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Is there any reason why neither a keyword or tag search for "[ROM]" (without quotes) yields zero results?
If I want to find a list of all [ROM] titled/tagged threads to look at the range of ROM's available; what is the best way to go about it?
Am I being a noob or is there a fundamental search flaw?
Well...
I can think in 3 search criteria:
1. Go to the upgrading section of your device
2. use Wiki to find all cooked and shiped ROM´s
3. Use the XDA fttp
Windza said:
Is there any reason why neither a keyword or tag search for "[ROM]" (without quotes) yields zero results?
If I want to find a list of all [ROM] titled/tagged threads to look at the range of ROM's available; what is the best way to go about it?
Am I being a noob or is there a fundamental search flaw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few months back I actually dug through the advanced search code in vBulletin (trust me, it's terrible code). I may be mistaken, but I believe that it doesn't allow keywords of 3 or less letters unless there's extra parameters (like boolean operators and more keywords). Don't hold me on that, I'd have to look again to be sure.
One of these days if I remember, I'll go hunting through the code again to confirm that and update the wiki page I wrote (link is in my signature) with the answer to this.
mikechannon said:
Indeed words of less than 4 letters will not search. BUT if you click on advanced searh then choose search using Google at the top, it will search for 3 letter words.
Or you could use this:
Search XDA-Devs Forums or Wiki
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with using google in this case is that it's not context aware of the forum threads. I think he's looking to see a large list of the different roms. With google, he's going to get search results including several different pages per rom and no way to sort the results. It would be faster to just click next through each page of the rom dev forum for the selected phone...which is almost as good as getting the intended search results from searching for [ROM]....
It makes me wonder how hard it would be to patch the issue in vBulletin and get better search results than Google can produce.
speed_pour said:
It makes me wonder how hard it would be to patch the issue in vBulletin and get better search results than Google can produce.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If everybody can do the same thing as google did, google will not be google, I mean, the #1 internet company in the world.
I am just wondering that can anybody produce a code like the search link on this page.[Edit: I want to add several more sites as searching range to that one, can you figure it out?]
wg5566 said:
If everybody can do the same thing as google did, google will not be google, I mean, the #1 internet company in the world.
I am just wondering that can anybody produce a code like the search link on this page.[Edit: I want to add several more sites as searching range to that one, can you figure it out?]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't talking about producing a better search engine, only fixing the known bugs. Things like the incorrect handling of sorting by relevancy (as detailed in the wiki page I wrote), the 4+ letter requirement on search terms, and maybe even giving it grouping capability. The first two aren't even hard to change, though the 4+ letter requirement is performance based, so it might be good to re-engineer some stuff. The grouping is trickier, but not even remotely an expert-level task (though it too has some performance implications).
Google doesn't have the know-how to separate or understand the context of searching only a certain group (or set of groups). It doesn't know how to search ONLY the topic and not the text body (or vice versa), etc. All of that data is separate and stuck in the database in different fields, which makes it WAY easier to search. We can have better search results than google because we have better access to the data, we just have to work through vBulletin's very simple code.
Yes agree. It is a shame that I found sometimes (or many times?) using the integrated search engine is not as good as just using 'search site by google'.
In my opinion, the 4letter+ issue is not as important as others. It is only reasonable to set such a reqirement and in most cases we don't need to search a word with less than 4 letters.
But I feel like lucky that I asked my question to the right person. Would you please spend a little time on help some clue for the question in my last post? Thanks in advance.
It will be wonderful if we can set google to search on limited range only like: xda-devs, ppcgeeks, msdn, pda4x, ppcfreeware, etc.
wg5566 said:
Yes agree. It is a shame that I found sometimes (or many times?) using the integrated search engine is not as good as just using 'search site by google'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it depends on what is being searched for. Most RL friends know me for instantly hitting google to search on almost anything, but for this site I actually do use the integrated search most of the time. A well formed search here is still better than most results on google unless you need to use some pretty advanced searches that only Google can understand.
wg5566 said:
In my opinion, the 4letter+ issue is not as important as others. It is only reasonable to set such a reqirement and in most cases we don't need to search a word with less than 4 letters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS, WM6, SIM, GSM, SD, ROM, CAB
Just to name a few....
wg5566 said:
But I feel like lucky that I asked my question to the right person. Would you please spend a little time on help some clue for the question in my last post? Thanks in advance.
