Now that the Dope is open to Google crawling, Google actually works pretty well for searches. Just add “site:boards.straightdope.com” (no quotes) to the end of your search string.
Also, I’m glad you’re not leaving us entirely!
How to search the SDMB using Google:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11650034#post11650034
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that searches are simply not available. It annoys the crap out of me when my particular search string doesn’t provide the results I’m looking for so I just give up.
I have until April to renew. I don’t believe the revenue from subscriptions is enough to keep this boat afloat. We’ll see what happens but other than the Charter Member title, there’s no benefit to paying.
The never-working search function was a big reason for me to stop paying as well.
Did it ever work? Or has this thing really been broken for a full goddamn decade?
Well, looking at your join date, Rev, you’ve been here a year longer than me, but yeah, I think when the server wasn’t so full, it did (or not - I defer to better memoried Dopers these days! ;))
At the beginning, I too hated the 300 second wait, but I just minimize out of it, go check e-mail and come back later.
I DO see where it might be a detriment to paying a subscription fee, but I cannot really bitch too much about it, since I had to ask someone else to pay mine this time.
Come to think about it, I don’t bitch too much about anything these days. Must be all the “the dope” I’m on! 
(Here I wanted to link y’all to "High On Life - I’m mis’able right?, but couldn’t find it anywhere, so y’all just imagine it, okay? 
Q
Thanks, for both the warm fuzzy and the helpful hint.
You may have saved the SDMB $7.48/year. 
It works pretty good, and google has tons of money.
Did you know they bought, ahem, Butt Washers for their employee restrooms? Now that’s cool. 
Now that dog is using his branes.
Jooooin us! Joooooin us lost “guests” that were once paying dopers and members… It’s not so bad after a while- try it for a day or two, get ad blocker and realize you’re almost the same as before.
And if you’re really good, you might get to be a part of the “Guest Club”.
- First rule of the Guest Club is uh… I forgot.
- But I know that the 2nd Rule of the Guest Club is you still do NOT talk about the Guest club!
- Hi Opal! OR Profit!
I can’t decided whether to resubscribe. On one hand, I could send in my $7.48 and get a year’s worth of yuks without ads.
Or I could buy a Bageldog and a YooHoo. Decisions, decisions.
It’s posts like these that make the SDMB great, not all the facts and debates.
Which is why, to make this effective, the OP would have to threaten to use an adblocker.
Of course, on other forums I visit, that’s enough to get you banned. So it’d be kinda risky.
The long delay at Search is to teach you patience, Grasshopper. Why can’t you fucking get that?
If they can’t fix search or implement any other VB functions, whatever makes you think they’d be able to figure out how to see if you’re using AdBlock?
A very funny line!
They can’t, if you get AdBlockerSeerBlocker.
(Actually, I think he means that you’d get banned for mentioning using AdBlocker rather than for actually using it… sort of like the ignore function. You can use it, just don’t say that you’re using it.)
Heck, I went “guest” a while back. Ain’t no thang.
And I can so “hear” Master Po saying that to Caine in an outtake while giggling passing a joint back and forth!;);)
Q
I’m old, Zoe (64). I don’t gotta get nuttin’.
Sounds like something Bill Clinton would come up with.