Google Shuts Down its Dictionary Service
Google has shut down dictionary.google.com and is telling its users to use the define command in Google Search instead.
Lately, we have written quite a few stories about Google shutting some of its products down to ensure the company’s focus doesn’t stray too far from its core mission (it’s self-driving cars, though, remain on the road – and sometimes crash). Now, The Next Web’s Paul Sawers reports that the company just shut down Google Dictionary, a service that used to give users the ability to get access to dictionary definitions and usage examples. According to Google, the company decided to roll this functionality into its main search engine, where users can simply use “define [word]” to get almost the same functionality.
On Google’s support forum, though, the company’s users are not just complaining about the closure of the dictionary service, but also note that the define command often doesn’t work as expected.
In many ways, this move makes sense, as Google Search does offer the same functionality as the dictionary site (assuming it always works). On the other hand, though, most mainstream users are not familiar with all the advanced features Google offers – including search commands like define – and the majority of Google’s users are not geeks and early adopters but the same mainstream users who are now complaining about the closure of this service.
[via Engadget and The Next Web]