It will be wonderful if we can set google to search on limited range only like: xda-devs, ppcgeeks, msdn, pda4x, ppcfreeware, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm about to pick on you just a bit...
Did you consider searching Google for 'Google Custom Search'? Fourth result down there's a step-by-step guide that explains it easily and also pushes the value of it when combined with AdSense. This is a search thread after all
I admit, I'm glad to have stumbled onto setting up that feature with adsense because I would actually like to use it just for my own site I'm setting up shortly.
Thanks a lot, I got it.
One more noob question(web design is apparently not my area), can I set it in a local page like this, bcz I don't own a website myself? [Edit: Never Mind, Got It!]
Later on after setup your site, pls pm me a link.
Tx.
Edit: Just tried to create my own search engine, take a look here
Edit: Wonderful! Yeah! So happy today.
Windza said:
Is there any reason why neither a keyword or tag search for "[ROM]" (without quotes) yields zero results?
If I want to find a list of all [ROM] titled/tagged threads to look at the range of ROM's available; what is the best way to go about it?
Am I being a noob or is there a fundamental search flaw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It yields zero results because the word is too short.
Searching for ROM version #s
I just ran into a search problem myself. I was searching for radio version 1.14.25.05. The google search took me to a long thread, so I thought I'd just search for "1.14.25.05". It didn't return any results, so I assumed this version wasn't there. It wasn't until I asked for help on a new thread that I was embarrassed by someone who told me it was on post #2. I had incorrectly trusted search. With version #s being so important to what xda-developers is all about, having a robust thread search is critical. Any thoughts on possible improvements? Are there settings in this software that could be changed?
John
Searching for a 3-letter result... "YES" we can
So basically, everyone says to use "search" on XDA devs to look for answers for your questions, but nobody says "you should use google search if any word you're looking for is three letters or less"..... like SMS.
It's frustrating, following the rules, being told to follow the rules, then finding out following the rules didn't work anyways.
Fixing this nonsense would be great. Even removing the 'built-in forum search' entirely....? just a thought.
Apart from that, thanks for hosting an amazing site, full of talented, hard-working people and their efforts... if you can find them hehe
pimpmydragon said:
So basically, everyone says to use "search" on XDA devs to look for answers for your questions, but nobody says "you should use google search if any word you're looking for is three letters or less"..... like SMS.
It's frustrating, following the rules, being told to follow the rules, then finding out following the rules didn't work anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rule is there to prevent people from asking questions that can be answered by either search engine we use. For a rule to work it needs to be short and to the point, no one will even try to read the rules if every rule is explained in detail.
pimpmydragon said:
Fixing this nonsense would be great. Even removing the 'built-in forum search' entirely....? just a thought.
Apart from that, thanks for hosting an amazing site, full of talented, hard-working people and their efforts... if you can find them hehe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're well aware that the vB search engine isn't perfect but neither is the one from google. That is why we give you the option to use both.
I'm well aware that this can be confusing at times but simply searching for "how to search xda-developers.com?" would have given you this thread wich explains in the first post that you can use google and that we implemented it because the vB search doesn't allow words with less than 4 characters.
Best regards,
Flar
Site admin
p.s. I always use the search in the navbar first I noticed later that my example search string gives really crappy results in the vb search.
Originally Posted by pimpmydragon
Apart from that, thanks for hosting an amazing site, full of talented, hard-working people and their efforts... if you can find them hehe
we are only a PM away.
Flar said:
The rule is there to prevent people from asking questions that can be answered by either search engine we use. For a rule to work it needs to be short and to the point, no one will even try to read the rules if every rule is explained in detail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe many users never read site rules. Once we register on any web-site, there always be a rule or a terms-of-use, and people's habit would be just click on 'Agree' without a glance at the content, since they are all similiar.
But we have a way to force new users to learn how to search and view the site. Simply change the rule to: New users can not post within say first 50 online hours after registered. Then they have to view and search first, especially if they came with some question or urgent problem to be solved.I think Vbulletin has the function of online-time statistics.
