# Testing...somebody read this!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-somebody-read-this/100011>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [March 25, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-somebody-read-this/100011 "2002-03-25T15:36:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-somebody-read-this/100011/1 "2002-03-25T15:36:58Z")

</div>

If I’m right, this OP won’t show up. So if you’re reading this, I’m wrong.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-somebody-read-this/100011/2 "2002-03-25T15:38:16Z")

</div>

Huh. I had a hypothesis that the first post in a thread would be eaten if the window were closed before the thread went through. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite fast enough. Somebody ought to try this when the board is slower.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-somebody-read-this/100011/3 "2002-03-26T22:28:03Z")

</div>

Well, I can tell you what will cause your post (first in a thread or otherwise) to be eaten… if you get a “Server 500” error window after you post! That’s happened to me at least once on this computer, so I’ve had to post the same thing again. I didn’t realize it had happened until after I tried to reference that post to another thread I was posting to. Luckily, getting an Error 10060 (of the connection timing out) doesn’t seem to affect my posting to threads (so far). This is why I almost never preview posts on this computer (I do on my brother’s faster computer)… unless my computer is being super good at the time!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-somebody-read-this/100011/4 "2002-03-26T23:58:53Z")

</div>

I don’t think I’ve seen that “Server 500” error yet. Here’s what I do when I post:[ul][li]Keep a copy in a small text editor (e.g. Notepad) in case the server decides to ignore me[/li][li]If after hitting submit the server takes a long time, try to re-display the thread before submitting again - that helps avoid double posts and once you hit submit the post almost always goes through[/li][li]If the server is abysmally slow, give up on posting and try again later. Save my immortal words in a temp text file on my hard disk so I don’t have to retype the whole thing in.[/li][/ul]