Date:         Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:49:17 -0500
Reply-To:     pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Try this one (was: Re: Yes it does...and here is how to do it.
              (was Re: THIS DOESN'T WORK!!))
Comments: To: fourwdvw@yahoo.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Tom,
I admit, I didn't test out that example as much as I should have.  But
notice something interesting: if you try searching with
"site:gerry.vanagon.com acura head gasket" you get nothing with you method,
even though all of those terms appear in the message.   Why does it find it
with overheating but not head gasket?  That is truly a mystery to me.  Maybe
it has something to do with the fact that "acura" and "overheating" are both
terms that actually appear in the subject of the message.

Because of the way the site command works, searching with site:
gerry.vanagon.com doesn't find anything more than you get with site:
vanagon.com.  The second one searches for anything whose domain ENDS with
vanagon.com  That includes gerry.vanagon.com.

Here's one that I really think your method won't find even if you search for
terms in the subject:
http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0705d&L=vanagon&F=&S=&P=5436
(for example, try site:gerry.vanagon.com Black oxide finish).

The important thing is, the google search doesn't actually work for all the
messages.  And its important to realize this, because it means that the
archives are a better source of information than google makes them out to
be.

-Wes

On Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 2:41 PM, Tom Forhan <fourwdvw@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> I tried the following search and it found the referenced acura post
> immediately:
>
> "site:gerry.vanagon.com acura overheating"
>
> The difference is that you have to specify the correct server. The archives
> are on "gerry.vanagon.com" while the "www.vanagon.com" site contains the
> more generic information. They are different machines in different
> locations.
>
> Tom F.
>
>
>
> --- On Sun, 11/30/08, pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> > From: pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: THIS DOESN'T WORK!! (was,              Re: Using Google Groups
> to archive messages)
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Date: Sunday, November 30, 2008, 12:56 PM
> > Sorry for shouting in the subject line.  But, as you say,
> > this suggestion is
> > posted all the time, in varying forms.  But, as I've
> > posted a few times
> > before, it doesn't really work!!  Google does not
> > currently index the whole
> > vanagon site.  (Don't ask me why).  When you try to
> > search the list this
> > way, you are missing a large fraction of the archive.
> >
> > For example, I challenge you to find the following message
> > ("randomly"
> > selected):
> >
> http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0611b&L=vanagon&F=&S=&P=28169
> >
> > This message contains the search terms head, gasket, and
> > acura
> >
> > But you will never be able to find this message using
> > google, because google
> > does not know of its existence.  This seems to me to be the
> > case for the
> > vast majority of messages actually.  So, two lessons here.
> > First of all,
> > all those times when you used google to search the list,
> > there probably were
> > a lot of more relevant results that you missed.  Secondly,
> > there really is a
> > search problem.  The archive search is basically unusuable
> > and google is NOT
> > a substitute (it doesn't work, it just looks like it
> > does).  Currently, if I
> > NEED to search the archives, I find the only reliable
> > option is to search
> > "by email" using the instructions here:
> > http://gerry.vanagon.com/info/searching.html (note that
> > though this
> > sometimes takes a while, it always works.)
> >
> > The issue with google is an issue with ALL currently
> > available methods of
> > using google to search the archives.  Including using
> > "advanced" searches,
> > or using the site:vanagon.com command, or whatever.  If you
> > think you have a
> > way that works, try to use it to find the message I linked
> > to above.
> >
> > In response to the original poster (about google groups), I
> > think its a
> > great idea.  Hopefully, they'll add the possibility of
> > moving over the past
> > emails in the future.
> >
> > -Wes
> >
> > On Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 12:44 PM, Bob Stevens
> > <mtbiker62@comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> > > A thorough search of the archives (yes, tongue in
> > cheek) will disclose what
> > > has been suggested here .... that entering your search
> > subject, then "
> > > vanagon.com archives" in the google search box,
> > will always get you very
> > > quick results. That then brings to mind the blather
> > that is included in the
> > > majority of posts, while not changing the subject in
> > the subject box and the
> > > reason the archives are so full of not-much-of-use. Go
> > take a look. It's a
> > > fact.
> > >
> > > The wheel does not need reinventing (IMNSHO), but does
> > need to be put on
> > > the Vagen we already have in order to be useful.
> > >
> > > Bob
> > > '87 Syncro Westy
> > >
> > >
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>
>
>

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