Just an idea for consideration, I don't know it will be practical or not.
wg5566 said:
I believe many users never read site rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Forum Rules announcement has >51,000 views since march... not bad
Dave
Yes, looks like the situation is better. It works especially by continuous remindment everuwhere. What about number of new users since then?
Edit: Remindment like this works, thanks for everybody's effort. A further thought is: If everybody already read it, but still a lot don't follow it. That may be caused by some human nature for urgently need an answer for his question. Noticed MODs' effort like your goodself to execute the rule, it helped.
Sorry i'm not quoting people here, i'm typing this on my phone.
First, the number of people reading the rules is far less than the number of new users, which doesn't even account for the long time users. Not that it matters hugely, the rules only truly matter to people posting, which is realistically isn't too bad.
Regarding the use of two search engines, it can be seen in a bad way, or it can be seen as having two different tools instead of just one. Neither is perfect, neither is better (opinions and experiences may differ), and they can often be used interchangably, but they are not the same and should be used differently.
Min 4 letter search is awful for a tech forum. No idea why such a known forum hasnt found a work around.
Theres no way around how terrible it is. As mentioned before the sheer number of issues that arise with things that start or 3 letters long renders search impotent.
MMS/USB are two major problems Ive had recently and couldnt do a search to find an answer. Of course that results in yet another thread on the topic being created that is probably needless.
Google search isnt forum specific so it too is too cumbersome to be useful.
Orb , MMS ,SMS , USB, APK , API I mean over half the "talk" we use for Phones involves 3 letter acronyms. Not even beginning to mention something like 1.6 , 2.0 when getting spcifics on those 3 letter acronyms.
- New user comes on here and does a search, but gets no results or not what they're looking for.
- They do another search.
- "Sorry. You must wait 25 seconds."
What do you think will happen?
They go and create yet another redundant pointless thread.
Reducing this time limit by at least 15 seconds would go a LONG ways to helping people search more. I know personally I always get extremely frustrated when I search for something and then have to wait. If we want people to search more, why make it so frustrating?
Welcome to the ADHD generation. Is it hard for people to search using Google with an XDA modifier or doesn't it occur to people to try?
Genuinely interested!
DirkGently1 said:
Welcome to the ADHD generation. Is it hard for people to search using Google with an XDA modifier
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Most people have no idea what that is.
Is it even possible to look through all of the returned search results in 25 seconds? You'd have to be a record breaking speed reader
I suppose if someone enters the search term with a typo and then tries again it might be within the 25 second window.
Regularly when I make a search I click on the wrong option (display thread/post or else) and I'm stuck with that 30 seconds limit and this is really annoying. What's the reason for this limit? Avoid overwhelming servers?
DirkGently1 said:
Is it even possible to look through all of the returned search results in 25 seconds? You'd have to be a record breaking speed reader
I suppose if someone enters the search term with a typo and then tries again it might be within the 25 second window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, exactly. Typo, or my search term was too specific, so I get 0 results.
missparker76 said:
Regularly when I make a search I click on the wrong option (display thread/post or else) and I'm stuck with that 30 seconds limit and this is really annoying. What's the reason for this limit? Avoid overwhelming servers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EXACTLY!! I HATE that.
I click one option; it returns 0 results, so I want to broaden my search and... I can't.
I see now why this hasn't been a problem for me. I always start with one or two keywords and, if necessary, get more specific in following searches.
Kinda the other way round
DirkGently1 said:
I see now why this hasn't been a problem for me. I always start with one or two keywords and, if necessary, get more specific in following searches.
Kinda the other way round
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I think most of us do like you. This has nothing to do with the fact that we are stuck by the 30 sec limit.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
With all due respect to seasoned members and searchers, really, it isn't that simple to someone who is new to all of this and seeking knowledge. I really don't understand why there's any time limit on searching whatsoever, that seems very counter-intuitive - and it will absolutely result in needless first posts, as Paul220000 pointed out, especially when you've got an issue on your hands you just don't understand how to fix.
reinbeau said:
With all due respect to seasoned members and searchers, really, it isn't that simple to someone who is new to all of this and seeking knowledge. I really don't understand why there's any time limit on searching whatsoever, that seems very counter-intuitive - and it will absolutely result in needless first posts, as Paul220000 pointed out, especially when you've got an issue on your hands you just don't understand how to fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search is very resource intensive, and to make sure the site remains fast, it is necessary to have some restrictions on it.
pulser_g2 said:
Search is very resource intensive, and to make sure the site remains fast, it is necessary to have some restrictions on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course. But 30 seconds is just too long. It results in a lot of useless threads.
