Search function is already used (at least in Besaid) quite a lot.
However at the moment it is mainly used for pick up groups for Ifrit and Moogle fights. It is really handy for that reason too though since usually when you search for a person for one of the fights, you are already at the area of the fight so you wouldn't be able to start shouting anyway.
I don't think it has much to do with people's inability to use the search but everything with the fact that there is not much reason to "search" at the moment.
We have 200 people online 32 of them are doing Ifrit (4 parties) 32 of them are doing moogle, 70 are crafting, 30 are gathering, 16 are doing stuff with their ls (2 parties) and other 16 are already in some level exp parties.
This leaves 4 unfortunate people walking around in Uldah, putting up their search flag and wondering what to do next.

Regarding the legacy we leave behind.. I have to say I grinned a bit when I read this... I think no matter what we "decide" to do, things are going to forge their ways one way or another.
In 11 it was a known annoyance that when you had a JP in your exp party, they would go {I'm Sleepy} and they would disband and warp the same second. Or you would have the person leaving find himself a rep and more often than once we had a WHM rep himself with a DRK...

Good players (even noobies after 2.0) will always be good and then there will be the douches that will stay douches even if you boil them for 24 hours.

And yeah, like someone said above... The Market Wards will be FULL of gear when 2.0 comes out. I have already started to make my own fashion line