Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is this?

This attempts to be a site where one can search through the archives of Sluggy Freelance as easily as one searches Google. It also draws quite a bit of inspiration from Oh No Robot. Has it reached its goal? Only you can decide.

Are you affiliated with Google?

No, not at all. Please don't sue. The NiftySearch graphic design is similar to Google's for two reasons. The major one is that people are familiar with Google, and the similar look and feel of NiftySearch prompts people to search in a similar manner, which the Strict query parsing was designed to accept. Also, if one is to imitate another search engine, (the sincerest form of flattery) why not imitate the best?

Did you ask Pete's permission to do this?

Nope, but I did ask his forgiveness, and all he asked was that I put the disclaimer on the main page, so I guess that means he approves!

Wait, who is Pete?

Pete Abrams is the genius behind Sluggy Freelance. Except for some filler strips, he's written and drawn all of Sluggy all by himself. You should probably know this already, but this answer is here just in case.

Wait, what's Sluggy Freelance?

You're kidding, right? Sluggy Freelance is a popular long-running webcomic. It started on August 25th, 1997. Sluggy has updated every day since then. Sluggy Freelance is quite good, and if you haven't read any of it, you probably should. At least, you should before you browse this site, if only for fear of having major plot points spoiled.

Should I be worried about spoilers when I use this site?

Yes, definitely! These comics were mostly transcribed by people who have read the archives all the way through, and it shows! If you haven't read all of Sluggy from 1997 until now, you might want to hold off searching until you finish.

How do you know the text of each Sluggy Freelance strip?

Well, that's where you come in. Many Sluggy fans have come here and transcribed a few strips here and there, culminating in the giant database avaliable for everyone to search.

I have a question/comment/suggestion/bug report for you!

Please post any questions/comments/suggestions/bug reports in this thread on sluggy.net. I'm the thread starter, and I check it regularly.

I don't have a forum account. How do I contact you then?

You don't have a forum account? Why not? You should get one. They're free!

Questions About Searching

What does the "Flag" link on the right side of each search result do?

If you encounter an error in a transcription, click the Flag link. This puts it first in line to be double checked, so the error will be fixed faster.

What is the "New User Tip" in Preferences?

The New User Tip is the tip that appears at the top of the search results, explaining how to expand and collapse transcripts. If you already know how to do that, you can turn off the tip in Preferences.

Why would I want to turn off the +/- buttons in Preferences?

The + or - buttons can clutter the search results. If you turn them off, you can expand/collapse the search results by clicking on the results themselves. In Internet Explorer, you cannot click and drag over the transcripts while the +/- buttons are turned off, but it has been tested that you can in Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer for Mac.

What's the difference between "Strict" and "Sloppy" search behaviors in Preferences?

Strict and Sloppy change the way NiftySearch parses your search query. If you select "Sloppy," the words are linked together by logical ORs, and quotes are broken apart, searching for the words inside individually. "Strict" search is like Google; the words are treated as logical ANDs, but you can also use the OR operator as well as negation (-). It also does not break apart quotes.

For example: '"let me check my notes" torg or riff -zombie' is interpreted by Strict search as "Find strips with the quote 'let me check my notes' that also contains torg or riff, but does not contain 'zombie'." Sloppy search would interpret that as "look for a strip that has any of the following words: let me check my notes torg or riff -zombie, and then display them in order of number of words/quotes shown."

Strict search is a much more powerful search tool than Sloppy, but Sloppy may be better to use if you're not sure of the wording you're looking for. You can change your preferred search type on the Preferences page.

What does "Sort Results by" in Preferences do?

"Sort Results by" lets you change the order in which search results are displayed. The default option is "Relevance", which means NiftySearch will show the results in roughly the order of how many times your search terms appeared in the transcripts it found. Latest to Earliest Date shows the search results in order of the date the strip was published, putting newer strips above older strips. Earliest to Latest Date also sorts by date, but this time putting older strips above newer ones.

How does the Search Spell Check in Preferences work?

Search Spell Check attempts to fix any mistypings in your search query. It compares each word in the query to the words in the transcripts, and if it can't find the word at all, it will attempt to find a word close to the one you typed. It suggests new words by looking at the number of letters off the words it finds are from the word you typed. It may find multiple words, in which case it will give you a choice.
The suggestion is given beneath your search query. Words in black are words that do not need to be changed, or words that only have one close match. Selection drop-downs are provided for words that have many close matches, with the word that is most frequently found in the transcripts automatically selected. Click the Change button to accept the Spell Checker's suggestion and retry the search with the corrected query. If you like your query as is, you are not required to change it.
The Spell Checker isn't perfect, and sometimes may not suggest a word you would expect. It is slowly evolving, however. That's why it is currently denoted as being in beta.

What does "Always Suggest (Sensible) Alternatives" in Preferences do?

This turns Search Spell Check on and forces it to always suggest alternatives to the words in your search query, even if they appear correct. This can be helpful if your search gets results, but not the ones you're looking for. Perhaps what you are looking for is spelled differently than you expect.

Questions About Transcribing

How do I transcribe a Sluggy comic strip?

Once you enter the transcriber by clicking the "Transcribe Sluggy" link on the main page, you'll be taken to the transcribe page. The top frame will have a text box, followed by "Please transcribe the comic below into the text box above!" Also included is the percent completion meter that shows our total progress. The lower frame will have a page from Sluggy.com displaying a particular comic. Please transcribe the comic shown into the text box and click "Submit and go...". Click "Back (do not submit)" if you don't want to submit your transcript. If the text box is already populated, please verify that the transcript matches the comic and that it's as detailed and accurate as possible. After you click submit, you'll be served a new comic, and the process starts over. Feel free to transcribe as many or as little as you wish!

How do I make the 'ë' in Zoë's name?

It depends on which operating system you're running. On Windows, hold the ALT key while you type 0235 into the numeric keypad, then release ALT. On a Mac, hold Option while you tap U, then release Option and tap E. For uppercase, the Windows number changes to 0203, and on the Mac, hold the Shift key when you tap E.

What does "Submit and go..." do?

"Submit and go..." submits the transcript and then transfers you to the location you select below. Select "Random Strip" to be taken to any Sluggy strip in the entire history of the comic that needs to be newly transcribed or double checked. Select "Next Strip" to be taken to the next strip in the sequence that needs to be newly transcribed or double checked. Select "Back" to be taken back to the main page after your transcript is submitted.

Can I transcribe a different comic than the one I'm given?

There is a way you can be assigned a new comic to transcribe, but there's no way for you to pick the one you'd like to transcribe.
The text box can't see if you move around Sluggy.com at all, so it assumes that whatever you type into that box is the transcript for the strip it originally gave you. If you browsed the archives before transcribing, please click the word "comic" below the text box to be instantly snapped back to the strip it wants you to transcribe.

How much detail should I include in my transcript?

As much as you'd like to. The more detail there is, the more there is for the search to find.

Can I put formatting, such as bold or italicized text in my transcript?

You may if you wish, but it could possibly confuse NiftySearch. NiftySearch tries its best to ignore formatting tags, however. Transcripts are always displayed in the search as unformatted text, so formatting isn't necessary.

Should I sign my transcript?

You can if you'd like, but someone else may remove it later.

What happens to my original transcript if someone alters it later?

It gets stored in an archive of all old transcripts. This is so that, if the need arises, old transcripts can be recovered.

Couldn't someone vandalize my transcript after I'm finished with it?

Yes, that can happen, but we have moderators reading through the archives, and if a transcript looks perfect, they will lock it to prevent further changes. If the need arises, transcripts can be unlocked again.