This forum needs a SEARCH ENGINE

[TAN K H]

Since Tuan Leong obvious checks the posts here, I'd very much like to start a 'p etition' here to get a search engine put in place. It's a shame not to have one to hunt for information that's already been posted:

1. Saves bandwidth

2. Improves the usefulness of the forum's archives as a resource (immensely so, I would add) - almost every other Greenspun hosted forums has one (e.g., the gen eral Photo.net and Med-format forums), why not install one here?

And if I may add - better to have one with a Boolean search ability (AND, OR, NO T).

K H Tan

[Wayne Campbell]

There was a similar request for a search engine a while back but I can't find it because we don't have a search engine.

[QT Luong]

Maybe you have noticed that the Photo.net and Med-format forums have a http://www.photo.net/bboard/ address, while the LF forum has a http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/ address.

This means that the LF forum is hosted by Philip Greenspun's LUSENET, a free service for independent web publishers. Greenspun normally does not provide search for LUSENET (that uses quite a bit of computer resources), only for photo.net, which is his personal site. I have asked Greenspun to obtain a search before, but so far nothing happened.

It is my intention to provide search in the future. There are only two ways. The first is running the forum without LUSENET. Getting the information out of the LUSENET database is not easy (although I eventually will, if needed). The second is integrating the LF page into photo.net. However, photo.net is taking a semi-commercial direction.

For now, a workaround is to use the Find and Find Again commands in Netscape (or similar in IE). The key is to open a link that has multiple threads, such as the categories found after the recent messages. You would be searching on the message titles, which is why it is important for them to be descriptive.

[M.]

I have observed that the primary use of a search engine is the ability of certain computer oriented posters to offer comments equivalant to: "The answer to your dumb question is already in the archives, where you should have looked before insulting the combined wisdon of the Gurus of this forum with your pointless question, you stupid, insensitive, computer illiterate jerk." Besides that, the search thingy on photo.net always responds "busy, come back later."

[Erik Ryberg]

Q. -Tuan Loung:

While you are getting the search engine fixed, please also add a spell checker (automatic) to the form for writing in. I find it really inconvenient to have to try to remember how to spell things. Also, please include some voice-activated thingys so I don't have to type anymore and also I want a special "MyPage" feature so only items of interest to me appear. It is very inconvenient to me to have to wade through things I don't care about. Also please include links to specific items sold by the various suppliers rather than just links to the suppliers themselves. I hate having to find "film" when I go to Calumet for example. This is very important. Furthermore, your page sometimes loads kind of slow and I want it to load faster so get a faster server. Thanks for your prompt attention to these important matters. There are lots and lots of other things your site needs but for me to tell them to you will cost $600 per hour however I am very sure you will find it worth the money. Contact me and I'll try to fit it in soon.

[Bob Keh]

Oh P A L E E Z E !

[TAN K H]

Thanks Tuan Luong - I appreciate the reply and the intent.

[QT Luong]

By the way, I just added (external) search to the static page.