Requesting your opinion

[The Guardian]

As you all may know, I am on the development team of Supermod, which is what NoPC's board software is. One issue we are looking at right now is database performance and size as some forum owners are concerned about their database sizes. (These are the freehost guys that are very limited in storage size.)

One of the "features" of this board's software is that it allows you to search the message text body. This is done by putting an index on the entire text of the message. What this does to the computer is make the size of the message table double what it needs to be AND requires double the overhead anytime anyone modifies or creates a new post.

My question to our members is "How important is full-text search to you?"

Do you use this feature at all? Do you even know the feature exists? Do you care?

One simple fix for us is to take the index off the message body. What this would do is slow waaaaaaaaaaaaay down any full-text search against the message body, but would speed up the rest of the board somewhat significantly...or so I think.

Your thoughts?

[Lazarus]

Let those who require the feature pay the price (in time) when they need to use the feature.

[ilovelucy]

I would settle for speed and efficiency.... :)

[truelies]

Hmmmm I use the feature quite a bit. Its great for catching folks like Laz when they attempt to deny past statements & such.

I would settle for speed and efficiency.... :)



Ditto


rarely use search at all.

[Persephone]

I've never used it.

[ilovelucy]

I use it, but even if modified, we could still search for past postings, say, by username or whatever, no?

It is nice to have the feature, for when you think you remember someone saying the complete opposite of what they're saying now, and you want to bring that up for "recollection". :)

[The Guardian]

Let me clarify what changing the index would mean --- it would not remove the feature, but it would be far slower. Search would still work by poster and by the message subject, it is just the message body under consideration.

Here is another thought...would a search on key words; in other words remove the "junk" words (and, or, the, etc) from what is "indexed".

Another possible solution is to get an archiving solution into place where only posts in the last x-period are kept in the "main" forum. A secondary archive table would have historical messages and would be searchable.

Thanks for the input, this will help us try and figure out what people really need, want, and use.

[Satan]

As you all may know, I am on the development team of Supermod, which is what NoPC's board software is. One issue we are looking at right now is database performance and size as some forum owners are concerned about their database sizes. (These are the freehost guys that are very limited in storage size.)

One of the "features" of this board's software is that it allows you to search the message text body. This is done by putting an index on the entire text of the message. What this does to the computer is make the size of the message table double what it needs to be AND requires double the overhead anytime anyone modifies or creates a new post.

My question to our members is "How important is full-text search to you?"

Do you use this feature at all? Do you even know the feature exists? Do you care?

One simple fix for us is to take the index off the message body. What this would do is slow waaaaaaaaaaaaay down any full-text search against the message body, but would speed up the rest of the board somewhat significantly...or so I think.

Your thoughts?


A couple of questions:

When is the message table generated? At time of search, or at regular intervals?

Does the index contain every word of the message bodies? If so, does the software have the capability of limiting the index to, say, words with four letters or more? With 'a', 'an', and 'the', etc. out of the way, the index size could be drastically reduced without drastically reducing full-text search times...or so it would seem to me, anyway. I mean, how often does somebody search for 'a big red dog'?

Of course, if the table is re-generated at every search, the time required to cull the small words might offset any time savings, so I could just be pissing in the wind...

[Satan]

Damn. I really have to learn to type faster... ::)

[The Guardian]

Sky: The message table contains the main body and subject of every message in the system. So when you see a post count of 225,000 (or whatever it is right now), then that table has 225,000 rows of information in it, one for each mesage. The field named "message_body" contains the translated text as we entered it. (YABB codes are translated to HTML, blanks are translated to line breaks, and so on.)

The index is created by the database manager and is something no one sees. This index, since it is on the message body, is updated/inserted EVERY TIME we enter or change a message. By removing the index on the message body, we reduce the overhead the database server has to do when we edit or add a message. BUT it would slow down any full text search if the index on that field were not present. It is essentially a trade-off to a degree and we are trying to figure out a way to give us the best of both worlds.

[kathleen]

I say do whatever the heck you want Lance. It's your board.

The rest of us will just have to learn to live with it. ;D

[The Guardian]

This is not *my* solution for NoPC. Any changes we make will affect all forums running Supermod, not just this one.

[kathleen]

This is not *my* solution for NoPC. Any changes we make will affect all forums running Supermod, not just this one.


Oh, I didn't know that. Well, that changes things quite a bit, doesn't it? ;D

Who is it that ultimately makes the decision?

[wendy]

I use the search function all the time. ;D

I do like the archiving solution. Keep the last 90 days on the forum and move the rest.

[Lazarus]

Hmmmm I use the feature quite a bit. Its great for catching folks like Laz when they attempt to deny past statements & such.


Unfortunately, you are too often what you accuse others of being. ::)

[The Guardian]

Agreed on the archiving. You CAN NOT have an infinite bit bucket...that solution just does not work very well.

Kathleen: Supermod is supported by the Supermod team at www.supermod.org (http://www.supermod.org). Supermod is a derivative of the YABBSE BBS; essentially this board is a stock YABBSE with a TON of modifications.

Feedback from comments here will be given to the team of developers supporting Supermod and a best case decision will be made. Since Supermod is open source, we would be free to make our own modifications that fit NoPC best, but that is a tough direction to go. Ideally, we come up with a solution that works well for all board owners.

