it's 2015 do you really need to force people to create an account and log in in order to use your search function?
I find that is rather the norm on Internet forums in general. I would expect it to be the default setting in the forum software, even.
Public mode is often overlooked on forums because everyone who manages the site is always logged in ...
i get it that you regard yourself as some super elite closed society club but come on
Hell no. That's Deskthority.
Just kidding. I find both Geekhack (and Deskthority) to be very welcoming. Deskthority has a club with membership fees and benefits, but that is largely to help fund the site.