Limited search results?!?!?!

Why is there a restriction on searching for terms shorter than five characters? I've been trying to find posts about Cuba, U2, Live Aid, or Live 8, but I keep hitting a wall. Honestly, I think this limit should be removed or at least reconsidered.

ruggedmarlin15

Not happening 🥳

You'll just have to figure it out like everyone else on Reddit 😢

I asked a question and all I got was this "answer": not gonna happen. Bravo. Truly a brilliant argument right there.

ruggedmarlin15

I’m just keeping you company until some official shows up and tells you the exact same thing. 🥳

Fine, let's just wait and see. 😬

Searching for terms under five letters just isn't an option; you end up with way too many results to actually be useful.
Just head over to Google, type in Reddit + Live 8, and search from there. 😉

So, if I ask anything about Cuba, INXS, U2, Live Aid, or stuff like that, I get absolutely nothing instead of actual answers. I was hoping for some real substance, not just nonsense. It is what it is.

Greeting,

ruggedmarlin15

ruggedmarlin15 said:So, if I ask about Cuba, INXS, U2, Live Aid, or anything else, I get absolutely nothing instead of helpful answers. I was looking for an actual discussion, not just nonsense. It is what it is.

🙄

Give it another read—that feature is disabled because it would flood the server with too many results. Imagine if someone searched for "Anne" and the site pulled up every single word containing those letters!

You didn't get nonsense; you got a suggestion to use Google. If you can't see the value in that, well, that’s on you.

Greeting,

Desirée 👋 👋

Desirée said:🙄
Please, read that again—that feature was disabled because it would flood you with too many results and just overwhelm the server.

You can roll your eyes all you want, but I gave you several short examples where I wouldn't get any extra results anyway, so your argument about "too many results" doesn't really hold up. Searching for "INXS" isn't going to yield more hits than searching for "Depeche Mode." Seriously. I feel like you're missing the point entirely.

Imagine if someone searched for the name "Anne" and the forum returned every single word containing those letters!!

Word length has nothing to do with how often they show up. Especially since the server doesn't search through every single variation of a word.

You didn't get nonsense, you got advice (Google), and the fact that you're too stubborn to appreciate it is another matter.

You’ve certainly proven how "smart" you are.
God forbid they ever make you an administrator.

ruggedmarlin15

ruggedmarlin15 said:You can roll your eyes all you want, but I just gave you a few quick examples where I won't get any more results, so your whole argument about "too many results" doesn't hold water. Searching for "INXS" isn't going to give me more hits than searching for "Depeche Mode." Period. I guess you just don't get the point.

Word length has zero impact on search frequency. Especially since the server isn't scanning every single variation of a word anyway.

You really outdid yourself with that "brilliant" logic.
At this rate, they’ll probably make you the Supreme Administrator of the entire internet.

ruggedmarlin15

I am actually dying laughing here. 😂

🙏 🙏 🙏

ruggedmarlin15 said:You can roll your eyes all you want, but I’ve given you plenty of examples where I won’t get any extra results, so your argument about there being "too many results" doesn't hold water. Searching for "INXS" isn't going to yield more hits than searching for "Depeche Mode." Honestly, I think you're missing the point.

The reason you won't get more is because the feature is disabled. It's disabled specifically because otherwise, you *would* get too many results. If this were an American forum... and someone searched for the word with, what would happen? Millions of hits. Even Google skips over words like "with"!

Another thing is, there's no way to predict whether you'll be searching for INXS or just the word "with."

Go ahead and try searching for "Depeche" without "Mode" and see what happens. Problem solved.

ruggedmarlin15 said:Word length has nothing to do with frequency. Especially since the server doesn't scan every single variation of a word.

No?
Of course it does. Words like much, but, or or show up much less often than a word like geography. It's simple—they do. A bunch of conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositions have fewer letters than a word like synonym.

Sure, dogs and math might appear with equal frequency, but the words used most often to build sentences tend to be short.

ruggedmarlin15 said:You've certainly proven your "intelligence."
If only they made you the administrator and god of gods.

Oh, I'll pass, thanks. Being an admin on one forum is plenty; two would be overkill. 😢

Charles Ramirez59 said:I really need to get this, but the option is disabled. It’s one of those frustrating situations where the feature is locked precisely because I would have actually been able to use it if it were open.

If that server had an IQ as high as yours, I might consider it. Otherwise, absolutely not.

Let's say this was an American forum... and someone decided to go searching for a specific word. with What would you actually get out of it? A million different results. Even Google ends up skipping over "With!" when you search for it.

Look, this isn't an American forum.
The server can skip over those little filler words too—you know, things like "and," "well," "so," or "neither." Honestly, I doubt anyone would ever go looking for posts specifically filled with suggestions anyway. I guess I was right; you just aren't quite catching my drift here.

Another thing is that you just can't predict whether you'll end up searching for INXS or "with."

Yeah, but you can still end up obsessing over the very things you’re trying to ignore. This restriction is honestly just insane. It probably only exists because they spent all their time listening to "yes-men" like you.

If you go looking for Depeche Mode without any sense of style, you’re just asking to be disappointed. It's a lost cause.

Finding Depeche Mode is easy enough, but I just can't seem to track down any good stuff from INXS.

Nothing?
Of course there is.
That word doesn't come up too often anymore. Too much., But... Or... Or... It’s all about how you say it. Geography..

You mentioned your own name earlier. Now you're changing your story. That’s a bad look.

It’s actually pretty simple—it does. You can have a whole bunch of conjunctions, adverbs, or prepositions that all together contain fewer letters than a single word like... I can't quite wrap my head around what you mean by that. Could you clarify?.

Nouns are one thing, but prepositions are another entirely. I’m really looking for posts that actually include the specific names and nouns I'm searching for, rather than just adverbs and prepositions. It’s a shame there isn't some kind of drawing board plug-in available here so I could just sketch out exactly what I mean for you.

Sure, you could argue that dogs and math have a lot in common, but the words we constantly rely on to string our sentences together—those little building blocks—are incredibly short.

You haven't actually proven anything. Tell me, who is going to sit around searching through threads using phrases like, "Yeah, but isn't it actually like this?" No one. And why? Because some people actually use their heads.

No thanks, I'll pass. Being an admin on one forum is more than enough for me; taking on two would definitely be overkill. 😢 [/B]

I honestly don't even want to picture what a forum managed by you would actually look like.

ruggedmarlin15

Fine, you write a script that can distinguish between a "smart" search term and a "dumb" one, then present it to Anderson.

Until then, for those who aren't savvy enough to use any other search method besides the Reddit search bar, here you go:

INXS

depeche mode

👋

Look, do you really want me to write out a script for you? Why would I bother? Like I said before, the short terms users are searching for aren't just prepositions or conjunctions—they’re actual, legitimate expressions that just happen to be under five letters long. You wouldn't find even 5% of searches consisting of mere prepositions or conjunctions. Honestly, probably not even that much.
As for those "precious" links of yours, what's the point of having a search button if that's the case? Just put everything on Google and call it a day.

ruggedmarlin15

Terms shorter than five characters cannot be searched, and won't be allowed, to prevent overwhelming the database.

That’s how things stand right now, and it’ll likely stay that way for the foreseeable future.