Another thing that would help tremendously is to default the search to the "Search this forum" link. I.E. whatever forum you're in, clicking search will default the "Search in Forum(s)" box to the forum or device you're in, since usually you're looking for device specific information anyway.
Compare these two links to see what I mean:
General search: http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php
"Search this forum": http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php?f=556
Notice the second link searches only the Nexus One forums.
For a new person looking for info, it would probably be more beneficial to search for device-specific information rather than the default of searching all 700+ forums.
If the resource drain on xda is really that big a deal on searches, maybe adding that Google Search bar that searches with the xda modifier that a lot of other sites and blogs use would be a workable solution.
Yep but would it still allow to search only in specific forums and threads and not in the whole site?
i went to search something yesterday and it took me over 30seconds to find the search box... frustration had already begun to creep on me... finally i located the 'search this forum' button... using it was easy enough... i typed into the box the words 'recalibrate battery'... i then carefully proofread my search criteria before putting it through, which took about 30seconds by the way... at this point i was getting excited... then it returned just about every thread those words were mentioned in.... more frustration...
i agree the search may or may not be confusing to some people, be too slow, have wait periods, or give you the entire forum just in a different order... but it's not XDA's fault... go to any forum that uses vbulletin and you will have the same issues...
distortedloop said:
If the resource drain on xda is really that big a deal on searches, maybe adding that Google Search bar that searches with the xda modifier that a lot of other sites and blogs use would be a workable solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are planning on improving the google search for the site.
As others have said at the moment the google search only works on a Site basis, we're looking into getting it on a per-forum basis.
Dave
I can't be the only one who is getting bored of every second post (at least in the i9000 forum) containing:
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something should be done about it, because it's getting out of hand.
1) It makes quoting posts frustrating. It actually punishes us, because we need to manually remove the crap, which is ironically MUCH more difficult on mobile webbrowsers, than PC.
2) It makes posts more difficult to read. Most of them add a few blank lines and itself, making less fit on a screen without scrolling
3) It's totally unnecessary.
4) It is spam by the apps themselves.
5) Users who need an XDA app, can just type "XDA" into their app stores. So it can't even be argued that it is difficult to find such apps otherwise.
My Proposal:
1) Automatically filter the comment out of posts. They are lame, and unneccessary. Get rid of them automatically (simple string substitution).
2) Give a 3 month warning that users utilising clients which post such garbage, will be given 3 warnings, and will be temp banned if they use them. It is fair.
3) Start a shame list of poorly designed XDA clients.
I agree it isn't the end of the world, but its a lot of wasted productivity, and it's unnecessary. It's bad enough that I have noticed that some people here have massively long/intrusive signatures. Some of those people also have these annoying tags, so they have 3x more "crap", than they do actual post.
I agree with this, but it's up to the admins, will flag this to them.
TheDeadCpu said:
I agree with this, but it's up to the admins, will flag this to them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been flagged!
The thing with the signature is that it serves the same purpose as the default signature of your mobile phone in the email client (for example: "Sent from my Verizon Droid X"). It helps to inform people that your message was written while mobile, and so the text might contain errors, or might not be as well thought out as it would have been if you were in front of your computer. The signature is activated by default on our Android apps (and, actually our Windows Phone 7 app).
That said, if there is huge support for turning off the default signature in the application, we'll do it, but this is the first time we're hearing about it being a problem. As mentioned, it serves a practical purpose.
Thanks for the feedback.
svetius said:
It's been flagged!
The thing with the signature is that it serves the same purpose as the default signature of your mobile phone in the email client (for example: "Sent from my Verizon Droid X"). It helps to inform people that your message was written while mobile, and so the text might contain errors, or might not be as well thought out as it would have been if you were in front of your computer. The signature is activated by default on our Android apps (and, actually our Windows Phone 7 app).
