If you’re the kind of Google user who’s constantly looking for new search techniques and features, YubNub might already be familiar to you. If not, you owe it to yourself to get acquainted with it.
YubNub is usually described as a command line interface for the web, making it appealing for geeks and daunting for novices. Like all great tools, YubNub can be as simple or complex as needed. On a pedestrian level, if you enter a generic search whose words aren’t YubNub-specific commands (e.g. a generic search like “history of hydroponics”), a Google search is initiated by default. But that’s no fun.
What make YubNub so useful is its vast library of commands. For instance, entering amr One-Dimensional Man will find Amazon reviews on the Marcuse book, deli Paint.net tutorial will search for del.icio.us links tagged paint.net+tutorial, gfl slide rules takes you the result of a Google “I’m Feeling Lucky” search for slide rules, 2t http://tools-for-thought.com returns a text-only version of Tools for Thought.
YubNub has amassed over 12,000 commands since its inception in 2005. The Web 2.0 app’s author, Jon Aquino, moderates submissions for new global commands and keyword bookmarks daily. Keyword bookmarks are simply abbreviated substitutions for urls (gread for Google Reader), but global commands invoke HTTP GET requests in any web service that supports them.
Here are a dozen of my favorite commands:
- yt [query] or u [query]: searches YouTube videos corresponding to query
- timer [optional number of minutes]: initiates a countdown timer, 30 minutes by default
- random [optional max value] and randwd: displays a random number or word respectively
- sudoku: generates a sudoku puzzle
- send [email address] [message]: sends a quick email without opening a mail client
- bps [url]: finds blogs that link to a website
- tec [query]: searches blogs via Technorati
- shrink [long url]: creates a tiny url
- gc: launches Compose Mail mode in Gmail (if logged in)
- gma [optional query]: launches Gmail (if logged in) or searches it if query is appended
- compose [email address]: launches default mail client
- pacm: launches PacMac
These are just the tip of the iceberg (I haven’t covered personal commands or aliases), but they’re the one I use the most frequently whose functionality isn’t replicated by Firefox’s address bar search shortcuts (e.g. dict).
It’s easy enough to use YubNub through its website, but it’s even easier to use if you install the Firefox search plugin for using the browser’s search bar. Information on installing plugins for other browsers is here. Once it’s installed in Firefox, just hit Ctrl-K to put the cursor in the search bar, Ctrl-<Up Arrow> or Ctrl-<Down Arrow> to navigate to the YubNub search engine; then go for it. I usually leave YubNub as my default search engine, preceding generic searching with a g.
To bring up a complete list of commands, use the ls command. For a (slightly) shorter list of the “Golden Egg” commands that have been nominated by users as the more useful ones, enter the ge command. To look up the usage and syntax on a particular term, use man [command name], which brings up the command’s man (manual) page.
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5 responses so far ↓
1 augmentedfourth
// May 20, 2008 at 12:10 am
I love YubNub! I’ve been using it ever since Jon created it for Rails Day in ‘05.
Don’t forget “sgread” and “sgma” for the SSL-encrypted https:// versions of Google Reader and Gmail (plus, there’s “sgmao” if you prefer the “Older Version” interface of Gmail).
By the way, forget the search plug-in. Install it right into your address bar! Put about:config in your address bar to bring up the raw preferences, and set up the following two keys:
keyword.enabled = true (this is on by default)
keyword.URL = http://yubnub.org/parser/parse?command=
Now you can enter YubNub commands right into your address bar. I don’t even put the Firefox search bar in the interface anymore… the combination of personal keyword search bookmarks + YubNub means I can do all my searching and/or URL entry from the same location.
What do you mean by “personal commands or aliases”? YubNub doesn’t have that sort of thing to my knowledge; are you just talking about setting them up in your Firefox bookmarks?
2 Jonathan Aquino
// May 20, 2008 at 7:12 am
Nice list, Andre!
3 Andre Kibbe
// May 20, 2008 at 5:55 pm
@augmentedfourth: Your address bar tip is priceless. Now the only thing I use the search bar for is Google by Keyboard. I’ve wiped out all the other search engines.
I’m going to do a follow-up post that covers personal commands and aliases, but I wanted to confine the first YubNub post to features that don’t require more sophisticated syntax.
You can set a personal command via !set [command name] [url] for your own use (you’re not submitting it to YubNub). Then you can use it with the syntax ![command name] [parameters].
Aliases are good for either shortening an existing command, or making it more mnemonic. The syntax for the !seta command get a little more involved than I want to get into here, but I’ll cover it soon enough — or you can man ! in the meantime.
4 .hj barraza
// May 26, 2008 at 2:25 am
if you like yub nub you will LOVE rub nub. its a firefox extension that lets you access yubnub from the address bar. converting it to a command bar for the entire internet
http://rubnub.org
its the first extension i install everytime, cant surf without it.
5 eatpeople
// Jul 26, 2008 at 9:18 pm
yo .hj barraza = did you read the comment posted 6 days before yours from augmentedfourth? whyfor install `rub nub` to access yub from the address bar when you can change default search pref in ff to do same thing? rub nub doesn’t eliminate having to know commands to find info. if i’m completely missing point of your post, pls enlighten.
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