Please get a handle on the spammers!

[ivanovnegro]

Everything I reported lastley was deleted by the mods, so they do it right at the moment.

[Aled Owen]

A site with a phpBB2 installation I worked on a few months back had quite a large spam problem, a solution may be to develop a bespoke CAPTCHA for this forum only, for example where 2 random numbers from 1-40 are generated and the user has to input the result of both numbers added together. So far on this particular forum it seems to have stopped all spambots, for now at least!

I have to be honest I've no idea how spambots work but since a lot of them seem to be automated I assume their scripts have written in them ways to crack particular open source anti-spam systems. Though correct me if I'm wrong.

[Bulkley]

Here's a new mod for phpbb. Spam Hammer: ends spam. period.

Modification Description: This MOD places simple restrictions on new users to prevent spammers from posting what they want: links. We no longer need annoying captchas, registration questions, and user moderation with this mod. We even enabled guest posting. See the full documentation and feature description here.


* Disables external links and bad words in posts, messages, signatures, and profiles until a user reaches a specified age and/or number of posts
* Own-site links are excluded from the filter, other sites can be added to a whitelist
* Configurable list of forbidden filter words, optionally show the user the trigger term
* Configurable unicode filters to prevent spam in languages not used in the forum
* Prevents 'sleeper agents' by disabling posts, signatures, and profiles for old accounts with 0 posts (optional)
* Zombie registration cleanup deletes old users with no posts (optional)
*Log of all filter actions (optional)
* Protections are 'automatically' disabled after the criteria are met (no moderation required)

This is worth a look see.

[Randicus]

dandelion2011
Five posts in various sub-fora, but not in this one.
Perhaps this discussion scared her off.

[ivanovnegro]

The best spammer till now was talking about the Debian development history, see topic, if not yet deleted: http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=69931.

[saulgoode]

The best spammer till now was talking about the Debian development history, see topic, if not yet deleted: http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=69931.

Yes, that post was removed because the user's signature contained several inappropriate links.

Here is the content of the removed post:

Debian development history

LAN Murdock in 1973, was born in Germany on April 28, the king of the city (Stan Konstanz, some). He is Debian GNU/Linux release, is also the founder of commercial Linux vendor Progeny the company's founder. At present he worked in Sun microsystem Microsystems, Inc, responsible for the operation of the system from platform development strategy. Before joining from the Ian Murdock, before is Linux Foundation (Linux Foundation) chief technology chief (CTO), and Linux platform interaction Standard (LSB) chairman of the Standard Base Linux.

Debian on August 16, 1993 by then also in purdue university to study the Ian Murdock first published. The Ian Murdock first put his system is called "Debian LinuxRelease". In the definition file Debian Manifesto, the Ian Murdock, said it would open source way, in line with Linux and the GNU spirit issued a set of the GNU/Linux distribution. The name of the Debian by his girlfriend (now his wife Debra) for his own name and the Ian Murdock merger and become.

The initial planning Debian develops slowly, in 1994 and 1995, respectively; 0.9 x version released 1. X version is released in 1996. In 1996, Bruce Perens took over from the Ian Murdock become the leader of the Debian plan. That same year, a developer Schuessler Ean in their plans offer Debian should be established between the user and a social contract. After some discussion, Bruce Perens published Debian social contract (Debian SocialContract) and Debian free software guide (Debian FreeSoftware Google), defines the Debian development of the basic commitments.

Under the GNU C in 1998 based on operation period of library Debian, Bruce Perens before release 2.0 left the Debian development work. Debian elected a new leader, and start released two other 2. X version, include more interface and software packages. APT and first the Debian GNU/Linux interface-Hurd development also started. The first building on Debian Linux distributions Corel Linux and Stormix Storm of Linux in 1999 to development. Despite failing to successful development, the two release became built on Debian Linux distributions pioneer.

In in late 2000, the Debian on the database and posted by the management make significant changes, it restructuring the process of collecting software, and created the "test" (testing) version as a stable on a demo of the next release. In the same year, the Debian developers start called the annual meeting, held Debconf for its developers and technology lectures and workshops provided with home.

[ivanovnegro]

^ Yeah, thanks for taking it into account. They seem to have better and more crazy ideas.

[eric1959]

Looking at the members list it looks like we have around 160 new members in the last 24 hours !

[old_duffer]

nvm

[Bulkley]

I have a better page about Spam Hammer. We are experimenting with it on the other forum I help with. What is attractive with Spam Hammer is that it requires very little attention after being set up.

I particularly like the Zombie registration purge which "deletes all users with 0 posts who are older than the minimum account age." I'm not sure what is the optimum time period but I do think that anyone who has not bothered to post by three months is either not interested or a sleeper spammer. As I understand it, this will not be a problem for a regular poster who is away for a while.

[eric1959]

nvm

Why did you remove your post...?

[traveler]

nvm

Why did you remove your post...?

Probably because the mystery poster realized it was a waste of his time to try to offer any solution to the current regime. After all, I doubt he's a Debian member- which makes his suggestions completely irrelevant anyway.

