Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    The spam problem is tough. Believe me, no matter what we do, people will find ways around it. Much of the spam isn't a user clicking and posting like you. There are automated scripts that post, and avoid these forms. The least performance impact-ive way is to have a process that removes posts after they appear. Often posts are removed by the time you've reported a few.

    I am trying to get other changes, but I don't have the ability to force this.

    I know what you mean on both sides of the coin. I hope you didn't take my comment as a jab because that is by no means the case. It is hard to buy in to a problem that others don't see as big of a challenge. Even more challenging when it requires several resources to fix.

    I don't know how much control you have over the code since it is at least mostly a third party base which also adds some serious levels of complexity to the problem. One thing I have done in the past is set a session value and a hidden form value. Then when posting those values must match or the post is deemed invalid. Forcing this value to change at every login makes spoofing it pretty difficult to use external automation.

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  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    The spam problem is tough. Believe me, no matter what we do, people will find ways around it. Much of the spam isn't a user clicking and posting like you. There are automated scripts that post, and avoid these forms. The least performance impact-ive way is to have a process that removes posts after they appear. Often posts are removed by the time you've reported a few.

    I am trying to get other changes, but I don't have the ability to force this.

    You could avoid a lot of spam if you blocked the spammers account when you remove the spam post(s).



    Alvin Ramard
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  • Alvin Ramard (11/25/2015)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    The spam problem is tough. Believe me, no matter what we do, people will find ways around it. Much of the spam isn't a user clicking and posting like you. There are automated scripts that post, and avoid these forms. The least performance impact-ive way is to have a process that removes posts after they appear. Often posts are removed by the time you've reported a few.

    I am trying to get other changes, but I don't have the ability to force this.

    You could avoid a lot of spam if you blocked the spammers account when you remove the spam post(s).

    we do this. However this doesn't always work. As I have noted in the past, there is probably some security hole that allows post to continue to be posted.

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    Alvin Ramard (11/25/2015)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    The spam problem is tough. Believe me, no matter what we do, people will find ways around it. Much of the spam isn't a user clicking and posting like you. There are automated scripts that post, and avoid these forms. The least performance impact-ive way is to have a process that removes posts after they appear. Often posts are removed by the time you've reported a few.

    I am trying to get other changes, but I don't have the ability to force this.

    You could avoid a lot of spam if you blocked the spammers account when you remove the spam post(s).

    we do this. However this doesn't always work. As I have noted in the past, there is probably some security hole that allows post to continue to be posted.

    But you manage to block Celko effectively - although he can post, when he does the post doesn't actually appear anywhere because it doesn't exist (although if it was to a thread I'm subscribed to, I get the "new post" message). So why are you (not you individually, but the company) hammering JC harder than you hammer the spammer? I know JC's sometimes an offensive pain. but he's nowhere near as offensive or as painful as the typical spammer.

    Tom

  • Lynn Pettis (11/25/2015)


    Help, I can't read and don't know how to attach a file... Sorry, some people are finding it easier to push my buttons today.

    And if it's the thread I;m thinking about, the other two there are not making it any better.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • TomThomson (11/25/2015)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    Alvin Ramard (11/25/2015)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    The spam problem is tough. Believe me, no matter what we do, people will find ways around it. Much of the spam isn't a user clicking and posting like you. There are automated scripts that post, and avoid these forms. The least performance impact-ive way is to have a process that removes posts after they appear. Often posts are removed by the time you've reported a few.

    I am trying to get other changes, but I don't have the ability to force this.

    You could avoid a lot of spam if you blocked the spammers account when you remove the spam post(s).

    we do this. However this doesn't always work. As I have noted in the past, there is probably some security hole that allows post to continue to be posted.

    But you manage to block Celko effectively - although he can post, when he does the post doesn't actually appear anywhere because it doesn't exist (although if it was to a thread I'm subscribed to, I get the "new post" message). So why are you (not you individually, but the company) hammering JC harder than you hammer the spammer? I know JC's sometimes an offensive pain. but he's nowhere near as offensive or as painful as the typical spammer.

