Good by BPL?

[Aaron Sorensen]

Hello,

I just want to say good by to everyone as it looks like this site will probably be either taken over by SPAM and or shut down soon from the amount of spam that will take over any day now.

Not only this but I'm sure we will soon be getting a msg stating to not use this site so our computers do not get hacked.
Glad I have a mac!

[Ike Jutkowitz]

The spam attacks are disheartening, but I'm sure this will be resolved soon enough. More upsetting to me is the lack of respect between members that has become more prevalent lately. I've met a number of great people on this site and hope to meet up with more in the future. As long the forums are populated by people like these, I'm not too worried about the future of BPL. In the meanwhile, don't forget the spirit of sharing and goodwill that this community has long been known for. If BPL doesn't make it, it will be because we forgot those principles.

[todd]

I agree completely with you, Ike.

…on all fronts

Todd

[Aaron Sorensen]

Ike,

These are not just spam attacks, there are also viruses that are spreading fast and have already affected many members.
Problems like this do not just get fixed.

If the site had any hope of future it would have needed to be fixed when the spam first came.
I for one have paid about 4 years of the annual membership and a mlife membership.
I LOVE this site. It is my all time favorite and the one I have spent the most time on over the past 8+ years.

I am hoping that with the move to a more secure host, the only forums that will not be saved are the current ones from the time the spam started to occur.

The longer they wait, the more costly this will take and the longer the site will be down.
There is a chance that the spam can take over this site and destroy it with viruses.
This is bound to happen if nothing is done soon and the state BLP is in right now, nothing will.

[Aaron]

"More upsetting to me is the lack of respect between members that has become more prevalent lately."

I agree with Ike, 100%. While the spam is annoying, it is a pretty easy fix. People being rude, disrespectful, and spiteful for no good reason is not. I've only been around on BPL for a little more than a year or so, but I don't remember forum member being this snarky and rude until the past few months.

If anything, people need to be reminded about civil discourse on a public forum. That is what makes a community.

[Dena Kelley]

I haven't had any problems with the SPAM becoming malware/spyware/viruses. None. So I think that's a real leap, to just assume that's a problem. Now perhaps if one of those links was clicked it could open us up to drive-by malware but I do hope people here are more sophisticated than to encourage a spammer by actually clicking one of their links.

I agree that there are occasional threads where civility seems to fly out the window and hope that changes. I think disagreement can be healthy at times but there's a way to do it respectfully.

Anyway, I plan to stick with the forum. I feel certain that the folks who run the forum are trying to figure out how to handle these spam attacks. Keep in mind that this is their "baby" and it has to upset them to have some outside spammer hijacking it from it's intended purpose. I know I'd be mad and determined to find a way to stop it.

[drowning in spam]

The spam attacks are disheartening, but I'm sure this will be resolved soon enough.

Ike, you must be quite an optimist. The response of BPL has been nearly no response at all. The only change in the last year was to add a script to add in the deletion of spam, but that has a couple bugs, one of which makes our legitimate threads disappear. The easiest, effective, no cost option has not been taken. When the response to an attack is to effectively do nothing, I can't be as optimistic in believing the attacks will stop.

Actually, I do believe the attacks will stop. Members and guests are already getting fed up. That we know. It's safe to assume unregistered visitors are getting fed up as well. Given that, membership fees are very likely to diminish, and BPL will be unable to pay its bills. Then the servers get shut down, and the attacks will stop. With the response of BPL, this result is inevitable unless Ryan Jordan wants to run this business in the red. With his lack of involvement in BPL, I'd say that's doubtful.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Aaron and all

NOT SO FAST!

BPL has a range of options. Yes, you may have to expect some kerfuffles for a short period while they are worked through, but please believe me when I say they ARE being worked through.
Probably the single biggest problem is the acute shortage of cash, but that won't stop us from dealing with the scum.

Cheers

[drowning in spam]

Moderators can be free.

[Ike Jutkowitz]

"Ike, you must be quite an optimist"
Actually, I consider myself a realist. The point I was trying to make though was that I am more bothered by the negativity of people who have been associated with the site than the impersonal actions of a faceless spambot. In the end though, I believe the spam will probably be controlled. If it isn't, i will probably find a way to maintain contact with those whose opinions I have valued.

As far as the owner's involvement, I'm not really looking for much more than someone to keep the lights on. I found significant worth in the archived articles, and have continued as a member because of the strength of the community. However, I have noticed an increasing number of technical articles that have interested me, coincident with Dave C joining the staff. Additionally, four articles and a number of threads that I found worth reading in the past month were written by Ryan Jordan. To me, this is fair evidence that the ownership maintains an active interest in the site.

[Aaron Sorensen]

Rodger,
You just made my day.
I think we've all either been waiting or needing to hear this from someone.

[David Chenault]

Wow, a busy week and weekend and all heck breaks loose.

The spam was extremely discouraging, but folks would be well served by keeping things in perspective here. This is an internet forum, and amount of hagiography which goes on when recalling the good old days is not doing anyone any favors.

[Harald Hope]

This summer, facebook forums were among those slammed by this software, along with many other sites, it's a technical issue, not a reason to stop using an internet resource. Google is also heavily abused by the software, it's the primary source of automated email account signups that the spammers rely on, those are two of the biggest web properties in the world, it's just an issue that requires correction, nothing more. Correcting it doesn't happen overnight. A major tech site, nvidia forums, was totally knocked offline some months ago, and has never really returned to its previous state.

Correcting these problems is in many cases not as easy as you think, particularly when a forum has managed to avoid the issues for so long that they avoided dealing with the problem at all at a core level, which seems to be the case with the various outdoor type forums people are noting have also been hit.

[Erik Basil]

Ah, who knows what forum this thread belongs in. Heck, I have to go look up "halogenography" or whatever that is.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Apparently it's the study of saints. Nice word.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagiography

[Erik Basil]

I figured it had something to do with light…

[Ken Thompson]

There are no saints here.

[John Donewar]

It's probably the first part of definition number two in this context.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hagiography

2 : idealizing or idolizing biography

I'm not sure if Dave was referring to a person or persons in his reference to "…the good old days…" or just the situation and circumstances of the past that we tend to perceive as being better just because we were more comfortable at that time.

I understood it to mean romanticizing or glorifying the past.

At least that's my take on it FWIW.

Party On,

Newton

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