# O.K., I have GOT to know what happened here (Thread Zombied with the purpose of locking it) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 24, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209 "2013-05-24T12:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209/21 "2013-05-27T03:18:16Z")
All youse guys who see the soft-deleted posts, a question about numbering: How are those posts numbered? Do you see all subsequent posts having a different number than the number that we peons see? And when you soft-delete a post, do subsequent posts thereafter have different numbers than they did previously? I would think this would raise havoc with any links. Links that point to a specific post _sometimes_ contain the particular post number in their URL query string. EXAMPLE: A few posts up, **Digital is the new Analog** posted this remark: Apparently, [Chronos used to be a mod.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15071718&postcount=44) Maybe he has some super vision left over? Examining that link, we see it includes the post number of the linked post: [noparse][http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15071718&[/noparse]postcount=44](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15071718&%5B/noparse%5Dpostcount=44) Note, the link contains the actual post number (p=15071718) as well. How does vBulletin use that postcount=44 parameter then? What if a post gets deleted and that post is no longer #44? Does the link still get you to the right post because of the p=15071718 parameter? What happens if the p parameter is correct but the postcount parameter seems to indicate a different post? Is the link broken? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209/22 "2013-05-27T03:20:00Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > ETA: Ninaja’ed by **Digital is the new Analog**. BTW, I discovered this only because there’s a poll over on GB asking votes for the “worst Durp mod of all time, past or present”, and **Chronos** is listed among them. Moderator Note Let’s not bring business from other boards over here. > [@](#): > > ETA-2: And didn’t I see some historical note somewhere, to the effect that **Chronos** was once a very bad boy poster, under a different name, who got hisself bamminated? And then came contritely crawling back, groveling to be re-instated? And then he even got to be a mod? Just like St. Augustine! Not that I’ve ever heard. And if you are making this up, it’s casting aspersions on another poster baselessly, so knock it off. Colibri Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209/23 "2013-05-27T03:23:19Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > So, it is staff and paying members who see soft deletes? By virtue of being a former mod, **Chronos** is SDSAB. Maybe that’s what gives him mod-vision. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209/24 "2013-05-27T03:26:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Moderator Note > > Let’s not bring business from other boards over here. > > Not that I’ve ever heard. And if you are making this up, it’s casting aspersions on another poster baselessly, so knock it off. > > Colibri > Moderator NOT making it up (I think). And NOT deliberately casting aspersions. Just trying to be a little light-hearted. Sheesh. Youse guys are getting waaaaaaaaay to thin-skinned around here. And you know I’m not the only one around here who’s been saying that lately. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209/25 "2013-05-27T03:28:48Z")
Anyway, back to trying to be helpful: I just tried it. (Experimenting with what that postcount parameter does.) Now I know. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209/26 "2013-05-27T03:44:27Z")
Since the question has been answered, I’m closing this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-k-i-have-got-to-know-what-happened-here-thread-zombied-with-the-purpose-of-locking-it/659209.md?page=1)