RCU has changed the "Search" function and I'm not sure I like it. It seems more difficult to get exactly what you search for. For example, from within Glow Engines forum, if I type OS 35AX, all kinds of stuff comes up. Then when I select sort by forum title, a lot of stuff comes up that is not OS 35 AX. Any body have a clue how to search thread titles?

I HATE IT !!![:@]

I miss the "Author" feature

I didn't want to seem ungrateful to the operators of RCU, but those three words vey closely express my feelings.

What I haven't figured out is how to search titles only for a key word or words. The previous method was so easy to search all of RCU or a specific forum. Searching titles only prevented a result being listed that had those two words somewhere randomly in the post.

I posted a comment/question about the RCU search change in the "Forum
Questions and Problems" section of RCU, http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8737684/tm.htm. Marc, a RCU site administrator, responded to my post. He has been able to address my issues with the new search process and point out a couple of errors I was making. He believes the new search feature is better. I may well come around to his way of thinking, also. I would describe the new search feature as being a bit like the old DOS operating system. You must type the query in a proper format(colons and parentheses must be properly located). Drop down boxes or a window for subject searches or a window for a poster's name no longer exist. <subject colon parenthesis search term parenthesis> is now the new title search format. Or body and name can be used in place of subject. I'm not going to rewrite the complete instruction page, but the new system works.

Gotta agree there on the title search. It was very easy to narrow down the massive amount of information on RCU by simply asking for a search of only the titles (probably saved a ton of CPU processing too). Maybe I just haven't figured out how to do it here, but that feature loss hurts [:@].

-MA

Hi,

The new search tool is not that bad, but it's a bit harder to define criterions. It was easier to check boxes or to select items in the scroll menu.
FYI, to search by subject you have to type: (if i search anything about hobbistar):

subject:"hobbistar"

It works fine...
As with any change it takes a little getting used to.

At this point I have better luck doing a search on Google and adding "+ RCU".

Try clicking the More Help link under the search box. It explains how to do advanced searches.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/searchhelp.html

The idea with a powerful search is to not have to do much more then put in your terms and we find them.

If you need to narrow by forum, date, username just click the narrowing filters on the LEFT side of the page

There is no comparison of this search to the old one. It is like comparing a Yugo to a Ferrari. Our #1 complaint on RCU the last 3 years running was bad forum search. Maybe a few of you liked the old one and if so you can bookmark it at your own peril. When it doesn't find what you want try the new one. It will.

Minnflyer: username is supported. just type username:"user name here". Also the drop down suggestions will find usernames for you now. Type in minnflyer and watch your name appear. THEN just type 'username:' before your name so it shows as 'username:minnflyer' and click search.

We do not have dropdowns so you can actually make this powerful. Say you wanted to search for a word in the subject, another word in the body and by username you simply could type for example "subject:falcon body:56 username:minnflyer". You can make it as easy or build as complex set of rules as you want

Also I just added quick click to find posts by user. In any post you see they have a post count. that is a link to instant search for all their posts. You can then narrow by date, forum or add keywords to it to search for something specific by them. All < 1 second results too.

That feature is here along with others. Just type subject:"search terms here" to search only subject field. Unlike the last search this one is smarter in giving results. you can combine keywords to get fast results. You can make 6 to 8 test queries on this one faster then you could get one bad result with the old one. As I said the old search was the number one member complaint we have had for years so we finally found an enterprise google level solution to make a quantum leap improvement.

to put it bodly and bluntly- i think it sucks!!

so bookmark the old one at your own peril: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/search.asp

when it fails to return results try the new one. the old one remains online indefinitely so set it as a bookmark. My bet is anyone who does will soon be using the new one as they realize there is another option that is superior

Marc, I think the problem with the new search engine is that it was just suddenly there with not a user friendly description of how to use it. It may very well be better than the old one. It is just that when we have searched for years with the older version and suddenly the new version is all we can use, it is not understood. If these type changes were introduced in a more user friendly manor, it would probably be more readily accepted.

Ok, I didn't notice the filters on the second page, i was looking for them on the first page.

I like how fast it is!

I didn't think it needed directions. IF people know how to use google (and I don't know anyone who doesn't) this is pretty much the same interface and display. If you don't know google I would think this would be difficult.

And you are right. Any change comes with resistance. It doesn't even matter how you introduce it. We change colors and people complain here. You just have to do what you KNOW is best for the user and they come around after the human nature 'fear of change' subsides. People would prefer to stick with what they know rather then learn something new even if it is 1000% better. However when required to change they eventually do and adapt quickly.

Yup..the idea is why force a user to select a forum from a dropdown or select list before finding where the term may exist. Now you search it and then you can decide with a single click what forum you want to filter in.

Our average search on the old engine was over 30 seconds.

I'm still toying with the stemming logic and want to decide if we want to search for say "servo" if we should deliver "servos" too or vice versa. We can change the algorithm so it ONLY finds the exact word you put in and does not stem to find plurals or variants (i.e. flying, fly). It was suggested to me that we should stem words. Alternately if we don't you could simply do a wildcard like servo? or servo* where servo? would find servos, servon, servot and servo* would find servotronics, servomatic, servorama, etc. This comes down to preference maybe. I like exact hits. Some others like the stemming. This is mostly what I'd like feedback on.

deleted by aghost

RCadmin, Marc, I'm sure you know that a lot of us really like the time we spend on RCU. So don't think of us a bunch of unhappy or ungrateful users. It is just that we do like RCU and "messing" with it sometimes makes us a bit edgy. Hope that the owner of this thing is making money

I don't mind at all. I listen to people complain for years about the old search so I decided to do something about it. I knew it was bad but it got really worse in the last year as our index just grew so far beyond what sql could handle.

Most people here are getting this for free so why not enjoy what Mark is giving you and put your hands in your pockets and WELL. You do not see the changes on other sites like this to help the on line freek like us
Larry

I kind of like the idea of both, if it's possible. I know what I am looking for, so if i enter the exact word or phrase I will get a hit. OK fine, but I'm sure you have noticed that the spelling here, as on most message forums is absolutely atrocious. Now granted that may be due to to typos, or people whose native language is something other than english, but either way there is often information relevant to a search wherein the keywords may be spelled wrong. I think stemming might help with that. You gave the example that servo? will return servot or I would guess servod. Hmm "D" is right next to "S" on the keyboard. a typo, yet I could still find it.
OF course servos in the search field would return approx 16 trillion hits and would thus not be too helpful

yes it will find stemmed variations of servo like servot or servod typos. as you type servo you will see some of the mispellings in our index come up. You can still type servo and it will find the variations of which as you point out, many were intended to be 'servo' and thus you might find a gem that you wouldn't the other way

Here is my take on it:
New format: Linux/command prompt user will like.
Old Format: Windows user will like.

Mark, I take it you you use redhat, ubumtu, or somelike that?
Your "this works MUCH better" comments fell just like the ones linux users say about windows...how ever most user still prefer windows, and linux guys just can't accept that someone would prefer a "less efficient" system....thing is, in the end, you gotta let them pic...And windows is still the most popular pic.

Just my 2cents

By the way, I hate the new search too, and I do use linux from time to time....when my professor makes me!