60 second spam delay

[brynn]

first post

[brynn]

2nd post

[brynn]

Hhmm, very strange....  I suppose the admin could be exempt??  I don't see the block or the error message, and I made the 2nd post in under 30 sec.  Let me try logging into a regular user account and test.

[ranger]

Ok, ranger here 

[ranger]

Hhm yes, admin must be exempt. 

I used the browser's back button, instead of the back button right under the error message.  Next trying the "Back" link....

[ranger]

No luck.  Let me contact SMF support, and find out if they can make this mod to save the message under this condition.

Edit
If you want to follow:  https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=460049.msg3957326#msg3957326

Note that possible responses range from 'no one ever answers the message' to 'fix ready in a few days to weeks to months' to 'can't or won't fix'.  So depending on the response, we'll go from there

[Moini]

This is a test.

[Moini]

Doesn't work (pasted this in 4 times now, and I still get that message)

[brynn]

My idea with this mod would not change the amount of time.  But at least your message would get saved, so you don't have to type it again, or remember it at all.

At this point, I'm not sure if that will be the best solution.  But it's one step at a time.

[Moini]

It's also not saved - or if it is, the saved text isn't loaded (or I just don't know how to find it). There's an option that can be set to text fields, so the browser remembers the text that has last been typed into them, in html, it's called 'autocomplete'. But not sure if that would work here, or cause more hassle than be useful.

[brynn]

Thanks for testing.

It doesn't look like there's much of a chance the Sisyphus mod can be edited to save the text under this condition.  I'll give it another week or 2, in case there might be more replies later.  I was hoping there might be more of a discussion, but maybe I should post a separate message to discuss the larger issue.

I mean the larger issue of preventing spam using this posting delay.  I'm having a suspicion that might have been an early, early way of preventing spam, when malicious spam first started to proliferate.  Because having the delay for ALL members, when really only newbies would be spammers -- doesn't make much sense.  I think that setting might be a.....sort of a relic?

[Moini]

Today, captchas that are no longer noticeable are the 'big thing'...
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/03/googles-recaptcha-announces-invisible-background-captchas/

[brynn]

Magic!

There is a recaptcha mod for SMF.  But when I tried it, it was throwing errors all over the place, and I didn't have time to investigate.  But it's certainly not the invisible kind.

We already have something like that with a mod called Bad Behavior.  It's interfaced with StopForumSpam site (which is a huge database of spammers reported by hundreds and thousands of other forums and websites).  Let's see, it says 1016 spammers blocked automatically in the last 7 days.  They can't even register!  Well, don't get me started on security, haha.

[brynn]

Based on the following things, I've reduced the posting time limit from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.

1 - Neither Lazur or I can really remember the last time we actually had spam posted (technically, attempt to be posted) in the forum!  (Well, I remember one, approx 7 to 10 days ago.  But before that, I don't remember.)
2 - We've never had any instance of attempts by spammers to post repetitively.
3 - We have multiple other and more powerful spam tools in effect.

I can't promise this will be a permanent change.  Someday we may need to bump it back up.  But until then, "meep-meep"!

[Moini]

Thank you, Brynn! Hope it's going to work out for everyone (except the spammers, of course ;-) )