# Should the default for search be 6 months?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [April 16, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588 "2008-04-16T14:25:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/1 "2008-04-16T14:25:50Z")
Is that impacting the performance of the boards right now? Seems she’s a bit slow these days even with the 300 second window.
Maybe we could ratchet the default down to a month or two weeks and see if that makes a difference.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/2 "2008-04-16T17:28:08Z")
The previous default was from the very start of the message board so I would think we would have better performance with the smaller window. It’s been at six months as the default for a couple of weeks now.
Are you seeing a worse performance? Please report in.
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### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/3 "2008-04-16T18:05:26Z")
[QUOTE=TubaDiva]
The previous default was from the very start of the message board so I would think we would have better performance with the smaller window. It’s been at six months as the default for a couple of weeks now.
[/QUOTE]
Is my mind fading or did the default used to be 2 weeks?
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### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/4 "2008-04-16T18:36:06Z")
[QUOTE=TubaDiva]
The previous default was from the very start of the message board so I would think we would have better performance with the smaller window.
[/QUOTE]
It depends on how exactly the database indices are set up and how the data is laid out on disk. If the data is arranged chronologically, then this should help performance, but if not it’s adding an extra step to each query. My guess is that the data is in fact arranged chronologically. I know that vB provides some info on their database setup to their customers, so can anyone verify?
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### Author:  [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2008, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/5 "2008-04-17T12:39:10Z")
But, but, I’m unhappy with the five minute wait for searches! Six months?!
☹
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/6 "2008-04-18T13:23:21Z")
The problem with two short a time frame, I feel, is two fold. First off, after doing a search you realize that you need to redo it to loof further back becuase you didn’t realize how short it was, so now that’s two searches. Second, if you don’t realize how short the time frame is (admitadly, I’ve never looked at that), you’re more likely to restart an old topic because you can’t find the original one.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/7 "2008-04-18T13:25:05Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k]
But, but, I’m unhappy with the five minute wait for searches! Six months?!
☹
[/QUOTE]
You just did a search, you must wait 5 months, 30 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes and 43 seconds.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/8 "2008-04-18T13:40:58Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P]
You just did a search, you must wait 5 months, 30 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes and 43 seconds.
[/QUOTE]
I think it would have to be expressed as: “You must wait 15767900 seconds.” It certainly looks better that way.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/9 "2008-04-19T18:47:51Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense]
Is my mind fading or did the default used to be 2 weeks?
[/QUOTE]
I think that when they changed the default it messed with the user settable search prefs. Mine were set to three days, but when the default was changed my personal prefs defaulted to 6 months too. I tried resetting them to the shorter time, but the ‘clear search prefs’ and ‘save search prefs’ options no longer seem to work for me.
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### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/10 "2008-04-20T13:09:01Z")
[QUOTE=Squink]
. . . but the ‘clear search prefs’ and ‘save search prefs’ options no longer seem to work for me.
[/QUOTE]
They never did work for me, at least the save didn’t.
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### Author:  [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-default-for-search-be-6-months/445588/11 "2008-04-21T13:17:56Z")
[QUOTE=Squink]
I think that when they changed the default it messed with the user settable search prefs. Mine were set to three days, but when the default was changed my personal prefs defaulted to 6 months too. I tried resetting them to the shorter time, but the ‘clear search prefs’ and ‘save search prefs’ options no longer seem to work for me.
[/QUOTE]
I think you’re right.
Why can’t we save the preference so that _everyone_ isn’t searching back 6 months\* every time they hit the search button?
I just tried to save the preferences too and they keep resetting even though I get the note that the preferences “were saved”.
\*Unless you select a shorter/longer time frame you’ll be searching back 6 months when you submit a search.