Quote Originally Posted by Fabolous

Hehe, really the search function should be available to everyone, even those who have not posted. Maybe even those who are yet to register.
No, not for guest users. The main purpose of the restrictions is typically about protection against web-bots and other malicious attacks.

Searches are, apparently, very intensive on the servers, compared to basic posting activity. If a forum is run on rented servers, instead of owned ones, then bandwidth useage affects the monthly charges and searches eat bandwidth. A determined nerk could launch multiple, robotically controlled searches, all anonymously, until the forum crashed. Registration means a valid email address has been given and presumably cookies can track forum activity, so anything detrimental can be traced. Traceability keeps us all honest and well-behaved.

Guest status has to let you see enough forum content to realise it's worth becoming a member but restrict what you can do to read-only as a way of motivating you to register in the first place, otherwise few people would bother to do that and that would make it a very quiet place...