That said, if there is huge support for turning off the default signature in the application, we'll do it, but this is the first time we're hearing about it being a problem. As mentioned, it serves a practical purpose.
Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: deleted..
I can respect that, but surely, there must be better means of doing so, or at least filter them when using Quoting capabilities.. I recall seeing people get in trouble because they included the comments in their quotes (but I might be imagining it)
Auzy said:
I recall seeing people get in trouble because they included the comments in their quotes (but I might be imagining it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? I agree it's useful ... more so than not, at least, as an identifier and a screaming 'hello I'm on my mobile so if this doesn't make sense you know why' kinda thing. I don't see how this is a big deal ... at all. LOL ... ? I also fail to see how it gets in the way of anything, like quoting especially, as it is essentially another single line that still precedes the quote tags.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
conqu1stador said:
Huh? I agree it's useful ... more so than not, at least, as an identifier and a screaming 'hello I'm on my mobile so if this doesn't make sense you know why' kinda thing. I don't see how this is a big deal ... at all. LOL ... ? I also fail to see how it gets in the way of anything, like quoting especially, as it is essentially another single line that still precedes the quote tags.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's useful IMHO and I am not aware of any issues in including the signature in quotes- it's a single line... who cares? I imagine someone quoted an entire, incredibly long OP, to say "thanks"...
I don't know if it is possible, but how about making the signature from the tapatalk app's just smaller than average text? That way, people can still be informed it was written while mobile, and it would be less obtrusive for the ones who don't like it.... And I'm sorry, I know my normal signature is long
Sent from my Computer using Mozilla Firefox App
RANT
You have to post one way or another - we don't need to know how or what you used to post. It is getting easier to post so more people are posting. Teens are no longer getting flip phones and now populating this forum with more and more silly questions looking for answers you can easily find using google. People have the EVO 4g and think they can post anything they want in the EVO General forum because you have an evo and you are posting in the general section. I want to see general information about the EVO and not other phones on other networks and other random things you find interesting. There are other forums for that.
We all have to start somewhere I know that and when I joined in 2006 the first 4 years I probably posted 100 times and now I am posting like crazy trying to help these people find answers hoping people learn something. People are here 1-2 years with over 1,000 posts.
Yeah, it helps to know that is was posted on a phone but with keyboards and big screens take a couple extra seconds to make sure everything is typed right. I do it why can't other people.
But what if you could have the benefits of knowing which client it was posted with, without having that crap in posts too? Surely that would be better, correct?
svetius said:
It's been flagged!
The thing with the signature is that it serves the same purpose as the default signature of your mobile phone in the email client (for example: "Sent from my Verizon Droid X"). It helps to inform people that your message was written while mobile, and so the text might contain errors, or might not be as well thought out as it would have been if you were in front of your computer. The signature is activated by default on our Android apps (and, actually our Windows Phone 7 app).
That said, if there is huge support for turning off the default signature in the application, we'll do it, but this is the first time we're hearing about it being a problem. As mentioned, it serves a practical purpose.
Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, please, don't turn off signatures in the app. Can't they be stripped, however, the way they're stripped when quoting and responding on the desktop app? I agree, they're difficult to remove if you're responding on the app, but as you said, they're useful to indicate the poster is swyping, or whatever may account for little errors in their post.
rushco said:
RANT
You have to post one way or another - we don't need to know how or what you used to post. It is getting easier to post so more people are posting. Teens are no longer getting flip phones and now populating this forum with more and more silly questions looking for answers you can easily find using google. People have the EVO 4g and think they can post anything they want in the EVO General forum because you have an evo and you are posting in the general section. I want to see general information about the EVO and not other phones on other networks and other random things you find interesting. There are other forums for that.
We all have to start somewhere I know that and when I joined in 2006 the first 4 years I probably posted 100 times and now I am posting like crazy trying to help these people find answers hoping people learn something. People are here 1-2 years with over 1,000 posts.
Yeah, it helps to know that is was posted on a phone but with keyboards and big screens take a couple extra seconds to make sure everything is typed right. I do it why can't other people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fail to see how this post is even for or against the 'signature' argument.
