Other Forums

[scout1idf]

I thought it would be interesting to see how you view other forums that you use compared to "ours".

I'll start with an example from the SitePoint forum that I recently joined.

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My response to a post.......

I just finished reading "JavaScript A Beginners Guide 2nd edition" by John Pollock. Even though I am just beginning and don't understand much, I found it informative. I like how each chapter gives you a test at the end and some Q&A spots through out the chapters.

I had to laugh in the beginning where he says, "You remember algebra from school......."

I didn't take algebra.
The response from a forum Mentor......

I thought that Algebra was one of the basic areas of Mathematics that everyone was expected to know BEFORE starting high school. Something taught long before you start to get to choose what subjects you are going to study. About the only way of not having been taught Algebra would be if you left school before you were nine years old..........
I found the bold text kinda offensive in general but especially so from a “Mentor”. It sounds like he's calling me a drop out without even knowing who I am or my back ground.

Also my age is visible on my page so he could have looked before posting his comment. (Algebra was not required in grade school or high school when I was in school). I have had no visits to my page so I know he didn't bother.

After 2 days he still hasn't responded to my explanation of that fact (and he has been online)........

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Sorry if it sounds like I'm using this thread to complain. I just want you all to know that I appreciate the way we interact as friends here and that "slams" are (usually) meant all in good fun.;)

[Doolipalally]

I'd have found that offensive too!

[wetheril]

I agree--how tactless and insulting! Not to mention that he is incorrect in his assumption about Algebra taught in schools nowadays. I tutor math for middle and high schoolers, and I can tell that Algebra is NOT required to enter high school. Maybe pre-Algebra (Transitions Math) in 8th grade, would be required for high school. The "regular track" that I'm familiar with has Algebra studies beginning in high school itself.

[Oldschool]

Definitely not "tongue in cheek" and I woulda took it offensive. One of those you'd like to reply to via "fist in mouth" - lol.

While not regulary or even semi-regularly active on any other fourms I agree about this forum's overall tone Scout. From my limited experience and other folk's posts it seems many forums are rife with antagonism and personal attacks.

Not so here and I'm thankful to everyone for that.

[scout1idf]

I agree--how tactless and insulting! Not to mention that he is incorrect in his assumption about Algebra taught in schools nowadays. I tutor math for middle and high schoolers, and I can tell that Algebra is NOT required to enter high school. Maybe pre-Algebra (Transitions Math) in 8th grade, would be required for high school. The "regular track" that I'm familiar with has Algebra studies beginning in high school itself.

I took pre-Algebra in the 8th grade and it turned out to be no more than general math. We never got to any algebra by the end of the school year....

.......One of those you'd like to reply to via "fist in mouth" - lol. ........

My thought exactly. Lucky he's down in Badstench's (general) neighborhood. {Australia}

By the way, they use vBulletin with the rep system turned off........

[thingirl]

Wow. And Algabra is not required to get into HS. I'm taking it this year for a HS credit (I've always been a year ahead in Math and Science.)

I'm not on any other forums, BTW.

[texlaw1992]

I was tutoring my wife's daughter in Algebra while she was staying with us. It's surprising the stuff you remember from high school.

I agree that the bold comment was out of line and a lot of people do not take algebra in high school, but many more people should do so. It helps you learn to think even if you otherwise have no real-world use for it. It's especially helpful if you have or plan to have children. A math teacher's best friend is a parent who actually can help the child outside of class.

[Oldschool]

It's especially helpful if you have or plan to have children. A math teacher's best friend is a parent who actually can help the child outside of class.

I'll agree with that as FIFTH grade math is causing me to "study" sometimes. :rolleyes: Gonna just get more interesting I'm afraid.

H@ll and I thought when you finished school you were finished with homework. :)

[scout1idf]

To look back on it 20+ years later, I wish that I had applied myself more in school instead of following the crowd and thumbing my nose at education.

I now want to learn stuff like computer programming and the like and algebra would have helped a lot along with other forms of math.

