To clean, or not to clean?

[KrazyKatz]

In order to help deal with treacherous SPAM, it is possible to re-vamp the system and make their lives of our administrators easier.

However, this means that we will have to start fresh. We will lose all the current messages and have to re-sign up from anew.


SPAM is Everybodies problem!

Its your choice..

[LPChip]

Great Initiative.

Don't forget that if this happens, this forum will not be wiped out entirelly.

I will make it read-only so we still have the posts somewhere.

[Sam_Zen]

Still too early for me to cast a vote. I want to know more about the practical side of such a transition itself.
The fact that the past part of the forum will be read-only is no problem to me. But there is the danger, that
the moment of the transition falls in a middle of some on-going conversation.
In the meantime it would be a nice moment to get rid of the dated text 'What Happened' on the index-page.

[LPChip]

I can set it so that you can only reply to post for a duration of 2 weeks so we can complete topics, and if you want to start a new one, you use the new forum.

The benefits will be that automated spam won't work anymore, due to visual confirmation.

[Sam_Zen]

Nice solution. So I voted. I only hope that my logon still will work, without registering again.

[LPChip]

Nice solution. So I voted. I only hope that my logon still will work, without registering again.

No, that won't work.

I was unable to merge the users to the new forum.

EDIT: but... I don't mind for everyone with more than 100 posts to transfer their postcount to the new forum after registering. You'll have to send me a PM (on the new forum) for that though, as its database work.

[Sam_Zen]

Well, no big deal to register again. I will save the content of my profile too, to get a smooth transition.
Sending the postcount is a nice idea. That was a small thing that bothered me last time after the crash.

[Asharin]

I voted yes.
However, it's pointless to start over if there is nothing in place with the new forums to eliminate spam from happening again, otherwise you are just going to get the same problem a few months down the line.

[Sam_Zen]

Of course you're right, but real elimination of spam is quite impossible. There will always be new ways of sneaking thru.
So one can't demand a perfect solution from a provider or a webmaster.
And, if I'm not wrong, LPChip was writing about an improved PHP-version with more powerful protections.

Making the past content of the forum read-only instead of loosing it, is nice. And my fear earlier for interrupted ongoing conversations during the transition has decreased, because it's always possible to re-open a topic on the new forum starting with a link to the old thread. Maybe these 2 weeks can be used to inform people about the ongoing transition, and how to handle it.

But I'm still doubtful about this re-register to log in. I will ask around about this 'merging' of the users.
Maybe this adding of visual confirmation (does MPF has any blind users ?) causes the need for registering again.
On the other hand, even if I had to re-register every 4 months, I would still be a visitor of this forum.

[LPChip]

Merging really isn't possible. I've tried it. Everything says it should be possible, but when doing it, it fails.

I have the new forum software running already (for some time now) but need to configure it for first use.

It now only has a testforum.

The skin has been transferred already, and it still doesn't have modifications like the (S=O) stuff, but thats not that much of a big deal.

[KrazyKatz]

So when does cleanup officially begin?

[rewbs]

I played around for a few minutes and got the latest phpBB running with a full image from this forum (preserving all posts) on my home system.
LP has delegated the task to get it going on this server to me. I hope to get around to doing it this week.

[LPChip]

I played around for a few minutes and got the latest phpBB running with a full image from this forum (preserving all posts) on my home system.
LP has delegated the task to get it going on this server to me. I hope to get around to doing it this week.

Rewbs, take your time. I'm already very glad you're willing to do it.

Thanks again m8! Really appreciated!

[KrazyKatz]

Any idea when the whole change will be taking place... Ive noted that SPAM is increasing insanely.

[LPChip]

Any idea when the whole change will be taking place... Ive noted that SPAM is increasing insanely.

We're running the new version already, and if we wouldn't have, we'd have alot more spam than this. This board has a register/image validation thingy, but its hard to combat spam against companies that just use employees to do the spamming for them. Sometimes these are not automated scripts, but plain *STUPID* people that get relativelly little money (compared to what the companies get) to make our lives miserable.