    I agree with this. But from Steve's message, the implication is that there is a 'back-door' somewhere, which allows spammers to post while avoiding validation checks. If true, this is a massive security hole and I'd assume that resources are being thrown at this.

    The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
    - Martin Rees
    The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
    - Phil Parkin

  • Phil Parkin (11/26/2015)


    TomThomson (11/25/2015)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    Alvin Ramard (11/25/2015)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (11/25/2015)


    The spam problem is tough. Believe me, no matter what we do, people will find ways around it. Much of the spam isn't a user clicking and posting like you. There are automated scripts that post, and avoid these forms. The least performance impact-ive way is to have a process that removes posts after they appear. Often posts are removed by the time you've reported a few.

    I am trying to get other changes, but I don't have the ability to force this.

    You could avoid a lot of spam if you blocked the spammers account when you remove the spam post(s).

    we do this. However this doesn't always work. As I have noted in the past, there is probably some security hole that allows post to continue to be posted.

    But you manage to block Celko effectively - although he can post, when he does the post doesn't actually appear anywhere because it doesn't exist (although if it was to a thread I'm subscribed to, I get the "new post" message). So why are you (not you individually, but the company) hammering JC harder than you hammer the spammer? I know JC's sometimes an offensive pain. but he's nowhere near as offensive or as painful as the typical spammer.

    I agree with this. But from Steve's message, the implication is that there is a 'back-door' somewhere, which allows spammers to post while avoiding validation checks. If true, this is a massive security hole and I'd assume that resources are being thrown at this.

    Possibly as simple as the sessions not being terminated when the user accounts are?

    😎

  • A simple issue, but I'm not having much success.

    Could somebody have a look at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1740538-391-1.aspx#bm1740579 please?

    Either the driver they're using doesn't allow some the solution I'm suggesting, or they're doing something strange.

    Or I'm just wrong.

    Thanks.

  • BrainDonor (11/27/2015)


    A simple issue, but I'm not having much success.

    Could somebody have a look at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1740538-391-1.aspx#bm1740579 please?

    Either the driver they're using doesn't allow some the solution I'm suggesting, or they're doing something strange.

    Or I'm just wrong.

    Thanks.

    They're using Informix.

    The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
    - Martin Rees
    The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
    - Phil Parkin

  • Phil Parkin (11/27/2015)

    They're using Informix.

    Hence the word 'Informix' in the error message. Obvious now, thanks.

  • BrainDonor (11/27/2015)


    Phil Parkin (11/27/2015)

    They're using Informix.

    Hence the word 'Informix' in the error message. Obvious now, thanks.

    If my message sounded sarcastic, I apologise. That was not my intention.

    The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
    - Martin Rees
    The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
    - Phil Parkin

  • No it wasn't, not in the slightest. If anything I was having a dig at myself. One of the many voices in my head loves to tell me when I've missed the obvious.

  • Phil Parkin (11/27/2015)


    BrainDonor (11/27/2015)


    Phil Parkin (11/27/2015)

    They're using Informix.

    Hence the word 'Informix' in the error message. Obvious now, thanks.

    If my message sounded sarcastic, I apologise. That was not my intention.

    I come across it and gave it a shot. It appears that the OP isn't listening. They just posted an attempt using TO_CHAR, which is an Oracle function. Like I said, I gave it a shot, but I don't know if the OP really understands that different databases are different.

  • My SO just informed me that he's learned how to write a LEFT INNER JOIN in Oracle.

    And now my head is just spinning with the notion that an INNER JOIN can be left or right in another SQL language. Should I be scared now?

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

  • Brandie Tarvin (11/27/2015)


    My SO just informed me that he's learned how to write a LEFT INNER JOIN in Oracle.

    And now my head is just spinning with the notion that an INNER JOIN can be left or right in another SQL language. Should I be scared now?

    Hint: it's Black Friday and so is the humour:-D

    😎

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