Its a single line.
Like me finishing off my post with this single line.
Or this one, or below.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
If you post a 'i dont know how to do this' or 'its not working can some one help please'
you get loads of people telling you off and insulting you for it BUT the site has no propper search tool - the search thing is limited 'must be a certain amount of words' and say if i want HD2 ROM - whats the chances that that will be in the topic title EXACTLY
so the search brings back 0 results -
And if you ask for help, theres no notification system to say some one has replied?
so you have to book mark the page and keep going back - instead of logging in and all peoples replies popping up in a inbox type area...
lol - and 'tags cannot contain overly common words 'use / how'' - what the hell????
MAKE A PAID MEMBER AREA THAT WORKS PLEASE - ill pay $60 a year for a propper site
Well, the search tool is great. I used it so many times and never had any problem with it.
A paid/prenium membership... lol. Are you kidding ? Do you really think people will pay to get a smarter search engine when they can just think a few seconds more to use the proper key words and get the search engine working as they want ?
Why don't you subscribe to a thread you have posted in/started, and wait for an email alert that there has been a reply?
The Search tool isn't a Crystal Ball and doesn't read minds. Use it well and the results will improve. For example, a search that includes the word 'propper' will probably fail as the word is spelt 'proper'.
Sounds to me you just need a bit more experience with how forums work. As you become more familiar with the XDA forums it'll become easier.
da-alster258 said:
If you post a 'i dont know how to do this' or 'its not working can some one help please'
you get loads of people telling you off and insulting you for it BUT the site has no propper search tool - the search thing is limited 'must be a certain amount of words' and say if i want HD2 ROM - whats the chances that that will be in the topic title EXACTLY
You just need to learn how to use it. I have never had a problem with it. If your search results are 0. Then reword the search question.
so the search brings back 0 results -
And if you ask for help, theres no notification system to say some one has replied?
so you have to book mark the page and keep going back - instead of logging in and all peoples replies popping up in a inbox type area...
You can subscribe to the thread. Go into your User Control Panel. Scroll down to the bottom. On the Left side of the screen choose list subscription. You can then set it to notify instantly.
lol - and 'tags cannot contain overly common words 'use / how'' - what the hell????
MAKE A PAID MEMBER AREA THAT WORKS PLEASE - ill pay $60 a year for a propper site
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know they are not much but the answers are in red. Hope this helps some.
da-alster258 said:
If you post a 'i dont know how to do this' or 'its not working can some one help please'
you get loads of people telling you off and insulting you for it BUT the site has no propper search tool - the search thing is limited 'must be a certain amount of words' and say if i want HD2 ROM - whats the chances that that will be in the topic title EXACTLY
so the search brings back 0 results -
And if you ask for help, theres no notification system to say some one has replied?
so you have to book mark the page and keep going back - instead of logging in and all peoples replies popping up in a inbox type area...
lol - and 'tags cannot contain overly common words 'use / how'' - what the hell????
MAKE A PAID MEMBER AREA THAT WORKS PLEASE - ill pay $60 a year for a propper site
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thread tags should be unique. ie. the following are pointless tags:
a, the, of, but, and, you, it, he, she, them, they,
The following are good tags:
AmonRA, ClockworkMod, Recovery, softbrick, ODIN
You should subscribe to threads you post in, then your usercp will show you replies to those threads.
Remember google is your friend. Search for what you want, and the word XDA, and you will find it 99% of the time
pulser_g2 said:
Thread tags should be unique. ie. the following are pointless tags:
a, the, of, but, and, you, it, he, she, them, they,
The following are good tags:
AmonRA, ClockworkMod, Recovery, softbrick, ODIN
You should subscribe to threads you post in, then your usercp will show you replies to those threads.
Remember google is your friend. Search for what you want, and the word XDA, and you will find it 99% of the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this. XDA has so much content from users that almost always you can find what you're looking for by either using Google or the XDA search. The key is word choice. That is why XDA urges users to search well prior to posting because the situation more than likely isn't unique to you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1041206
da-alster258 said:
If you post a 'i dont know how to do this' or 'its not working can some one help please'
you get loads of people telling you off and insulting you for it BUT the site has no propper search tool - the search thing is limited 'must be a certain amount of words' and say if i want HD2 ROM - whats the chances that that will be in the topic title EXACTLY
so the search brings back 0 results -
And if you ask for help, theres no notification system to say some one has replied?
so you have to book mark the page and keep going back - instead of logging in and all peoples replies popping up in a inbox type area...
lol - and 'tags cannot contain overly common words 'use / how'' - what the hell????