As for computer classes at the time, the Atari 800 and Commodore 64 was the big thing in home computers.

I still remember when my brother bought an Atari 130XE and had more power than the computers at school. Now my cheap cell phone has more power than that did.....:p

EDIT:
I got the model wrong it was a 130XE and I listed the specs to show what (little) it could do.....
*******************

NAME 65 / 130 XE
MANUFACTURER Atari
TYPE Home Computer
ORIGIN U.S.A.
YEAR 1985
BUILT IN LANGUAGE Atari Basic
KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard, 57 keys, 5 function keys (Help, Start, Select, Option, Reset)
ESC, TAB, CONTROL, SHIFT (x2), DELETE, BREAK, RETURN, CAPS, GRAPH MODE
CPU MOS 6502C
SPEED 1.79 MHz
CO-PROCESSOR GTIA (video), POKEY (Sound, I/O), ANTIC (Video), FREDDY (memory)
RAM 130-XE : 128 kb
65-XE : 64 kb
ROM 24 kb
TEXT MODES Five text modes, maximum : 40 x 24
GRAPHIC MODES 11 graphic modes, maximum : 320 x 192
COLORS 16 colors with 15 intensity level each
SOUND 4 channels, 3.5 octaves
I/O PORTS Composite video output, Cardridge port, Expansion port, SIO peripheral port (tape, disk, printer, modem), 2 x joystick connectors
POWER SUPPLY External power supply unit (1A, 5v cc)

*******************

Check out that :rolleyes:awesome:rolleyes: RAM.......

[texlaw1992]

Bill Gates' famous quote (more or less): "Who would ever need more than 600k [of memory]?"

My first personal computer was an Apple IIe, but I used an Apple I, an Apple II, a TI-99, a TRS-80, a Commodore Pet, and an Atari 800. I still remember talking to a friend over a modem at 110 bps. Those were the days.

[Young Ned]

He said 640K, actually, because that was the maximum allowed by MS-DOS.

Yes, old computer specs seem mind-bogglingly low when we look at them nowadays. Amazing how far computers have come so quickly...

[texlaw1992]

640k - thanks for the info.

I meant to post this earlier as an algebra brain teaser. Check my work (note that for lack of an available keyboard symbol, 2 means squared):

Assume A=B
Then AB=A2
AB-B2 = A2-B2
B(A-B) = (A+B)(A-B)
B=A+B
B=2B
Therefore 1=2

[wetheril]

Assume A=B
Then AB=A2
AB-B2 = A2-B2
B(A-B) = (A+B)(A-B)
B=A+B
B=2B
Therefore 1=2

LOL! Good one, and repped. The conclusion at the end is hilarious, though at the end, I keep seeing B=0 (and A=0).

[zmflavius]

640k - thanks for the info.

I meant to post this earlier as an algebra brain teaser. Check my work (note that for lack of an available keyboard symbol, 2 means squared):

Assume A=B
Then AB=A2
AB-B2 = A2-B2
B(A-B) = (A+B)(A-B)
B=A+B
B=2B
Therefore 1=2

B(A-B) = (A+B)(A-B)
B=A+B

A=B, therefore A-B is 0. You cannot divide by 0.

[texlaw1992]

Exactly right Zm, but it takes a little thought to catch it.

Even stumped my engineer (chemical, not train) father for a while years ago.

[scout1idf]

I didn't mean to get us off topic earlier so to get us back on track of the thread........

I thought it would be interesting to see how you view other forums that you use compared to "ours".

[zmflavius]

I didn't mean to get us off topic earlier so to get us back on track of the thread........

I think the main difference is that on "other forums" people are much open on their much harsher opinions.

[Doolipalally]

I think the main difference is that on "other forums" people are much open on their much harsher opinions.

Depends on the forum. I've known places where people seem to let rip without fear of the consequences, and places where people are generally very friendly and supportive.

I think it depends partly on what the forum's for. I used to play a game which seemed to attract more than its fair share of illiterate spoilt teens, egomaniacs and whingers. Another game from the same stable is text-based rather than graphical, and the people there tend to be a lot nicer. So now I have a theory that text-based games attract people with more imagination, and people with imagination are friendlier forum users.

