docs: Remove deprecated "search" from User Quide

[turbotimon]

Description

The user guide still teaches "pip search": https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/user_guide/#searching-for-packages

However, this is deprecated and therefore should be removed

Could make a PR if needed

Expected behavior

No response

pip version

25.3

Python version

any

OS

any

How to Reproduce

Go to: https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/user_guide/#searching-for-packages

Output

No response

Code of Conduct

• [x] I agree to follow the PSF Code of Conduct.

[pfmoore]

Technically, it's only PyPI that has deprecated the API needed for pip search to work. The command is still perfectly valid for use on other index servers that support the XML-RPC API.

Of course, in reality there's probably no other index servers that support pip search, so we could probably just remove the command. And to be honest, I'd prefer that we either did that (formally deprecate and then remove the pip search command altogether) or did nothing, and just left things as they are. There's just too much risk that if we remove the docs, we'll trigger yet another debate about why pip search no longer works, and I'd rather not have that debate again unless it's because we're finally going to bite the bullet and remove the command.

[notatallshaw]

I think the following text should be updated:

pip can search PyPI for packages using the pip search command:

To something like:

pip can search remote indexes, that provide an XMLRPC search API like artifactory and devpi, for packages using the pip search command:

As per https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/5216#issuecomment-1426803024. And we could even add a note that PyPI has removed their XMLRPC search API.

Other than that I don't think we need to take any action.

[turbotimon]

As a user, I agree with @notatallshaw (including the note "that PyPI has removed their XMLRPC search API")

You may also rephrase "PyPI" in the CLI help:

$pip --help 

Usage:   
  pip <command> [options]

Commands:
  install                     Install packages.
  download                    Download packages.
  uninstall                   Uninstall packages.
  freeze                      Output installed packages in requirements format.
  inspect                     Inspect the python environment.
  list                        List installed packages.
  show                        Show information about installed packages.
  check                       Verify installed packages have compatible dependencies.
  config                      Manage local and global configuration.
  search                      Search PyPI for packages. # <========================

and

$ pip search --help

Usage:   
  pip search [options] <query>

Description:
  Search for PyPI packages whose name or summary contains <query>. # <====