MAKE A PAID MEMBER AREA THAT WORKS PLEASE - ill pay $60 a year for a propper site
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I have been a member of this site for all of less than 4 days. And in that 4 days, I have learned:
1. How to Root
2. What ROM is best for me phone
3. How to use said ROM
4. What my phone can do when flashed
5. How not to be a n00b.
This site is absolutely amazing, and I learned, rooted, flashed, and enjoyed... All without using the search. I watched the "n00b video", cringed a bit, bit my lip and dove in. A wise man once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
Trust me. I wanted to find someone who would hold my hand and lead me through it. But even my boss, who has rooted MANY phones, would not point me in any direction (and he has taught me MANY things). You learn best through trial and error. I think the best quote in the intro video is "READ READ READ!"
And as for a paid membership... Seriously? I can see donating to the site, and donating to the developers (which we should all be doing anyway)... But paying just to get premium access to features available on any other forum is just mundane.
However, we did have a VIP area for our donators on Xbox-HQ. Our members who donated got first pick access to the newest releases of SID's and Auto installers, and the like, and access to FTP servers with everything they needed (legally) to get started. Maybe that would work...
hmmmmm.
Otherwise, my advice to you, sir? Just point and click. Find your phone, find a thread that relates to you (if you cannot get the search to work how you want) and read read.... READ!
Good luck! It is really not that hard once you delve in!
-AngelosDracul
P.S. Youtube works great too, "XDA Flash (name of phone here)" maybe?
Am I the only one that thinks so? I see all these threads being quickly responded to saying "use the search before posting, thread closed, etc.. ". Well if search worked halfway decent on this site these threads would be unnecessary. I'm sure a good percentage are noobs being lazy, but for those of us actually looking for legit info, well, good luck. Maybe it's just xda's mobile app search function. I have not used the websites search on the full site to compare. Again, is it just me? Somebody help me out here..
Example: there is a thread asking for the .Apk file for teeter. A mod jumped in saying use the search, and locked the thread. I'm interested in this game aswell, so I used the search. And nothing..
What am I missing?
Sent @ 04:20
Just did a search for teeter apk and recieved loads of results, many of which detail where to get it from and how to install it
Even starting a new thread with teeter apk in it's title brings up a list of similar threads.
Something is deft wrong then. Just did the same search (teeter. Apk) and got nothing but random threads that are fiftyleven pages long. Guess u just need patience and free time to find what you need.. Oh well
Sent @ 04:20
A tedious search is worth not getting flamed for not lol
Sent from my Moto Atrix using XDA Premium App
You just have to know how to use it. Kind of like Google search. Know what you want or need and be able to use terms or phrases to get you results. I joined xda last year and since then I haven't had any problems with the search feature. I either find the solution using search or figure it out on my own. I really don't understand how people mess up some times. Usually devs explain things really well, to the point where they are holding your hand. I love xda and couldn't imagine an android experience w/o it. Thanks xda!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
i'm a new member n just flashed my phone with a custom rom. now my phone has incoming call delay where the phone only starts ringing after 2-3 times ring tones at the other side. n since i'm a new member, i cant post to development thread. i need to have posted at least 8-10 posts to other general threads only i can post to that thread. i thought i can faster post 8-10 posts so i can ask for help but there is a 5 min delays between post for new member.
i tried the search function, many results returned but i cant find a solution n i urgently need to ask for solution in the proper thread. but this is only my 3rd or 4th post.
i'm sorry if i complained.
kinda frustrated to that i have to randomly post to get off the 10 posts limit...
or is there any better way?
@ACis0014.. it's nothing at all like google search... Not even remotely similar. With google, you type your query and you have answers damn near immediately. Here, it looks as though it brings up threads that your search query might be mentioned in and I guess it's up to us to flip thru all the hundreds of pages and posts to find out if it's even the answer we're looking for.