[nadir]

Sadly, there is no one with the time or ambition to take on the responsibility of making those changes at the server. The 'position' is open but the only individuals that would be considered must have Debian membership.

There is another viable option - offering the site to a consortium of members on the condition that they move it off the debian.net servers and domain. forum.debian.net can then function as a redirect to the new domain/server - or would that also be out of the question?

Personally I think that's a far better option than continuing with the current situation of the site being administered by people who clearly don't want to do it and have no real interest in doing it. This was a great site once and it's sad to see it's decline and decay being brought about by simple apathy and mismanagement. If you prefer to sit and watch it rot rather than do something about it - then you're only an admin in name and nothing more.

The current "red" admins here do not participate on this site and thus do not really care about it's future either way, this has been obvious to many of us for a long time now. While this might seem trivial to a debian developer or maintainer to those that use the forums it's a very different story - this site has been an invaluable resource to many. For many years it simply worked as it was...

The spam situation has only been out of control since about march when the admins decided to give up the goat on this place... the moderators and spam hunters have obviously been doing their best to delete the spam, but without active admins to actually sit down and delete the bot accounts and implement improved spam busting software (all entirely possible by the way) they are fighting a losing battle as the bots keep on returning. This must be soul destroying for the mods and spam hunters - it's clearly had an effect on them and an effect on the board and it's members as a whole.

It seems to me that we have an administration here who did their level best to drive out a certain faction of the user base back in February this year - once they had achieved this end they simply vanished off the radar... so getting rid of those people was worth all of the work, the bans, getting up there on the moral high ground posting lectures, etc? - but when it comes down to deleting spam and just "running a debian board" - there is no one left with neither the "time or ambition" for it...?

After the crap you have put people through here, you should be ashamed.

and yes, like traveler said: the pity is that it really doesn't matter what one says.
The best i can propose: burn it down to the ground, start fresh. What i see right now is a shame for the OS.

[linuxday]

Let us not fight and just play nice especially on Linux Day!

Yay for Linux Day!



Linux Day 2011 Teams

[saulgoode]

and yes, like traveler said: the pity is that it really doesn't matter what one says.

While I consider it far from pityable, it is a fact of life that people generally place higher regard on what a person does than what he says.

The best i can propose: burn it down to the ground, start fresh. What i see right now is a shame for the OS.

I do not understand this mentality that the only way one can advance himself comes at the cost of the diminution of others. This forum exists so that users of the Debian distribution of GNU/Linux software can share their experiences and support each other in achieving maximal benefit from using it.

If you do not feel this forum is meeting its mandate then by all means offer suggestions on how the situation can be improved. But if the only proposition which you have to offer is "burn it down" then I would submit that you are being overly dismissive of those who feel that this forum offers, despite its imperfections, a worthwhile service to the Debian community.

This forum does not lay claim to exclusivity in providing such service -- indeed there are many alternatives available (including the forums at Linux Questions, Linux Forums, Debian Help, and the one in your signature). If you are not gaining satisfaction from your experience in participating in these forums, fine -- but why would you begrudge that option being made available to others who feel differently?

[old_duffer]

As I'm addressing you directly, it's only fair to say who I am. This is cynwulf,

While I consider it far from pityable, it is a fact of life that people generally place higher regard on what a person does than what he says.

So once again you adopt the same lecturing and patronising stance? Defending the indefensible and standing up for the people in red just because - instead of the users who actually made this place (not those that went to the other forums - all the users). How on earth can members here be judged on "actions" when they are powerless to do anything about these problems? Instead apply your logic and judgements to the people in power here, who could have done something, but instead sat on their hands. The average member can do nothing here to change the state of affairs. This has been made abundantly clear for years.

As members, all we can do is talk and that's it. Suggestions have been offered time and time again, the administration have ignored it all. In the end this place was turning into a circus, so many of us voted with our feet and left - presumably that's what the admin wanted to happen. I no longer have a problem with that - what I do have a problem with is that the site has since been left to rot under a pile of spam. So you got rid of the undesirables and the "problem", so where is the "bean system" and all of the other improvements? It seems to me that after solving problem A, certain people either went to rest on their laurels up in the ivory tower, or they simply ran out of ideas as to what do next. Where is Mez who was at the forefront of this crusade to modernise fdn? So far nothing has changed here and then a few days ago the almost mythical admin reappears (at least one of them anyway) with a typical condescending lecture but also with that vital bit of information: There is no one with the "time or ambition" for this place. The fact that someone can turn up after about 6 months of absence and think it's perfectly ok to do so shows the depth of the problem here.

I do not understand this mentality that the only way one can advance himself comes at the cost of the diminution of others. This forum exists so that users of the Debian distribution of GNU/Linux software can share their experiences and support each other in achieving maximal benefit from using it.

Your first sentence is obviously aimed at the people who left and went to the other place - you and some others need to put aside your own prejudices and recognise that they are a drop in the ocean compared to the total sum of the people who actually left.

If you do not feel this forum is meeting its mandate then by all means offer suggestions on how the situation can be improved. But if the only proposition which you have to offer is "burn it down" then I would submit that you are being overly dismissive of those who do feel that this forum offers, despite its imperfections, a worthwhile service to the Debian community.