[thingirl]

Yes, the graphical games attract us brain-dead, immature (especially since it's 99% boys) teens, where text based games make most of them want to hurl. I rather like the peacefulness over here.

[Doolipalally]

Yes, the graphical games attract us brain-dead, immature (especially since it's 99% boys) teens, where text based games make most of them want to hurl. I rather like the peacefulness over here.

I wasn't saying that all teens are illiterate and spoilt, or indeed brain-dead or immature. The ones who made their presence felt on that particular forum were, that's all.

[wetheril]

I agree that it depends on the forum. Another gaming forum I've been at--not really even a forum, more like a basic message board--had its share of users who think they are cool because they find ways to use the f-word every other sentence. That's one of the things I love about this forum--there is very little need for mods to crack down on language (or lack of), and people in general do a pretty good job of behaving.

[Oldschool]

......its fair share of illiterate spoilt teens, egomaniacs and whingers......

Correct me if I'm wrong Dooli, that isn't a typo but the Commonwealth version of the Yank "whiner".

Yes, the graphical games attract us brain-dead, immature (especially since it's 99% boys) teens.....

Well an argument could be made that they also attract "immature" men. I say this because often when I'm playing in rather animated and spirited fashion I often hear "grow up" from the better half. :o:)

[Doolipalally]

I used to play a game which seemed to attract more than its fair share of illiterate spoilt teens, egomaniacs and whingers.

Correct me if I'm wrong Dooli, that isn't a typo but the Commonwealth version of the Yank "whiner".

I probably shouldn't speak for the rest of the Commonwealth, but yes, that's what it means in the UK. Sorry, hadn't realised there was a transatlantic difference there!

[zmflavius]

Yes, the graphical games attract us brain-dead, immature (especially since it's 99% boys) teens, where text based games make most of them want to hurl. I rather like the peacefulness over here.

To be honest though, I only abstain from Runescape because I don't wanna chuck money for membership (it's over $100 a year now). And I do play LOTs of graphical games...well I used to. My computer crashed and I have yet to reinstall any. I really miss HoMM III now.

But clearly, you haven't see KOL forums before. When I talked about "open with harsher opinons" I meant KOL forums. I recall this one case about a replayable multiplayer scenario in KOL.

If I recall correctly, the forum topic was basically about strategies to obtain a very difficult to get but much coveted item called the imaginary hamster. So yeah, people were discussing efficient ways to complete the scenario when one newbie pops in and posts,

"What's the imaginary hamster?"

The next post was something to the effect of:

"If you have no idea what a forum thread is about, then don't post a stupid question."

[thingirl]

But clearly, you haven't see KOL forums before.

No, I haven't. EDIT: Well, I have an account, but I haven't logged on since the day I joined, which was the day I joined KOL.

[Oldschool]

I probably shouldn't speak for the rest of the Commonwealth, but yes, that's what it means in the UK. Sorry, hadn't realised there was a transatlantic difference there!

Thanks and I never even considered the possible differences between countries of the Commonwealth.

The first time I heard whinger was while playing rugby. First I couldn't figure out why the hooker (rugby term folks) was being referred to as some sort of wing position. Then I wondered what variant of wing a "winjur" (my rough pronunciation of whinger) was. :rolleyes:


Pardon my possible American misspellings....

My confusion was cleared up when I asked. The reply was something along the lines of "....you blooming septics really need to learn to speak...". There was also a reference to pommy threw in there. After that exchange I didn't have the goolies ;) to ask what exactly pommy meant although I had an idea - lol. It was tense enough that us Americans wouldn't stop using the forward pass and kick in particular as well as going forward of the ball carrier. After the game or match while at the bar or pub I learned pommy has more than one meaning as well. Also for the record we eventually learned to stop throwing the ball forward as well as kicking it thus - well for the most part at least. :rolleyes:

EDIT: In American football a forward pass is only allowed once and then before the ball passes the scrimmage line. Otherwise it is also illegal here. We didn't have as much trouble with throwing the ball forward (although there were more than a few instances of kicking it) as remembering to try to stay behind the ball carrier.

