I will usually do a search on my name “Zev” to see if I’ve been mentioned anywhere.
Anyway, I recently ran this search. However, I did notice that one thread was missing from the result set. The “Islam is a barbaric religion” thread in GD did not come up. My name (unfortunately) is all over that thread and should have been returned. It had been when I ran the query earlier, but now, it is no longer returned.
Could this be looked into, TubaDiva?
Zev Steinhardt
I don’t know what the problem is, but I thought a link might be helpful. I found it by searching for keyword “islam” in subject and user name “zev” (partial match). Since “Zev” occurs in the text of the thred, searching for “zev” in keyword ought to work, but it doesn’t. Islam is a barbaric religion
I’ve seen this come up intermittently myself, whenI’ve tried to search for threads I’ve reently posted to- a few of them simply won’t be returned by the search engine, no matter when, where or how I search for the string “Some Guy” (or even “some guy”). I’d always chalked it up to my incredibly generic username, but apparently that’s not it.
How odd.
The most recent time this has happened to me is here. If you search for KarlGauss, this thread will not appear even though I am most definitely in it. Is this because I only show up on page 2?
Some Guy, are you searching for your name in the keyword box or the username box? The keyword search won’t return threads you have posted to unless the words “some” and “guy” occur in the text of the thread, independent of your username as it occurs on the left-hand side of your post. (I think that the text of sigs is also not searchable, unless posted before the UBB/vBulletin switch.) That’s not the same problem zev has, because other posters did use the string “zev” several times in the thread he mentioned.
Okay, to clear up: I’m talking about directly searching for my exact name in the “username” field. On a few occasions, I get threads that simply will not show up, even on any date, despite the fact that I’ve posted to them. I’m looking for a link as we speak.
Are you typing your name exactly? The system is horribly case sensitive.
Let’s start with that.
I’m fully aware the search engine is . . . imperfect.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
I just did a search on this message board for the username “some guy” and it showed the “Bales of Cocaine” thread. It was on the second page of search results. Also, searches are not case sensitive, at least they’re not supposed to be. Also again, vB 1.1.3, which the SDMB is using, has lots of bugs. Among serious security holes, I believe one of the bugs had something to do with searching. The latest release is 1.1.6, with 2.0 right around the corner. Why not upgrade to 1.1.6? It’s just a simple upgrade script.
OneChance, I believe that you’ve asked this question several times:
I’m only gonna answer you this ONCE.
It’s because the Straight Dope site is losing money. Therefore, we don’t have a tech allotted to us, other than routine maintenance. We aren’t going to GET a tech allotted to us any time soon. While you might regard it as a simple upgrade script, we’d have to have the tech install it, and nurse it, and hold the server’s hand, and give extra peanuts to the hamster that runs the rather creaky server. We don’t have the resources. Plus, if the version is at all buggy, that means that the tech(s) will have to fiddle with it. Right now, the Powers That Be at the Chicago Reader are rather ambivalent about the Straight Dope site anyway. We cost them money. So we’re not about to ask them to dish out MORE money or resources unless we’re gonna generate a lot of revenue for them.
TubaDiva, have I got this right? If I have, then I don’t want to have to say it again.
That looks like a perfect bit to snip and stick in the FAQ when it gets put together. However, if we did upgrade, we might get to see a couple more posts by Jerry Davis, and that would be cool. 
Also, I remember back in the days of UBB, when the search engine didn’t work at all for a while. These youngsters don’t know how good they have it.
Usually, I just type “zev” and that usually works. With this particular thread, however, it didn’t.
In any event, as long as you know about it, then it’s fine. I just wanted to bring it to your attention in case it was symptomatic of a more serious problem.
Zev Steinhardt
Gee, thanks. But Lynn, if you have techs on the payroll, why not have them do the upgrade? I mean, they’re already getting paid, right? So you’re not losing any money. Besides, as administrator, isn’t this your role; to keep the message board running as efficiently and securely as possible? If this isn’t your role, then exactly what is your job here?
If you give me the necessary access I can do the upgrade for you, for free, during your maintenance window at 1:30am. Respond if you’re interested, if not, then… well, don’t. I think your 13,000+ members would appreciate a more secure and faster message board.
Regarding the SD site losing money, of course it is. Most sites are losing money. I see only one DoubleClick banner ad on the site. How else are you generating revenue? I have a personal web site and have invested over a thousand dollars in it, with only a few hundred coming in from ads. But that doesn’t mean I’m any less committed to providing my members and visitors with a good, secure experience.
No, we do NOT have a tech assigned to us, that’s the problem.
Lynn stated the situation accurately. The Reader does not wish to further throw money at this site by providing us with a full time or even a part time tech person, so Jerry the Tech God (who is head of that department) takes care of what maintenance we get.
There is one little correction I need to make; until very recently I thought our server was old and decrepit. Turns out it’s not old at all . . . but our volume is such that it really taxes it considerably. Keep in mind we got over a million posts here and the traffic is increasing all the time. Yes, we’re a victim of our own success, which is a heck of a position to be in.
To get our system to operate as well as it has on what we have happening has also meant a bit of hand tweaking. For us to upgrade would mean that we would lose all those little hacks and the system would have to be re-tweaked. The last time we did this they did put someone on the case and he worked his butt off for us for several months. We do not have that luxury this time around and the feeling at the Reader is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Your offer of help is appreciated, but I’m afraid we’ll have to say “thanks but no thanks.”
We are very much aware that the vB system has security flaws. Heck, we brought some of them to their attention. However, if/when we’re ever hacked like that, I imagine the Reader’s response will be to simply shut down the site. May that day never come.
It’s my hope we don’t wear out our welcome, they’ve been very good to us at the Reader, all things considered. We know y’all want the best experience possible and we want you to have that. But it’s gonna have to be in the parameters of what we have going.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
Fair question. I am not, in any sense of the word, a tech. I’m a message board administrator, not a website admin. I do moderating chores, plus I oversee the message board as a whole, but only as it applies to posters and posts. I am backup to the moderators, if a poster wants a second opinion. I glance over the new registrations every now and then. I look at people’s posting patterns if they come to my attention. I am on the lookout for trolls, socks, and spammers, and I ban the same. I sometimes run IP checks, and IP traces, if I’m suspicious of someone. On rare occasions, I’ll even do a staff report. But I have no hand in any part of the technical side of stuff, unless you want to count banning names and IP addresses as technical stuff. For one thing, I don’t know HOW. While I’m sure I could learn, eventually, I don’t plan on learning unless they pay me. And that will happen shortly after pigs fly. For another thing, a lot of the tech adjustments can only be made when one is physically at the server at the Reader. For instance, resetting the board can only be done at the Reader. Since I am in Fort Worth, this would be impractical, at best.
There are a couple of techs who have administrative powers, too. As far as I know, while they have the tools to do what I do, they never use these tools, except to test them.