Ok. This is a version of explanation that I've heard before, and it made sense. In this version, we'd best like a software with Discouragement's superior ID algorithm, but a full ban no posts setting, and we're settling for Discouragement as a second tier behind the IP ban because it's the best we got. That version stopped making sense when people then went on to say that we wouldn't want a ban software with Discouragement's ID algorithm after all, because...? I like John a lot, but clearly and admittedly, his goal here is to keep a secret. And that's fine. What creates problems is the attempt to nevertheless put on a great act about transparency, when the whole centre of this policy is about being opaque, albeit likely for good reason. Own up to that up front and you avoid confusing people.
Ok, go for it. It's time we had a real run at banning me, after all. I'm PMing you an email address you can use to tell me when it's on and when it's off again, in case that won't be possible through the board while we're banning me.
You realize, that you are probably the worst test possible, but at the same time, if it manages to work.... @John: make it so!
If discourage allows one to post how is it when I was on discourage I could not post at all? I was taken to Joihn's member page or the site never loaded. We know from Xenforo that the discouragement setting is the same for everyone. You can't have different levels of discouragement for different people. So why do you guys keep saying Skrain can post under discouragement and earn his way back in?
We don't keep saying that. We keep saying that he is banned. Ancalagon was confused about it earlier in the thread. In theory, yeah, it could be used in that way. If set to a lower level of discouragement, it could allow somebody who isn't banned to post with some disruption. Not what we're doing, and not what we've been saying it does.
"Discouragement can be used to discourage, as in making things tough. The idea is that a poster who has trouble using the board will wander away. I think this is the element that got Tamar and Tafkats concerned, for example. So yes, technically, a discouraged poster can still post unless s/he is also banned. Skrain is also banned. If he gets around the ban and is recognized by the software, then he will face discouragement until we get his ban locked down again." I wasn't banned. I was only discouraged.
Not sure what point you're getting at, but I'm pretty sure people have mentioned that it can be ratcheted up or down like a slider. Since we are only using it to supplement banning, why would we want somebody on discouragement to post?
The whole thing is a scam. If you are banned and discouraged you can get around both systems by simply setting up a new IP.
Right. They can still post unless they are banned. But if they are banned there is no need for discouragement. The argument that having discouragement as a second trip wire if the banned member gets around the ban is a false argument. If the banned member gets around the ban the discouragement tool won't know it and won't discourage the banned member because the only way to get around a banning is to get a new IP in which case discouragement simply doesn't realize the "new" member is still the old banned member.
Not true. Go back and reread my post replying to El Chup. There is a second line of defense that would usually stop the person.
There is no second line of defense. If they can get around a ban with a new IP and not have the board realize it's them then discouragement will not work either.
If it takes a year, a decade, two decades, I WILL find out what the secret is. And if it's NOT "algorithms", I'll come back, and kill you one by one. So, may as well just fess up.
Ok, so I've been banned and discouraged, I guess. While my "Packard" account locks me out and tells me I'm banned, I had no trouble whatsoever starting this account and posting this, given a changed IP and deleted cookies. (I'm not even sure if either or both were necessary, since a click each is all that takes.)
That also seems to work. And given the frequency of my posts here, I don't seem to be experiencing any increased flood control. I'm going to stop now. @John, would you please unban my original account at your leisure, or else tell me whether I'm missing the point somehow?
No, you didn't do anything wrong. In fact, the board found your IP, and instead of blocking you, let you in anyway. So give me just a minute here...
I have to say this is changing into a rather encouraging experience. In the long run, however, you might want to introduce some additional policies to deal with banned members who are, for whatever reasons of their own, less cooperative than I'm being right now.