And yes, god forbid we need help right away with an issue and post a question about it. Oh man, it's like burning their flag or something. It is what it is tho I guess. One of those things where you either deal with it, or move on..
Sent @ 04:20
I mean I am not here to convince you, that's not my job. You can believe whatever you want. But as I mentioned before I have never had a problem. It's also a matter of working to find your answering. do you expect everything to be handed to you? Rooting and modifying your phone takes work and patience apparently you don't have either one or just aren't trying. If you can't "deal" with the search than stay with stock or visit another website. Personally I don't ask for help until I have exhausted all other options. There's also a sense of pride in rooting and modifying knowing you did something by yourself without really having much experience beforehand. The devs and members here are wonderful who work their asses off for themselves and are courteous enough to share their work without really asking for money. At the most they ask for users to press a damn "thank you" button. Whoop di do! The only real complaint I have about xda is that some members post these stupid, immature comments or act like total douchbags or some think they are the damn xda police who are here to shape everybody up. Thank god my fellow mytouch 4g users are pretty good for the most part!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Lol. You're really trying to earn that xda brown nose badge aren't ya..
Look, The sites itself is fine, I've learned plenty and have done my share of research.I'm just talking about the search function and also the elitists here who think everyone who posts something has to post at a professional developers level. im not talking about your precious xda forum and its devs. This place is the best of the best.. Relax..
Sent @ 04:20
Don't use . in the search, only use keywords, so: teeter apk
If you do get stuck with no results that give you the answer, then if one of the results is similar then try posting in there to bump it back to the top.
It's also a good idea (tends to quieten down the "Search n00b!" bunch) to start the post with "I did try to search but came up with nothing useful, so if someone can just direct me to a thread they know about that'd be much appreciated, anyway, my problem is..."
Well, dunno what is up with the search here. I am pretty sure the stock vBulleting search has options to use logical operators such as AND/OR in search terms (even accessible via checkboxes).
Why is it disabled here?
xaccers said:
Don't use . in the search, only use keywords, so: teeter apk
If you do get stuck with no results that give you the answer, then if one of the results is similar then try posting in there to bump it back to the top.
It's also a good idea (tends to quieten down the "Search n00b!" bunch) to start the post with "I did try to search but came up with nothing useful, so if someone can just direct me to a thread they know about that'd be much appreciated, anyway, my problem is..."
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Thanks for the tip.. I usually just google my question and add xda in the query and it usually will give me a list of specific posts and threads containing what I'm looking for.. example: (teeter apk xda) i find this much easier and faster than the forum search..
And also.. Yes, I would like things "just handed to me" when I have a question or problem.. That's what the Internet is for!!! In fact, I think the word Internet is Latin for instant gratification. Or something.. Just sayin..
Sent @ 04:20
I think I can live with this kind of search function
most of the forum's search function is like this..
doktornotor said:
Well, dunno what is up with the search here. I am pretty sure the stock vBulleting search has options to use logical operators such as AND/OR in search terms (even accessible via checkboxes).
Why is it disabled here?
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Hmmmm, no answer?
Maybe just hook up a custom Google search here instead? Would work a whole lot better.
doktornotor said:
Hmmmm, no answer?
Maybe just hook up a custom Google search here instead? Would work a whole lot better.
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Suggesting something here apparently appears about as productive as screaming out for help in the middle of a deep forest. Maybe this sucky crippled search is a "feature", exactly as the crippled "report post" functionality.
Silently ignoring user feedback about apparently broken functionality is really NOT appreciated. The issue will not disappear if you ignore it.
The truly annoying thing about search on this site is half of the time when you want to use it, it is either temporarily disabled or otherwise not working.
Rakeesh_j said:
The truly annoying thing about search on this site is half of the time when you want to use it, it is either temporarily disabled or otherwise not working.
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I made a short "usability" analysis of the search feature here. Well guys, this way, you would not succeed even 10 years ago, when Google was just starting. Uh.
See below:
I gave up using the search function on the site and in the worst case scenario i search the forum manually (or use google directly)
The search function works fine for me. If you dont know how to use it optimally, thats not the same thing as it sucking