Suggestions have been offered. On the previous page BioTube suggested a very effective anti-spam counter-measure which is in use at the other forums. Your admin here won't try it out, because they have neither the "time or ambition" to do so... that doesn't bother you at all? When it comes down to it no one is willing to admit the real source of the spam problem here:

Spam posts were deleted by the mods and spam hunters. Spam user accounts were not deleted by the administration.

"donaldsmith" - spambot : http://forums.debian.net/memberlist.php ... le&u=42654

Registered in July - 59 posts all currently deleted. Account status: active.

Not an exception, but one of many.

Why were spam accounts not deleted by the administration? It comes down to "time and ambition" once again - roughly translated : the administration lost interest and no longer give a flying **** about the site. These people care so little about this board they won't even remove the bloody spam... This was made evident to most of us for the last several months of seeing spammers run riot with admins nowhere to be seen.

This forum does not lay claim to exclusivity in providing such service -- indeed there are many alternatives available (including the forums at Linux Questions, Linux Forums, Debian Help, and the one in your signature). If you are not gaining satisfaction from your experience in participating in these forums, fine -- but why would you begrudge that option being made available to others who feel differently?

In other words put up with the current situation or GTFO? Dispense with the aloof "lawyering" speak... you're interacting with your fellows in this community, you're not perched on a balcony addressing the plebs below.

[pleasevisitmyforum]

I will constantly whine like the little twat that I am.

A condescending word of advice: don't add spam bot in your little forum or it would look even more desolated than it already is. Your constant whining is worse than spam. Please get lost like you promised.

[nadir]

and yes, like traveler said: the pity is that it really doesn't matter what one says.

While I consider it far from pityable, it is a fact of life that people generally place higher regard on what a person does than what he says.

Aha.
Obviously the ones who have proposed what one could do, in this thread, are not in the position to make those changes.
Its only the so called staff who could do something.
Like said in the quote it was not much trouble to ban people, edit posts, remove posts and more, while adding a reliable spam protection is too much work.
You know very well what i and a few others have done, so don't tell me i would only "say" and not "do".
If you want to do, do. I don't hinder you to do something.

I also reported a lot of spam in the past, but after i realized that giving a row of spammers (they were listed by birthday) resulted in nothing, i gave up on it.
I am not the clown who reports and nothing happens.

The best i can propose: burn it down to the ground, start fresh. What i see right now is a shame for the OS.

I do not understand this mentality that the only way one can advance himself comes at the cost of the diminution of others. This forum exists so that users of the Debian distribution of GNU/Linux software can share their experiences and support each other in achieving maximal benefit from using it.

If you do not feel this forum is meeting its mandate then by all means offer suggestions on how the situation can be improved. But if the only proposition which you have to offer is "burn it down" then I would submit that you are being overly dismissive of those who feel that this forum offers, despite its imperfections, a worthwhile service to the Debian community.

This forum does not lay claim to exclusivity in providing such service -- indeed there are many alternatives available (including the forums at Linux Questions, Linux Forums, Debian Help, and the one in your signature). If you are not gaining satisfaction from your experience in participating in these forums, fine -- but why would you begrudge that option being made available to others who feel differently?

I have offered suggestions, and more than just a few, and a lot of other people have offered suggestions too. They have been ignored, and the result can be observed daily, by going here: http://forums.debian.net/search.php?sea ... ive_topics
You think/say "it offers a worthwhile service", and i doubt that.
What you say, offer suggestions or be quiet, is similar to "love it or leave it" (In general i have left, so that far i am ok).
I agree that linuxquestions.org is a good alternative. This forum once has been much better than linuxquestions.org , but those times are gone.
antiX forum is another good one, while debianhelp is very silent (so not of much help right now).
There is also http://ask.debian.net/, which is close to something like a forum (for those who don't like mailing lists).

In case nothing changed i think you don't even use Debian, but Slackware, so i don't know how you want to decide if something is good for the Debian community. If you think it is of good quality right now all we can do is disagree about that.

I don't need to advance myself.
I have seen a good forum go south, and that makes me angry and sad.

PS: i did not know whose post i have saved and quoted after it was removed. It says exactly what i think, i had fear it would be removed, and that is why i saved it.

[old_duffer]

A condescending word of advice: don't add spam bot in your little forum or it would look even more desolated than it already is. Your constant whining is worse than spam. Please get lost like you promised.

Well I see the trolls have finally come out to play...

But no little fellow, you continue hiding behind your anonymity - what you do best. When you're ready to finally come out of the closet - someone may then start to actually give a **** about your opinions...

[pleasevisitmyforum]

A condescending word of advice: don't add spam bot in your little forum or it would look even more desolated than it already is. Your constant whining is worse than spam. Please get lost like you promised.

Well I see the trolls have finally come out to play...

But no little fellow, you continue hiding behind your anonymity - what you do best. When you're ready to finally come out of the closet - someone may then start to actually give a **** about your opinions...

No, you're the anonymous guy, little twat. Why don't you get a Debian membership and maybe we'll hear you out. Go stand in the corner.