[texlaw1992]

While I have no experience with forums on graphical-type rfps, it's understandable why those attracted to text-based frp games would have a more mature attitude. Simply put, text requires reading, which requires thinking, which requires more maturity. Visuals require much less thought, thus less maturity required.

I agree that there's a correlation between intelligence and imagination, and anyone who likes text-based rpgs has both. This is my first online forum, and it's refreshing to find a group of people with varied viewpoints who can express them in a constructive manner. While this will sound funny coming from a lawyer, I spend all day at work arguing with others and prefer not to spend my recreational time the same way. On this forum we largely have dialogue rather than argument, which in my opinion is far more healthy and productive.

[Young Ned]

Yes, the fact that the game requires so much reading is probably a large factor in why this forum has so many articulate people. I think the fact that we're a fairly small community is what keeps things so civil -- generally, the more regular contributors a forum has, the greater the chance that some of them will be jerks.

Some folks here have complained about the Kingdom of Loathing forums, but they weren't always that way. Back when I first started playing KoL, five and a half years ago, the forum was much more friendly and civil than it is now. But the KoL community was much smaller that long ago; now it's big enough to support a good-sized population of jerks... unfortunately for the rest of us non-jerks. :(

[thingirl]

Then there's always the one who, dispite all the reading she does, can't spell worth a darn.

[zmflavius]

Yes, the fact that the game requires so much reading is probably a large factor in why this forum has so many articulate people. I think the fact that we're a fairly small community is what keeps things so civil -- generally, the more regular contributors a forum has, the greater the chance that some of them will be jerks.

Some folks here have complained about the Kingdom of Loathing forums, but they weren't always that way. Back when I first started playing KoL, five and a half years ago, the forum was much more friendly and civil than it is now. But the KoL community was much smaller that long ago; now it's big enough to support a good-sized population of jerks... unfortunately for the rest of us non-jerks. :(

The "jerk" looked like a respected member.

[wetheril]

Some folks here have complained about the Kingdom of Loathing forums, but they weren't always that way. Back when I first started playing KoL, five and a half years ago, the forum was much more friendly and civil than it is now. But the KoL community was much smaller that long ago; now it's big enough to support a good-sized population of jerks... unfortunately for the rest of us non-jerks. :(

I haven't been on KoL as long as some of you. I have visited the chat channel before, but not the forum. Most people there seem okay--some are even very friendly and nice to new players, but there are the occasional annoying players who like to annoy you or see if you'll fall for a trick. I still like this community the best though even though we can't give out free weapons/gold to new players. :3

[zmflavius]

I haven't been on KoL as long as some of you. I have visited the chat channel before, but not the forum. Most people there seem okay--some are even very friendly and nice to new players, but there are the occasional annoying players who like to annoy you or see if you'll fall for a trick. I still like this community the best though even though we can't give out free weapons/gold to new players. :3

The chat...really depends on where you go.

If you visit /newbie, be warned that the mods are particularly ban-happy. Begging, clan advertising, spamming, and general jack*ssery will be rewarded with an instant ban (occasionally, they'll give you a warning).

If you visit /games, then you'll probably be better off, though standards vary. For example, once, a person advertising an AR (a type of game) turned out to have done something completely different from an AR and was instantly banned. Another person did more or less the same thing and was let off 3 times while people tried to explain ARs to him.

If you visit /Haiku, then in addition to the normal rules, you may be banned for not speaking in perfect Haiku. They're pretty strict about that.

There only is one rule in chat: Don't be a jack*ss.

[wetheril]

The chat...really depends on where you go.

If you visit /newbie, be warned that the mods are particularly ban-happy. Begging, clan advertising, spamming, and general jack*ssery will be rewarded with an instant ban (occasionally, they'll give you a warning).

