine or remove the filter again. The second problem I see is that they only block some companies and websites. Is it explainable that some file sharing websites are blocked while others are not?

Maybe another reason to switch to Bing. What’s your take on the matter?

Here is how it works. The program is portable but requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0 to be installed on the computer system. Windows Vista and Windows 7 come with this Framework by default and most XP users should have it installed as well.

The dictionary software will display its interface which is set to be always on top by default. The user can now enter a word directly into the interface or use one of the shortcuts to feed the program from within other applications.

To look up a word in the Google Dictionary a user would simply select a word or phrase in the active application, for instance a web browser, Microsoft Word document or email client, and press the [Alt Z] shortcut to send that phrase to the dictionary software which will automatically display the requested information in its interface. The middle-mouse button is also configured to send the phrase or word to the dictionary application. This might interfere with other add-ons or functions in specific programs. Both the hotkey and mouse option can be edited in the options of the software to avoid conflicts.

Additional shortcuts become available if the interface of Dictionary.net is the active window. The hotkey [Alt T] will translate the selected text by trying to automatically identify the language and displaying the most likely result.

The hotkey [Alt W] will display definitions of the word or phrase in the program’s interface. The shortcut [Alt D] finally will display the Google Dictionary entry of the selected phrase in the program. Links that are displayed are opened in the default web browser. It is furthermore possible to save results as htm or txt files, open supported document formats for automatic translation and to configure a proxy server is that is necessary.

Dictionary.net is a lightweight software program that combines Google Dictionary, Google Translate, Google Suggest and word definitions in one interface. It can be downloaded from the developer’s website. It has a size of only 161 Kilobytes.

Three ideas are currently listed on that page: Alternate views for search results, Keyword suggestions and Keyboard shortcuts.

Alternate views for search results provide timelines, maps and in-context information. A search for Civil Rights Movement would for instance display a timeline above the search results that is showing the amount of information available for that period in time. A click on a period displays only search results about that time period.

Those alternative view modes work best when searching for people, events, companies and the like and can provide specific search results easily.

Keyword Suggestions, the second entry at Google Experimental is known by Firefox users. The search box in Firefox is showing suggestions when typing in search queries in Google Search. It’s known as Google Suggest.

The third entry Keyboard Shortcuts introduces keyboard navigation in search results. The following keys are set:

• J Selects the next result.
• K Selects the previous result.
• O Opens the selected result.
• Opens the selected result.
• / Puts the cursor in the search box.
• Removes the cursor from the search box.

Most of these commands are also known from other Google products like Google Reader where they have similar functions.

Google Experimental is offering a view of what is probably to come in the future. It’s worth visiting that website every now and then to check on updates and additions.