Changes to Google's website

[Apokalipse]

Has anyone else noticed the number of changes Google is making to their website/search engine?

For example, very recently they have added an obnoxious and useless sidebar to the results page.
At first they just randomly selected people to be guinea pigs for it, but now it looks like it's a compulsory change for everyone.

Well, you can probably see that I hate this change.
So what I'm doing now is I'm using a greasemonkey script to remove the sidebar, as well as to disable the fade animation at the home page.
Source for "REMOVE Google SideBar" – Userscripts.org
Source for "Disable Google Fade-in" – Userscripts.org

 

[Apokalipse]

Since I've been playing around with Opera, Chrome and Firefox I decided I wanted a more universal solution.
So I'm basically using Stylish for Firefox and Chrome, and Opera's built in feature for using your own css files.

And I made my own version, using some features from a few other userstyles:
Google - no sidebar, ads, fade; wider layout. | userstyles.org

For Opera, just put this into a css file and load it.

#mbEnd, #rhsline.std, #pa1, #tads, #tads.c, .tas, #ImgCont > TABLE[style*='background: rgb(255, 248, 221)'], #mclip, .ads.noprint, #rv_panel, .serp TD.right-nav, .serp TD#table-spacer-cell, #ads-rhs, .pY, .u5, .u8, #lhid_search_ad_unit, #rhsa, #rhswrapper > TABLE#rhssection TR, BODY[onunload='google.Quote.stopQuotes();'] DIV[class='sfe-break-bottom-16'], DIV.sfe-break-top.sfe-break-bottom-16, BODY[marginheight="2"][bgcolor="#ffffff"][topmargin="2"] > TABLE[cellspacing="0"][cellpadding="0"][border="0"][width="25%"][bgcolor="#ffffff"][align="right"], .ads.topads, #rhsads, [src*='ads.pheedo.com'], [src*='www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/themes/techcrunchmu/ads/'], [src*='ads.gigaom.com'], .item-body div p[align='right'], [href*='d.ads.readwriteweb.com'], #ads-top, #ads-bot, [href*='doubleclick.net'], [href*='feedads.'], #np_content_ads_module, #main-wrapper #main-table table.left > tbody > tr > td[colspan='2'], .top-ads, .sponsored-links, .top-ad, .g-c #ad, [HREF*='http://ads.pheedo.com'] {display:none !important;}
#center_col {margin-right:0px!important;}
#cnt #res .g .s {max-width:100% !important;}
#ss-status {margin:4px 0 -4px !important;}
div#leftnav {display: none !important; }
#center_col {margin-left: 0px !important; }
#ghead, #sbl, .fade, #fctr{ opacity: 1 !important; }

body, td, input, textarea, select, legend, button, option, div.s, font {
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
}

.goog-menu, .goog-menu-vertical, .presently-menu, .goog-toolbar-menu-button, .modal-dialog-title-text, .menubar-item, .writely-menubar-item,  .goog-inline-block {
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
}

.modelinkOff, .manager-page body, .manager-page td, .manager-page div, a, .gb1, .feedmodule-titleText, .SUicbd, .AO, .AQ { 
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
}

.krEW7c, .MgLW8b{
    font-size: 8pt;
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
    margin-top: -1px !important;
}

.oggeve {
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
}

.Gjckbb,.QOD9Ec,.Sn99bd,.opbAfb,.DiWSpb, .vwcZUe, .VrHWId {
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
}

.event-title, .date-content {
    font-family:       "Droid Sans", "Segoe UI", Tahoma         !important;
}

 

[Luke]

i don't have a side bar on my google. Only recent change i have seen is the fading stuff.

 

[Apokalipse]

interesting.
Which particular domain do you get? just .com?

Google with sidebar
http://sites.google.com/site/apokalipse/googlesidebar.png

Google without sidebar (also with Droid Sans)
http://sites.google.com/site/apokalipse/googlewithoutsidebar.png

 

[Luke]

Ohhh, i didn;t know you meant when you search something, ya i have that side bar. Sorry, i thought you meant like on the homepage. My bad.

 

[Oreo]

I really can not see the problem with it. I quite like the addition, in fact.

 

[Luke]

^i kinda like it as well.

 

[Apokalipse]

I think it's useless and clutters things up.

 

[Burn]

yep, so do i. i've been using your greasemonkey script for a while now. thanks for that.

 

[Chasingu]

I have a real question, Im not trying to be a smart guy.

The fading effect on Google's website really bothers you guys. However, I really wouldn't have any experience on Google, since I don't really use it anymore, I can't say anything.

The side bar kind of takes some time to get used to.