Oh, just wonderful. My first post after coming back, and it contains a typo. I never used to do that until I started typing so fast: the movements of the fingers are sometimes guided by the sounds of the words instead of the spelling.:smack:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by javaman *
**Well. It looks like I’m the first one to make a public reappearance.
FYI I saw Krokidil somewhere in CS
…And a public nod of appreciation to Anthracite for seeing my side of it. Though as noted, lesson learned.
Awwww
::snif::
quote:
Originally posted by samclem
I think anyone can read anything. You just can’t post if you’re banned.
What samclem said is true in regard to the way this board is run. Maybe you should amend your little list above to include posters who run their own boards and constantly have to point out how much more they know about how things should be done.
Take it from me. You can read anything, but during my Time Of Exile I found that I could not search. Many of my “reads” are preceded by “searches”, so I was severely handicapped in that respect too, besides not being able to post.
Though I can understand why non-members are not allowed to search, given considerations of bandwidth, etc.
So it’s wrong to offer constructive suggestions? Anthracite runs a message board. She knows the technology of vB boards better than the vast majority of us. I’d say, yeah, it’s well within her prerogative to discuss it. The admins don’t have to follow her suggestion or even read it if they’re not so inclined.
Yeesh, I’m getting out of here now. Good night all.
Well, now that this thing has come to a mostly happy conclusion, I have one small request.
Careful readers will recall that there was a Pit thread about me some months ago entitled “Manhattan is a ding dong.” What you may not know is that even now, long after the original thread, I am still receiving Hostess creem-filled chocolate-covered chocolate sponge cakes from fellow dopers, including my girlfriend.
As yummy as they are, I’m sick of them and I’m already too fat. If folks could entitle future Pit threads about me something like, “Manhattan is a golf lesson” or “Manhattan is dinner at Bouley” or “Manhattan is a backrub,” I’d certainly appreciate it. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Oh, I’m not disagreeing with your third paragraph at all, Manhattan. I understand where you’re coming from completely. You’re stuck herding cats with very little rope over there in GQ. Makes me a little relieved that I never heard back when I sent in my ‘mod application’ all those ages ago.
But the slippery slope is sure there in a policy of ‘ask questions with factual answers’ or ‘only answer with facts’. The potential for that to become dogmatic is enormous and dangerous to the community of the boards. Look at some of the militant responses we’ve seen in this thread. I always prefer rules with flexibility over those without. And I hate the concept of making ‘an example’ of people. Pour encouragez les autres makes lousy sense to me.
Not that I’m saying that’s what happened. But certainly there’s a current of that in this thread.
I have faith that you’ll act with discretion. Certain GQ’s fairly well beg for discussion. The facts could be unclear, the could be contradictory, they could be flat out wrong. I prefer to see that exchange of ideas occur. I believe it to be necessary to the successful answering of certain questions.
But you’re right that asking a political or religious question in GQ is just begging for trouble.
So good luck to you, manhattan. Don’t let them get you down.
Manhattan: Just be glad nobody called you “a hair up his ass.”
Boy, did I miss an opportunity there.
How about ‘manhattan is a supermodel sandwich’?
Or ‘manhattan is three weeks in fiji’?
I’m considering “manhattan is a blow job,” but that sounds too much like a legitimate insult to fly, I think.
Welcome back, but I’ve got to know: Vampire, or JavaZombie ?
Where’s lekatt ? He should be in on this. 
See, now I was thinking something like “manhattan is a fire-engine red sports car”…but perhaps I should sound out manny for a specific model?
If the comment in question had been worded that it was referring specifically to this Board in its current and non-changing configuration, then yes. Earlier comments implied that they were referring to the ability of the Board to be modified to accomodate forum-level bans, on a what-if basis.
What’s your pain, anyhow? Should I not try to assist with something I know about? Should I also not respond to coal questions too? Be certain that you let me know exactly what I’m allowed to post on.
If I wrote that manhattan is a tool-what kind of tool would you like manny?
I didn’t say anything about coal questions, I know you are an expert in your chosen field. But everytime you respond to questions or gripes about how this board is run you seem to think that you are **the ** authority on how it should be done. And this thread contains another case in point:
You will note that I’m not commenting on whether you are right or wrong, just your abrasive way of putting it.
Please don’t edit my posts that way to only support your point. Let’s look at what I really said, OK? And look at it from the eyes of one who isn’t looking to take offense, wherever and however possible?
It’s still there, on the first page of the thread:
I’m asking if they have a copy of vBulletin because I was giving a suggestion as to where you go in the Admin Control Panel, and what you do. I would have posted a screenshot, but I can’t do that here. I get asked questions like this all the time, and it’s not unusual for me to mail lengthy instructions helping people set up boards - unlike others, I do actually make an effort to help people with technical issues. So that was the tone of my post.
And so what if I do post about how things work in vBulletin? At least I’m trying to help from a knowledge base of some experience. Look at ATMB once in a while. People pop in to post all sorts of things about what vBulletin can or can’t do, many of them incorrect. Why would people continue to do this? What is this need to post at all cost, regardless of whether one is right or wrong, regardless of whether or not one has experience, or any familiarity with the software? What really goes through someone’s head when they say “Hmm…now, I don’t have this software, and have never actually used it, but I think I’ll post on whether or not a specific feature can be added to the Board. Hey, why not, it’s a slow day at work anyhow.”
I’m not any authority, and I’ve got some things wrong too. But I know more than most people here on this, and I’m much more correct than incorrect.
What’s your alternative to having people who might know something post - having people who don’t know anything post? Is that a win-win situation? 
If someone thinks I’m incorrect on points about operations, I sure hope they post about it to show where I fucked up. Spreading disinformation hurts everyone. And unlike some people, I do actually admit when I’m wrong. And if someone thinks they have a better way of implementing something in vBulletin, they should damn well post it, and not sit there sniping at me. I’ve learned a few tricks from people on this Board about vBulletin, and I certainly can learn a lot more.
I vote that, from this time forward, all GQ questions be posted in the form of multiple choice or yes/no questions. Maybe we could even incorporate buttons, drop-down menus, or toggle switches in the forum, so that people could answer without typing any text at all.
Anthracite constantly adds to and provides information to the Board. When she’s discussed how the Board software works, she’s almost invariably been proved correct. (I can only thing of a very, VERY few posters with a better signal->noise ratio).
Why are you bothered by the fact that she’s familiar with the software that the Board operates on and is willing to share it?
Fenris