[Wikipedia-l] Re: Searching

[lcrocker at nupedia.com]

> Why not simply use the mysql search engine the way it is intended
> to, feeding it the whole search string in one piece,...
> With a newer version of mysql, we can even continue to use
> boolean search ("IN BOOLEAN MODE"). Also, you generate fewer SQL
> queries, and mysql create meaningful result scores. Furthermore, you
> gain the ability to search for phrases, which we don't have currently.

(1) You are mistaken that I now use multiple queries; I parse the
search string for ANDs and ORs and pass them along as a single
query with the same boolean structure (well, actually two queries--
one for titles and one for text--but not a query per term). (2) When
MySQL 4.0 becomes a reliable product, of course we'll use its newer
search features.

That being said, if MySQL now produces more useful results in non-
boolean mode, I'm certainly open to letting it do that; but I was
under the impression that the booleans were really needed.

I'm also planning to build a special "advanced search" page where
it might be an option to do it either way.