If you visit /games, then you'll probably be better off, though standards vary. For example, once, a person advertising an AR (a type of game) turned out to have done something completely different from an AR and was instantly banned. Another person did more or less the same thing and was let off 3 times while people tried to explain ARs to him.

If you visit /Haiku, then in addition to the normal rules, you may be banned for not speaking in perfect Haiku. They're pretty strict about that.

There only is one rule in chat: Don't be a jack*ss.

I've only ever been in the newbie channel. And you're right--the mods are really b&-happy; I saw people getting kicked at least once an hour. I didn't know there was /Haiku. I probably would have liked to visit that channel, just for amusement, even if I had nothing to say the whole time. :cool:

[thingirl]

There's a /Haiku? And yes, /games is MUCH better than /newbie.

[texlaw1992]

My attempt at Sryth haiku (with the understanding that Sryth is supposed to be pronounced as one syllable):

Playing Sryth at work
Got the Ghost Lady at 6
Better than Ice Troll

[zmflavius]

My attempt at Sryth haiku (with the understanding that Sryth is supposed to be pronounced as one syllable):

Playing Sryth at work
Got the Ghost Lady at 6
Better than Ice Troll

Level 6 or 6 o clock?

[texlaw1992]

I'll try some more.

Playing Sryth at home.
Thingirl beats my with arrows.
Keeps rubbing it in.

Playing Sryth at home.
Can't beat my archery score.
I need a new bow.

[smv1973]

Thingirl eat your heart out on this post count.

Posts: 23,427 That is the post count from a forum member on the game that I have spending most of my time playing.

[zmflavius]

Thingirl eat your heart out on this post count.

Posts: 23,427 That is the post count from a forum member on the game that I have spending most of my time playing.

Where, where, where?

[thingirl]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I thought I was vocal!!!!! Wow!!!! That is so ridiculously high, I'm still laughing at it. 4k doesn't seem so high now...

[smv1973]

Where, where, where?

Here is a link to one of that players posts.

http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2060294&postcount=3

[thingirl]

Well, 23k might be where I am in about 3 years. Note his join date of December 06.

[smv1973]

Well, 23k might be where I am in about 3 years. Note his join date of December 06.

He is also the Administrator for the games (DDO) Wiki. He set up the Wiki page and is the one how does most ouf the work on it. Plus a lot of his posts are longer than one or two lines. His average post per day is a little over 20 posts per day. Do you think you will be able to continue to keep your average post per day where it is for the next 2 & 1/12+ years? If you do that will be amazing.

[thingirl]

OK, fine. I loose. However, (I really shouldn't say this) COLTS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh wow, I'm late for the middleschool pre-game party at church. Good thing I'm already wearing blue and white...

[texlaw1992]

I couldn't find anything on this, so does anyone know how many postings equate to what rank on the forum?

I think Novice Adventurer < 100, Adventurer 100-200, Expert Adventurer 200+

I also see Hero, Thane and Legendary Hero, but not sure how many posts those take to reach.

[Oldschool]

Thane is the title for moderators regardless of post count.

Not sure about the others and while they may be listed here on the forum I don't recall seeing them. I looked around a bit and couldn't find them listed. However I may have missed them.

Just by looking at the membership by post count it seems the rankings are based on.

Renowned Hero - unsure as Thingirl is currently the only ranked there with 4,156 posts and the closest to her is Zmflavius with 1,904 posts who is still ranked at Hero. So depending on both the setting and Zm's rate it may be fairly short or awhile before we see what Renowned Hero is set at.

Hero - 1,000 posts.

Master Adventurer - 500 posts.

Expert Adventurer - 200 posts.

Accomplished Adventurer - 100 posts.

Adventurer - 50 posts.

Wanderer -10 posts.

Novice - starting rank.

Havoc's rank is Administrator and he also has the ability to customize rankings such as Scarbrow's apt ranking as Wiki Maven. I'm not sure if the "regular" rank settings are fixed or Havoc as admin has control over them.

[thingirl]

iirc, Renowned Hero is at 2k.

[texlaw1992]

"Master Adventurer" is not too far away then.