This comes up every six months or so. I was just doing a small consulting project today and was recommending to the client that they purchase forum software. The software (e.g., vBulletin) is so CHEAP, and it not only includes the kind of search you request, but can also do polls (wouldn't that be neat??), lets you up upload files, format posts without knowing HTML codes (I wouldn't miss having to type "a href=" over and over). The list goes on and on: avatars, picture posting (oooh, I'd love that), spell checking, post preview (I'd love that because I ALWAYS have to go back and edit my posts when I see how they actually look), etc., etc.

I think the only reason Sony doesn't do this and get away from this antiquated, home-grown software is that it will probably be pretty difficult to migrate the existing database and, as you correctly point out, that is the real goldmine.

In the meantime, I often use Google to search. I'm sure you know that you can restrict Google's search to just the site you're on. While you cannot restrict the search to just one section of the forum, or to a user name, or to just the subject line, you CAN use "OR" which often is all that is needed.

Heck, I would be happy if Sony just moved the Reset Fields button out from under the Search button! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set up a search only to press the Reset Fields button by mistake! Please, please, please move the Reset Fields button to the opposite side of the screen!

~jr

All the above . . plus . . User Define "Messages per Page" - forgetting to, AND/OR needing, up to 100 is a tad annoying, and not a little unnecessary. - G

They already have us doing all this for free. They are too cheap to do anything if they have us idiots to do their work for them. The only way they'll do this little favor for you, is if we all go on strike (for lack of a better term) and refuse to answer another question until they cave in and realize that they have a goldmine here, with us helping them for free and probably doing a more thourough job in answering too.
Just leave me as the only person to answer questions and your 'search' will be fixed in less than a week. Otherwise, they're yawning as they read this.
Without motivation, they won't do a thing. Make it cost them money, and the problem will be solved in no time.
I bet they'll completely ignore this. In fact, most of you will ignore what I just said. Well, smart business people don't invest money doing favors, when they already have the cow..........or something like that.
They already know you'll never go on strike. This forum is like a bad cigarette habit to some.
Where is their motivation to do you a favor? If they grant one favor, you may start asking for more. (and you will.)

This forum is like a bad cigarette habit to some.

I've never smoked, but that comment still really hits home. I have a love/hate thing with this place, and I definitely need to cut WAY back. In the early days there was a lot coming back the other way, but ...

Time to cut back ... good idea.

Well, I hate to say it, johnmeyer, but you're one of about 4 or 5, I do not want to see cut back. You have very good input and a lot of us appreciate it. It'll all come back to you, someday. So please wait until it's all of us agreeing to strike.
You don't want everyone to get stuck with hacks like me trying to answer, do you?

Perhaps if the forum people would take a look at the Klipsch or AVS forums that handle tons of stuff and 100,000 plus threads per topic some of the better operations could be implemented.

JJK

Excuse me folks, is this the forum suggestion thread? Well I have a suggestions:

Email notifications & Thread subscriptions.
Standard stuff on all real forum applications.