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

I can only assume I did this by foolishly choosing to enter punctuation and other such ASCII nonsense as part of my screen name, and now it won't let me be anything at all other than Researcher 190397.

Mea culpa, mea culpa.

B

And, one more thing.

WTF is a pagege?

Actually, there seem to be two preferences pages, no doubt a relic of the BBCid that replaced the "single sign-on" system.

The one labeled "Preferences" that is part of whatever skin you're using is (I think) the original h2g2/SSO "user details" page. It's still full of references to BBCid and as soon as you click it, it stops recognizing you and says "you are not permitted to change your details". It has no place to change your name, but does have a place to change your "suffix". That's http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/classic/UserDetails

The second one is labeled "settings" and is at the top of most pages, near the "sign out" link. That one has the lovely new "titanic" theme and seems to work properly, except for changing your "Screen name" (but my screeen name has two apostrophes, so maybe that contributes?) The link for that one is a variation of this - http://vogons.h2g2.com/dashboard

Yes, I know all that. It was due to my experimentations with the two that I ended up sans-moniker, as it were.

B

trying the settings page at the top, if I add a suffix, then I cannot get to my space anymore - an unknown error has occured. If I remove the suffix, it's fine again. (Brunel)

I didn't want my name to be Shea the Sarcastic - Shea the Sarcastic, so I tried to change it. I've tried both the links, and I can't get anything but my U# to show up. Any other hints, or should I just be all and go with the numbers for now?

I'm reporting this to the official reporting places, but let me make sure I have the problem right: you tried to change your names using Preferences or Using settings? I thought they were both pretty much unusable at the moment.

When I go to 'My Preferences' in Brunel (my normal skin, the one that I got as soon as I crossed over' I was taken to a Brunel page with this text:



You are not permitted to change your details.

To change your general BBC iD Display name, click the Settings link above and enter it in the name field.

Also, on H2G2 you can add a suffix - a site specific nickname - to the end of your BBC iD Display name. You can create your H2G2 suffix by entering it in the field below (100 character limit):

H2G2 Suffix:

Skin:



Please note: Your BBC iD Display name will always be displayed everywhere on the BBC. Only on H2G2 will you be identified by both your BBC iD Display name and your H2G2 suffix should you wish to have one. H2G2 suffixes will not appear on other BBC sites which use the iD sign-in system.

Click here for more information about Display names on H2G2 and BBC iD.



With all that BBC all over it, I certainly didn't poke around any further.

Oh. that was sort of covered in post 3.

Oh, and, Shea, when I look at your post now, you appear as Shea the Sarcastic.

Perhaps the delay bug is still lurking.

He's still Researcher nnnnn when I look at his post.

OK - to try and state the problem as clearly as possible.

I tried to change my screen name in Preferences. This was only marginally successful, because I was actually changing my suffix.

So I went to the settings screen, deleted my screen name and suffix, and typed the whole lot into screen name. The fact that this was a long text string, and included an apostrophe and possibly - Gods forbid - a dash, is I suspect what caused the upset.

Anyway, I now can't change my screen name to anything but Researcher 190397.

B

And, additionally, the preferences screen is telling me I'm 'not allowed' to change my name. In Brunel, moreover.

B

Thirdly, whenever I try to link to MP190397, I get booted out and have to sign in again.

B

I also foolishly dared to change my name and suffix. I'm not even sure who I appear to be any longer. Am I yet another nameless set of eyeballs?



Baron Grim nee Count Zero

Hello.

I'm sure you didn't break it. This is a known issue, and we'll deal with it as soon as possible.

Thanks for all your reports.

Z

CZ and I will form the Legion of Those Purely Known By Number in the meantime.

B

Heck, I can't even see your number.


Baron Grim nee Count Zero

Of all the skins, alabaster seems to be working the best in respect of identifying people in threads. It took me a while to realize the extent of the problem because I live in alabaster.

I think you can alter your skin via the url frame at the top of the browser: just substitute alabaster for whatever skin is currently showing. That way you can avoid the settings/preferences pages.