rec.audio.tech re-added to TO line.
msg wrote:
I liked northernlights.com when altavista declined in usefulness;
then northernlights took [their] engine private (pay)
about the time that google gained in popularity.

No one has every had the powerful syntax Google Web Search has
(wildcards; Boolean OR, NOT; intitle; inurl; filetype; etc.).

Gmail proves that if you get the right someone
in charge of a Google project, then the spam issue
(WRT the users of that service) becomes moot.

The problem with Google Groups
is that the guy in charge has always been clueless.
(The users who consume/read the service get even more abuse
than those using real newsreaders.)
I get the feeling GG is where Google sends their retards/rejects.