[Animats]

That's been my experience too. Google discontinuation notices come up on YC regularly, and I've heard of maybe half the products. The other half I've heard bad things about.

Except Google Code Search. I liked Google Code Search. But there's no useful way to hang ads on it. They could have used it for recruiting. People doing searches for code in difficult areas might be worth talking to. Google has tried that. At one time, if you searched for "proof of correctness", you got a Google recruiting ad. I was once contacted because I posted something in comp.lang.c++. (Unfortunately the person who contacted me was so clueless I told him to put me on their do-not-call list.)

[chipperyman573]

I've never heard of google code search, but based on what it sounds like it is, http://symbolhound.com might be an alternative.

[Animats]

Google Code Search: 2006-2013.[1] It was from the era when Google claimed their mission was to organize all the world's information, and they had book-scanning and newspaper-scanning projects. But that content generated no ad revenue.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Code_Search

[jve]

Why do you say: had? They still have: - https://www.google.com/googlebooks/library/ - https://support.google.com/books/partner/faq/3396243?hl=en&r...