h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A ten minute simpost. Sigh, I'm getting slow.

>>That's why I'm hoping they'll split it into a nickname and a tagline, like most internet fora. Keeping the actual nickname under 30 chars shouldn't be a problem<< Mal

So there's a login name, a display name and possibly a tagline?

What fora are you thinking of Mal? Most ones I know you pick a name and that's it, you can't change it.

But you can usually add a tagline/signature, which you *can* change. At least in the others I frequent.

You can only 'get in' using a British postcode. Once in, you're *allowed* to be born/live abroad. The 'openness' of the test designers just implies that they think the BBC website is only accessed from the UK.

I used Harrod's postcode, can't help wondering whether that's why I came out pretty well

Oops, above post in reply to post 200 re the Personality Test

PS As mentioned (way) before, I thought there was a problem with my sign-in name but it finally worked

I was wondering what kind of fora you were meaning (as in what technology)? On the phpBB forums you pick a name and can't change it or add anything. I don't know what the character limit is though.

I just tried joining the bbc anew (from a different browser) because I wanted to see what the process was like from scratch.

The first thing I noticed is that it's not easy to find anything to join from the bbc's FP

When I did find something, I joined up using no email (that was optional). So then I tried to post on Ouch, only to find that I have register again, this time with an email.

Is that what the new system is? You have to register twice? A kind of double sign on (DSO)?

Rememember, the new system isn't implemented across the whole of the BBC yet. They were giving us some warning.

"On the phpBB forums you pick a name and can't change it or add anything."

My "Mustardland" site is PHPBB based (with an added "skin") but I haven't altered the login procedure and any user can change their name freely once they are logged in, with the proviso thy can't use a name that's already taken. You must just remember to enter your password if you change the "Name" field, before you hit "Submit".

It's at http://www.paranormal.org.uk/mustardland , since you ask...

Crikey Peet, you might want to hand out sunglasses with that link

Seems you are right though. I've never noticed that before (maybe it's a new feature?) and no-one on the boards I go to changes their name. How strange. Although on at least one board the name change has been disabled.

Alternately, it's an old feature that no longer exists? (I "branched" from the PHPBB codebase back in 2005... My own security patches were much more effective than theirs, and between myself and Bob (my PHP Guru) we've kept the board pretty much SPAM-free for the last four years or so.)

" I don't have fibre optic cable, they only lay that stuff for the use of Broadband"

Nope, they use optic cable for all their services. TV, phone and broadband. That's what they do, provide cable services.

The only way you'll be on copper wire is if you are using virgin media over a BT line - and that is only for phone services not TV or Internet (which is what you are using to access this site).
And even if you were and bung 240v down that all you will do is blow the BT exchange - won't affect Virgin Media at all.

I won't link to the other boards I use (most of 'em are German, none of them are anything to do with hootoo) but name changes are possible in all of them. At least one of them (the webcomics one) is phpBB2.

It all seems so straightforward here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/messageboards/newguide/membership.shtml


~jwf~

Thanks Mal I wasn't meaning for you to link to the boards, just wanted to know what kind they were (eg phpBB).

<<" I don't have fibre optic cable, they only lay that stuff for the use of Broadband"

Nope, they use optic cable for all their services. TV, phone and broadband. That's what they do, provide cable services.

The only way you'll be on copper wire is if you are using virgin media over a BT line - and that is only for phone services not TV or Internet (which is what you are using to access this site).
And even if you were and bung 240v down that all you will do is blow the BT exchange - won't affect Virgin Media at all.>>

Nope your both wrong...

VM where you have cable tv are currently fibre to the street cabinet, with copper coax + 2pr tele to the individual houses. TV and Internet are delivered via the coax and telephone services via the 2 pr.
and as for 240v being shoved up it you will more likely take your self out or your next door neighbour as their street kit is fairly well designed.