How to search Ubuntu forums:- (search help)

[Ace.....]

How to search Ubuntu forums:- (search help)

Help on how to search Ubuntu forums, to instantly find the documents or information that relates to your needs.

Note: Do not use the search box at the top of each page.
It simply does not work, and it is not going to be fixed.
(as vBulletin software, it is outside the control of Ubuntu forum members).

Follow the instructions below, and the entire Ubuntu Forums Repository of computing knowledge will be available to you at the click of an icon.


User Guide to Ubuntu Forums Search

1. Load a google search page.
   .
2. Enter or type:
   site:ubuntuforums.org.
   .
3. Action the search.
   .
4. Click 'bookmark' and save to your 'bookmark bar'
   .
5. Right-click and edit (or edit through bookmark manager):
   The name will have been saved as "site:ubuntuforums.org." so edit the name to just Ubuntu (leaving the url untouched).
   .
6. You should now have a blue and white 'g' google icon on your bookmark bar (followed by the name 'Ubuntu').
   If you can't see this icon.... bookmark manager will allow you to drag this link higher up the list until it displays on your browser bookmark bar.
   If you can't see any of your bookmarks on your browser menu.... consider enabling 'bookmark bar' under menu item 'view'.

Once this preparatory work is completed.... to search Ubuntu forums one need only click the 'google ubuntu' icon, and enter ones search data (preceded by a space, after site:ubuntuforums.org).

IE. Simply enter the words most relevant to your query.
eg.

 site:ubuntuforums.org. re-install ubuntu

Using this example, we gain a very good mix of results, all of which relate in different ways to the search query.

(don't bother trying to search "re-install ubuntu" using Ubuntu search...... only non-relevant results are posted.)

Note:- As a fundamental computer information resource, I believe it is important to have access to Ubuntu Forum resources at a single click.
The objective of this search technique is not to keep you off the forums, but rather to 'link you to the information you need, at the moment you need it'.
You may still need to post a question; but hopefully your question will be better informed from the information you have already gained.

Special Note:-
In all my years using Ubuntu forums, I never knew how to enable 'Ubuntu search' in my browser, and of course, searching for information using the Ubuntu Search was 'nigh on impossible'.
My belief is that there are a vast number of community members, who also are unaware of this feature, not to mention all the newcomers to the Ubuntu operating system....... how are they going to know about this if they are not told?

So what next?
Perhaps 'peer review'?

Try any number of searches: using the 'Ubuntu search box', and try the same searches using the above method.
The 'above method' works every time.......

......'Ubuntu Search' fails every time.

So what next?
Implementing a solution seems to be the best option.

The Solution

In its simplest form:
Replace the 'Ubuntu Search Box' with a new search box that has "site:ubuntuforums.org. " pre-coded to the inputted search text.

In this way, the user need only enter their search query to achieve what they require.

A more complex format might be to contain the google generated results within an 'Ubuntu forum' document format.

Is This Bug Reportable?

It is not related to ubuntu software.
The problem lies with vBulletin software (the underlying forum o/s).

This problem was initially raised under 'forum feedback' and SeijiSensei stated:

On another vBulletin forum I frequent, the admin replaced the vB search engine with Sphinx. It's a very impressive search tool that is designed specifically to index materials kept in a database like vBulletin does. Of course, that required some major surgery on the vB code.

Admirable though that effort must have been - and why not climb that mountain if the desire is there - but we do clearly have an instant(?) solution that is guaranteed to deliver the results pertinent to the users need.

In reality, the choice is so stark, one would question the cause of inactivity, once the solution has been proffered.

What do YOU think?


Background Note:
This solution resulted from this thread posted under 'forum feedback'.
Many thanks to bapoumba for highlighting the use of "site:ubuntuforums.org. " in google search.

[monkeybrain20122]

I don't know, it is a lot easier to search UF from google than from UF, so I never bother to find out.

[slickymaster]

Not a support question. Moved to Forum Feedback & Help.

[23dornot23d]

Same here the results in UF are so out of line with whatever we put in to search for ..........

That its just not worth the hassle of trying to work out what on earth its trying to do ........ even on one word searches

So I just go to google often just using ( Ubuntu Solved "keyword/s" 2014 ) >>> sorted

If Ubuntu had one simple search .... where a one liner like that gave back the correct results - then I would use it .........

__________________________________________________ _

No idea which field or how to get the up to date results using UF search engine .

Ubuntu solved nvidia 2014

http://i.minus.com/ibh9jnDFVfJdWj.png

[cariboo]

It isn't Ubuntu that's the problem, it's vBulletin search which admittedly is pretty horrible.

[Elfy]

Pretty sure that I said so in your other thread, but I use a search engine that works on ubuntu related material - googlubuntu - and one I grabbed years ago from !# - that works well but I can't find it anymore so just keep the one I've got here.

[Ace.....]

The question resolves down to: whether there exists a large proportion of ubuntu users; and particularly 'new to ubuntu' users, that do not know this very simple search trick.

I've been working with PC's since IBM DOS and bizarrely I never knew this search trick.

I'm guessing I'm not alone.
In fact I'm guessing that there are huge numbers of people who don't know this trick.

Looking at a normal curve; my guess (could be wrong) would be that two thirds of users will not know this trick.
(since learning it I have now used it many times).

So what do we know?

We know that the Ubuntu search box doesn't work
We know that the suggested search methodology works perfectly (it really does and can be tested).

So What Next?

The simple guide that I prepared, could be uploaded to a tutorial section.
However, for the newbie to find it, they would need to search for it

The perfect definition of a 'Catch 22' scenario.
You need to read the 'search help doc' but in order to find it, you first need to read the 'search help doc'.

Therefore...... this 'search help doc' needs to be a sticky in, at least, General Help.
But.... in truth.... because the current search method DOES NOT WORK the ideal scenario for Ubuntu forum users, would be to eliminate the current failed search box, and replace it with a search box pre-coded with:

'site:ubuntuforums.org. '

In this way, there would be no need for a search help document.
People would simply search as they wish to search..... and they would get very good results.

This seems a 'no-brainer' to me.

Would there be any negatives from doing this?
Would there be any positives from NOT doing this?

[ibjsb4]

Pretty sure that I said so in your other thread, but I use a search engine that works on ubuntu related material - googlubuntu - and one I grabbed years ago from !# - that works well but I can't find it anymore so just keep the one I've got here.

Googlubuntu has been down for two or three weeks

[vasa1]

Googlubuntu has been down for two or three weeks

I made my own version: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...2#post12984962

If I can do it, anyone can

[Elfy]

Googlubuntu has been down for two or three weeks

I tend to default to my other one - the #! engine.

Save it to the searchplugin folder in firefox - call it whatever you want.

<SearchPlugin xmlns="http://www.mozilla.org/2006/browser/search/" xmlns:os="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/">
<os:ShortName>Doobiewotsit</os:ShortName>
<os:Description>Search the Ubuntu Universe for all things Ubuntu related.</os:Description>
<os:InputEncoding>UTF-8</os:InputEncoding>
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<SearchForm>http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/</SearchForm>
<os:Url type="text/html" method="GET" template="http://www.google.com/cse">
  <os:Param name="cx" value="012285703143635244993:i9yr8qlpb18"/>
  <os:Param name="q" value="{searchTerms}"/>
</os:Url>
</SearchPlugin>