I prefer comparisons of XML and LISP syntax to counter people complaining about the latter, while happily applying the former to pretty much everything under the Sun (application configuration, data exchange, dependency mgmt, build mgmt, scripting...)
I'm not saying LISP is good and XML is bad; but I've seen some baffled faces when pointing out the similarities.
https://duck.co/help/features
seems to be a good starting point, since it has links to the bang syntax(e.g. '!gh junit', '!a sicp'), instant answers('4 euros in €') and more.
I learned most of the things I use today by experimenting and trying some bang-keywords I considered feasible before actually checking DDG documentation.
This post made me finally create an account here.
I do admit that personalized searches improve result quality a lot, at least for some topics. But after using DDG as my main search engine for about a year,
> especially for its lack of features
just sounds wrong. On the contrary, I tend to feel really helpless when using Google because of the lack of DDG bang syntax. For me, DDG is like my perfectly customized search engine with all the features I need - without actually customizing anything. This enables me to have the same, good search experience wherever I am (notebook, desktop PC, tablet, some else's machine...)
So to conclude this: Not relying on the search engine to guess your intention based on personalization takes some time to get used to, but for me it definitely payed off.