# Cool. Simulpost prevention. When did this start? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 11, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221 "2005-01-11T15:27:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/1 "2005-01-11T15:27:59Z")
You know the situation. You’ve spent ages writing a post, click Submit without copying it to the clipboard… and after an agonising wait you get the “Page cannot be displayed” error. Do you cross your fingers and hope the post made it through, or hit refresh to repost it and risk a simulpost? Well, I chose the latter and got this: > [@](#): > > Redirecting… > This post is a duplicate of a post that you have posted in the last five minutes. You will be redirected to that thread. > > Click here if your browser does not automatically redirect you. Cool. That never used to happen, did it? Who invented that? Have a gold star. By the way, it is almost impossible to type “simulpost” - it almost always comes out as “simuplost”. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/2 "2005-01-11T15:50:38Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > You know the situation. You’ve spent ages writing a post, click Submit without copying it to the clipboard… and after an agonising wait you get the “Page cannot be displayed” error. Do you cross your fingers and hope the post made it through, or hit refresh to repost it and risk a simulpost? Or (3) go back and click “Preview Post” to see if it was posted. That’s what I do. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/3 "2005-01-11T16:50:19Z")
That’s not a simulpost, that’s a duplicate post. A simulpost is when two posters post a reply to a thread at the same time. But, yeah, the newer version of vB has definitely cut down on duplicates. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/4 "2005-01-11T19:24:07Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > That’s not a simulpost, that’s a duplicate post. Duh. So it is. > [@Scarlett67](#): > > Or (3) go back and click “Preview Post” to see if it was posted. That’s what I do. But then you lose what you had just typed, if it didn’t post. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/5 "2005-01-11T19:54:15Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > But then you lose what you had just typed, if it didn’t post. Reason #476 to try Firefox. You don’t lose everything you typed if the server barfs. Instead of 404 and other error pages, Firefox just pops up a little message box. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/6 "2005-01-11T20:21:58Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > But then you lose what you had just typed, if it didn’t post. Hmm, that’s weird. I don’t lose it, it’s still there in my cached page. I’m using Opera, if that makes a diff. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-simulpost-prevention-when-did-this-start/284221/7 "2005-01-11T20:34:09Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > > [@Scarlett67](#): > > > > Or (3) go back and click “Preview Post” to see if it was posted. That’s what I do. > > But then you lose what you had just typed, if it didn’t post. I always highlight everything and Control+C just in case. I’m usually posting from work, where there apparently is no choice but to use IE. The firewall blocks Mozilla.