[truelies]

Unfortunately, you are too often what you accuse others of being. ::)


Not hardly.

[tileman]

As you all may know, I am on the development team of Supermod, which is what NoPC's board software is. One issue we are looking at right now is database performance and size as some forum owners are concerned about their database sizes. (These are the freehost guys that are very limited in storage size.)

One of the "features" of this board's software is that it allows you to search the message text body. This is done by putting an index on the entire text of the message. What this does to the computer is make the size of the message table double what it needs to be AND requires double the overhead anytime anyone modifies or creates a new post.

My question to our members is "How important is full-text search to you?"

Do you use this feature at all? Do you even know the feature exists? Do you care?

One simple fix for us is to take the index off the message body. What this would do is slow waaaaaaaaaaaaay down any full-text search against the message body, but would speed up the rest of the board somewhat significantly...or so I think.

Your thoughts?


Speed up the most used features.............why make it easy for the feds and Wendy......... ;D

[tileman]

Hmmmm I use the feature quite a bit. Its great for catching folks like Laz when they attempt to deny past statements & such.


and the antichrist...... ;D

[tileman]

The searchers must have WAY too much time on their hands......the rest of us (majority) don't...... 8)

[arod]

The search engine has always been a pain in the neck anyway, since if you come up empty, you have to go back and reset every damn parameter. If there were an option to open the search results page in a new window, it wouldn't be so bad.

[Tiger]

I like the full text search - but it must take a lot of memory to have all of it available.

Since I don't know anything about this stuff - I will leave it up to you guys. The board is always going to be slow for me since I have dial-up. 26bps, at that.

[wendy]

26bps, at that.




On a good day? ;D

[Satan]

You do have running water, don't you? ;D

[julianna]

I've never used it.


Ditto I mean really.... do get a life.

[Satan]

Ditto I mean really.... do get a life.


Do you have a phone book, or do you just dial numbers at random until you find who you're looking for?

::)

[julianna]

Do you have a phone book, or do you just dial numbers at random until you find who you're looking for?

::)


I dont take the forum too seriously. I am just here to relax, have fun and have some idle chit chat. I dont get to bent out of shape over peoples past comments or if they dont or ever agree with me so I dont feel the need to go back and throw their words in their face. I guess I am a different kinda cat. Didnt mean to offend you Sky.

[tileman]

I dont take the forum too seriously. I am just here to relax, have fun and have some idle chit chat. I dont get to bent out of shape over peoples past comments or if they dont or ever agree with me so I dont feel the need to go back and throw their words in their face. I guess I am a different kinda cat. Didnt mean to offend you Sky.


I don't think he was actually talking to you............it's that Georgian dirt weed......makes you all cross eyed and you just settle for the most convenient quote button...... ;D

[arod]

Didnt mean to offend you Sky.


Is there anything lower than kissing Satan's ass? :)

[truelies]

and the antichrist...... ;D


Bassman's EX????????????????

[Thunder Bay]

Don't use it. Would prefer it barely moves. ;D

[Thunder Bay]

So, Lance, what other ballast can we toss out to speed this buggy up? Guest status has even slowed to normal forum speed; how about using vast profits from development department to buy some SUPER-SIZED servers, eh? ;D

[wendy]

So, Lance, what other ballast can we toss out to speed this buggy up? Guest status has even slowed to normal forum speed; how about using vast profits from development department to buy some SUPER- SIZED servers, eh? ;D


Have you ever considered broadband?

[Thunder Bay]

Have you ever considered broadband?



As indicated by the length of time it took to reply, yes I have; everytime I'm here. Why do all other sites perform at the warp speed of a Newsmax? Do we have liberal servers? Is it another Kansas problem... besides Tiger? Is LaL the problem? ??? ??? ??? ???

[wendy]

As indicated by the length of time it took to reply, yes I have; everytime I'm here. Why do all other sites perform at the warp speed of a Newsmax? Do we have liberal servers? Is it another Kansas problem... besides Tiger? Is LaL the problem? ??? ??? ??? ???


It could be your internet provider.

[wendy]

Or it could be LaL.

[Thunder Bay]

It could be your internet provider.



Why would my IP only goof with NoPC? :o

[wendy]

What browser are you using?

Get Avant. It loads this forum about 10 times faster than IE.

[ponygurl]

Why would my IP only goof with NoPC? :o

Feds are after ya. ;D

[Satan]

Why would my IP only goof with NoPC? :o


So YOU'RE the one...

[Thunder Bay]

Feds are after ya. ;D



Wendy introduced the paranoia angle; you're confusing me with short and grouty, don'tcha think? ;D

[Thunder Bay]

What browser are you using?

Get Avant. It loads this forum about 10 times faster than IE.



You know what browser I use; does Avant give you Akickback? ;D

[Thunder Bay]

So YOU'RE the one...



Hey, Smoky; don't blame me... ;D

[ponygurl]

short and grouty

That's just not nice.. :-\

[Thunder Bay]

That's just not nice.. :-\



He's said much worse about me. <sniffle> ;)

[ponygurl]

He's said much worse about me. <sniffle> ;)

The Bastard.. ;D

[Thunder Bay]

The Bastard.. ;D



Link? ;D