(it's called a search function)
I've used it. And my comment still stands. I think the search function is the weakest area in beehive. No offense because I couldn't do it better.
What's wrong with it?
Maybe I can do better, but only if you tell me.
I don't think it's so much the actual search function. I think it's more of how the results are displayed. And also the having to wait until you can search again. That could very well be a MySQL issue or an issue of abuse I dunno.
I am in no way complaining man, you do a fantastic job!
I know you're not complaining! :)
Having to wait is an issue of abuse. It can be turned off in Admin > Global Forum Settings. It's there because MySQL Full-Text search can be (depending on server setup, YMMV, etc.) resource hungry and block other activity (reads and writes) on the database while running.
The layout of the search results I can change. What would you like to see about them change, is it just that they're not very informative or missing something or should be displayed entirely different?
Is it possible to remove or lower the length of time you have to wait if there's no results?
that's the one I'd like too - if I search and it finds nothing then I want to go again
Search that has no results still consumes resources, so probably not.