I know this has been posted before and it was said that the search timer is to help the load on the webserver.

But can't something else be done? It is so annoying trying to search for something.

You type in a phrase and get no hits, you want to try something else and you wait and wait. Then you try it again, only to be told to keep waiting.

Many other systems that Ive worked with that have high load use a server cluster or search queuing approach where there is no forced wait.

This "fix" just seems like some type of antique work-around for old forum software.

Maybe it is time put all that advertising revenue to work and refresh the Café with modern technologies?

This post seems only to highlight your personal frustrations.

The topic has been addressed multiple times by the Café management.

If the answers have not been to your satisfaction, and the search function is so difficult for you to use, there seem to be two routes you can take:

1) leave the Magic Café
2) stop using the search function.

There is of course a third option, which is to use the search function as it's deployed, and to enjoy the free resource the Magic Café provides.

Just sayin'.

Clownmagic, As you said, this has been presented several if not many times before so the answers should be fairly evident. You stated that after receiving no hits to a search, you wait and wait. You are only waiting 2 minutes and part of that time is taken up finding or not finding any results. Remember, the search engine is looking through 3,254,994 posts for every search that is submitted. If only 20 people are doing a search at the same time, do the math. That's over 65 million searches going on at the same time. The two minute wait time is like a traffic light at an intersection. We're just trying to reduce traffic jams.

There have been alternatives suggested if you just can't wait 2 minutes such as using Google instead of the Café search engine.

As to Café revenue, you'd be surprised to learn just how little income is generated from advertising.

When I have to wait two minutes or so between searches, I go and check my email at my various accounts, read a news story, watch a YouTube video, do a Wikipedia search on some topic of interest to me, etc.. Or, during the wait, I'll run the same search on another magic forum (Geni, Penguin, etc.). It's NOT that difficult to work around the imposed 2-minute wait, folks! Learn to multi-task!

Thank you Hoodrat. You don't even have to leave the Café. During your 2 minute wait, you could always visit a forum of interest and see what else is being talked about.

If the only interest is in doing searches, then a lot of valuable information is being missed.

Might I gently and humbly make the following point:

I have no problem with the Café search engine, but it happens quite often that someone says something like, "Hey, you shouldn't have posted that. It's been discussed a million times before. Do a search."

Sometimes even moderators say something like that.

I have no problem with the Café search engine, but I have a problem with people complaining that a member didn't use the search function when it is obvious that the search engine isn't very efficient. With two minutes between searches, a new member might waste an entire hour before finding that the topic has been discussed many times before.

Again, this is not a criticism of the search engine. I am saying that there is a contradiction between defending it's inefficiency and criticizing new members for not depending upon it.

The key thing here is that its been posted several times already and it should be clear now that the Café has no intention of doing anything about it.

I personally think that this is a terribly poor attitude and can't believe it would take that much to fix, but I must remember we are guests not customers.

I agree with the gentle and humble Mr. Stoneunhinged. I become personally frustrated having to wait on a second search.

As for the claim that this subject has been “addressed multiple times,” I have to say TODAY, April 8, 2010, is the FIRST time I ever hear about a 2-minute wait.

Why not POST something like the following on the results page.

“It order to reduce the load on our webserver we use a timer that places a 2-mintues-wait period between searches. Thank you for your patience.”

Thanks for clarifying the first time you heard about it, but that makes no change to the 100% accurate statement that it's been addressed multiple (probably over a dozen) times by Café management.

RonCalhoun: If this is the first you have heard about this problem, then obviously you haven't had any problems with the search engine as yo would have recieve the wait message after the first search.

In any event, clownmagics opening post states he knows it has been discussed before and knows what some of the answers are. Starting a new topic isn't going to change what has been discussed in the past. Adding his comment to an existing thread wuld have eliminated the response of "it's been asked before, do a search". It would be different if a long period of time had elapsed since the last discussion but there are at least 3 such topics just last month and again in Feb.

Here's a link to a discussion that pretty much sums it up and also provides links to all of the discussions. http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rum=50&4

The problem with a lot of member searches is that it is not narrowed down. The search engine allows you to look for recent posts, all posts, exact phrase, specific word, topic title, title and post, username, or any word in a phrase.

A little thought before doing a search could reduce a lot of problems and a response of "it's been discussed before.