Slashdot Updates 1057
The formkey bug that was wreaking havoc all weekend was fixed. It was a mistake in seeding rand that was causing a small percentage of users to have problems posting. It wasn't a conspiracy designed to thwart anyone, just you. Man it was a pain in the ass. But it was squashed on Sunday (thank god).
Anonymous Coward filtering is now in place. It's not exactly finished, but it'll do for now. Essentially there is now a user preference that sets all AC posts to -1. This has been a very common user request for some time, so turn it on if you like. It's currently off by default. It's only a baby step: eventually there will be more fine-tuned controls for anonymous posts, as well as comment types. For Example: I'd personally like to assign a -2 penalty on any comment rated 'funny' because most of them frankly just aren't funny at all. But humor is far too subjective to say that the moderation is unfair. Anyway, now everyone can decide for themselves. That should happen in the next few weeks.
Last up, I'm gonna talk a little about advertisements and subscriptions. Slashdot continues to grow: our traffic has increased by like 10% in the last few months, and simply selling the banner ads you see on top of each page isn't going to be enough to keep us afloat if we keep growing. And selling banner ads in 2001 is an awful lot harder then it was in 1999.
The change will be a different ad size on the article page. Currently we have the standard banner size on top of all pages, but soon the article pages will instead have those huge square things that you see on CNet or ZD. I know this will be unpopular with many people, myself included, but when we make the switch, we will also have some sort of subscription system where you can pay a fee to disable them honestly. (No I don't know how much yet!)
Just to shut down the conspiracy theorists, nobody is forcing us to make these changes: The navbar. The new ad formats. The subscription system. I could just say 'No' to changes like these. But Slashdot is now four years old ... and I want it to still be here four years from now. I hope you can understand the expensive reality associated with making this site happen every day for a quarter of a million readers.
Now flame me if you feel it necessary. Get it out of your system.
That sound you hear... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How much? (Score:4, Funny)
Last thing.
Those big mid-page ads on CNET are why I don't go there anymore.
You better have a good explanation for why you think that slashdot folks are willing to tolerate them.
You don't have to tolerate them! Taco just said you can buy a subscription and disable them!
And as unpopular as it is to pay for the things, people work on slashdot so we can all have fun reading it. And they have to make money too (god knows their stock ain't worth shit anymore).
OSDN is serious about this bar... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:shit. (Score:1, Funny)
I would hate to ever see full sized ads, the banner is bad enough! But a 10% increase does not mean 10% more profit. Quite the opposite actually. That's 10% more strain on your network and equipment, but you'll be lucky if 1% click on the banner ads which is the money maker.
Funny is funny... (Score:4, Funny)
This is a bad option, even if we all agree as to what you can laugh at. "Funny" is the one excuse you have for modding up a post that's really offtopic or trollbait.
Re:The Anonymous Coward thing... (Score:2, Funny)
What, like "bloat" ? Uh-oh, that's almost any article about Microsoft out then...
Re:That sound you hear... (Score:3, Funny)
Funny Posts (Score:5, Funny)
Sometimes, I just want to read the posts modded "funny"... Slashdot can be the best source of humor anywhere.
I wish I could filter out all that "Interesting" and "Informative" crap, and make it my own personal humor site.
Something to brighten my day between issues of TheOnion.
The Get-Rich-Quick Scheme Taco Should Have Used (Score:5, Funny)
Slashdot doesn't need banner ads or subscriptions. If Taco wants cash all he has to do is start selling karma.. Just think: Karma-whoring with a credit card.
Who here wouldn't pay a few extra bucks for a little more karma?
After that, he could introduce credit-card moderating.. $10 and you can take that pro MSFT comment from +5 all the way down to -2!
Re:How much? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I As Well (Score:2, Funny)
Max
Re:Paying for _community_ content? (Score:2, Funny)
Oh, our mistake, we'll just send that content to the bandwidth providers and I'm sure they'll accept it in place of payment.
As will the landlords and grocery stores used by those who maintain slashdot.
ah, that explains a lot...thanks. (Score:3, Funny)
From CmdrTaco:
I'd personally like to assign a -2 penalty on any comment rated 'funny' because most of them frankly just aren't funny at all. But humor is far too subjective to say that the moderation is unfair. Anyway, now everyone can decide for themselves. That should happen in the next few weeks.
Well, you got your wish CT, any funny comment that I've seen and made, reguardless of content has been modded down (probably including this one, too).
Don't believe me...browse at -1 on occasion.
Too many "Why was this modded down" posts are cropping up... or rants on the subject.
You are correct that "humor is entirely to subjective", so, we'll be objective about it and hunt down people by name and mod them down no matter what. Seems to be the case.
Ever since my (only) accepted submission of "MS extensions" being another piece of the monopoly they have...things have gone to hell and a handbasked.
Ironically, what I had written on the subject was being an "interesting notion and plausable" and my words were ignored but the slashdot spin put on it was all that was needed to bring about being modded down reguardless
Aw, gawd, I hate it when I answer my own question, but it took this subject to make it clear.
I post a story.
Story Accepted.
Story posted +
Moose gets villified.
Moose gets modded down at every turn reguardless of content/intent.
Let me be the first to say, that I have never, ever trolled.
Yes, I have strayed offtopic during a post (who hasn't on occasion), I've had rants that are/were/could be flamebait (when you are pissed, you really don't care).
I've apologized (and gotten modded down in the process...my, how nice).
Personally I find the quote from CmdrTaco disturbing, almost as bad as trying to "legislate morality"...we all know how well that works.
Think about it: a -2 for being/trying to be funny?
Dang, but why not just say "try to crack a joke and we will censor you".
The ultimate irony here is in "trying to avoid becoming the things/people we "hate/dislike" only to look and see we have turned into just that. (i.e. if
I think my sig says the above in the fewest words possible and more to the point.
(even more ironic is it was one of the funniest lines in the monty python film it came from)
Moose.
Re:shit. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Ummm... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:How much? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:I As Well (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Some contradiction here? (Score:2, Funny)
[Ultra-bizarre post in which user number 459812 refers to self as "a slashdot veteran", protests the "blindingly obvious" insightful posts in a manner virtually indistinguishable from any other protest of same, and is modded as insightful.]
[Obligatory reply attempting to point out the irony of parent post, but self-consciously ignoring several inconvenient facts so that it can be modded as funny.]