Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Discussion of general topics related to the new version and its place in the world. Don't discuss new features, report bugs, ask for support, et cetera. Don't use this to spam for other boards or attack those boards!
Forum rules
Discussion of general topics related to the new release and its place in the world. Don't discuss new features, report bugs, ask for support, et cetera. Don't use this to spam for other boards or attack those boards!
agent00shoe

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by agent00shoe »

One of our forum rules is no spamming. Following the logic in this thread, phpbb should create a spam recognition system so that I won't have to enforce this rule myself. It can technically be done fairly easy, even using a central database of spam URLs to look for and regular expressions. We have lots of rules that could be enforced if phpbb would just meet our special needs, but that doesn't mean they should. :?

BondGamer
Registered User
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:20 pm
Contact:

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by BondGamer »

Creating a spam recognition tool would be extremely difficult (more so than Karma) and probably not effective. Doing any of the proposals in this topic would be relatively simple and quick. Why have a restriction on avatar dimensions or size if you can just make a rule? To make sure that everyone follows that rule in an automatic way, giving precious moderating time back to the forum team.

agent00shoe

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by agent00shoe »

Why have a captcha to block spam bots when you can make a spam detection system? Anyone could argue taking arbitrary rules one step further all day long. This is the kind of thing that should be a mod.

BondGamer
Registered User
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:20 pm
Contact:

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by BondGamer »

agent00shoe wrote: Why have a captcha to block spam bots when you can make a spam detection system?

Not even giant companies such as Google and Yahoo have built systems to detect spam with 100%, or close to that, accuracy. The captcha is a proven and extremely effective tool to prevent automated registrations to a forum. The two are on completely different levels of complexity and feasibility.

User avatar
Nicholas the Italian
Registered User
Posts: 659
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:19 pm
Location: 46°8' N, 12°13' E
Contact:

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by Nicholas the Italian »

agent00shoe wrote: One of our forum rules is no spamming. Following the logic in this thread, phpbb should create a spam recognition system so that I won't have to enforce this rule myself.

If it was possible it would be great. Unfortunately it isn't so easy (but we have capchas and tons of features meant to limit this phoenomenon; and we have the anti-flooding feature).
This is a feature request; not a necessity to run a forum. If phpbb added features to help meet every single person's arbitrary rules, then the number of features would never end and the acp would be a cluttered mess(not to mention the infinitely longer development time).

Of course they don't have to, but they chose (rightly IMO) to provide a bunch of methods to make administrators-moderators life easier. Specifically speaking, they even decided to introduce this type of restrictions, but they're almost ineffective without the addition we are proposing. So it is sensical to think it should be added.

And hey, at the end it's their choice, and they'll decide wheter it's worth adding or not. Let's see what they're gonna do. I think they provide a lower quality product without this bit of feature, but hey, it won't change my mind about phpbb.

agent00shoe

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by agent00shoe »

You guys are still overlooking the simple fact that not everybody has the same silly rules about limiting the number of images in a signature. What's so difficult to grasp here? You want special treatment for your own personal little rules.

agent00shoe

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by agent00shoe »

Hay phpbb dev team member persons people, I'm an administrator but I don't want to, you know, administrate my board. Could you please add some special features in to make my life easier just for me to fit my personal rules that I rule my plebs with?

kthxbai

BondGamer
Registered User
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:20 pm
Contact:

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by BondGamer »

agent00shoe wrote: You guys are still overlooking the simple fact that not everybody has the same silly rules about limiting the number of images in a signature. What's so difficult to grasp here?

Some people don't want boards where half the page is someone's signature. The developers implemented restrictions which help accomplish this, but they can be circumvented. Why have a maximum image dimension at all if a user can have 2 of that image, having twice the intended size.

The Grinch
Registered User
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 8:27 am

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by The Grinch »

Signatures may contain up to five lines (one line being that displayed on a browser opened to 800px width) of text (of small or normal size) and/or one image, valid combinations include; a single image of no more than 60px high, 468px wide and 6kB (6000 Bytes) in size. Signatures containing an image this large may also include one line of small size text. Signatures containing an image of 30px high may include up to three lines of small size text or two lines of normal size text. Images of 15px height or less may allow up to three lines of normal size text or four lines of small size text. Animated images are not allowed. #


That is right off the phpBB2 Community forum. As you can see, even they have a vested interest in such functionality. I don't think there's anything left to debate. We've made our points. It's now up to the Project Team Lead(s) to decide how to proceed with it.

User avatar
Highway of Life
Registered User
Posts: 1399
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 10:18 pm
Location: I'd love to change the World, but they won't give me the Source Code
Contact:

Re: Is the current signature restrictions enough?

Post by Highway of Life »

First off, Ashoe, please stop double and triple posting. It's getting annoying.
There is an Edit Post feature for a reason.

Second, If there are post restrictions for images, then restrictions for signatures only makes sense, otherwise, who would need either one... who needs Avatar size limitations?
I think you know as well as everyone, this is a requirement for the types of boards we all run...

In the end, it really is the dev's decision to implement the signature restriction or not, we, as admins, are not going to die either way... so let it go, your... our lives do not depend on the implementation of this function, yeah I think it would be nice to have, it makes sense, and even if you disagree, nothing will stop you from removing the limit on your own board.
Image

Post Reply