Dead Threads
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How come I see so many messages grousing about those who post to "dead" threads?
Yet those threads are unlocked, and nobody has taken the little bit of time required to add code to the "Add a Reply" button handler to compare the date of click to the thread's first message post, and if it is greater than whatever arbitrary time determines the date of a thread's death (or do you go by the thread's liver temperature?![:pt1cable:]( ":pt1cable:")
), then advise that the thread should only be replied to if the prospective poster has alternate solutions or symptoms?
In the 30 odd years I've been writing code, I've found that informing the user before they do something is far more effective than complaining at the user after they've done something. Particularly when you're talking a "help me!" forum where the user is likely to be unfamiliar with the full functionality of the forum, let alone the forum's expected etiquette. Worst of all, each complaint to a "necrothreader" is a one-on-one situation; that "necrothreader" is unlikely - incapable of, that is - passing that information to all future visitors.
Do you really want to complain at the rest of the world's 7 billion humans who have, to date, not used Tom's Hardware (oh, the poor lost souls) and so have not been informed of expected thread etiquette? One by one? And all of their descendents, too - forevermore? lolll....add a little code...save yourself some grief - and new users the public humiliation and hurt feelings.
Just my...verbose...two cents.![:hello:]( ":hello:")
Yet those threads are unlocked, and nobody has taken the little bit of time required to add code to the "Add a Reply" button handler to compare the date of click to the thread's first message post, and if it is greater than whatever arbitrary time determines the date of a thread's death (or do you go by the thread's liver temperature?
), then advise that the thread should only be replied to if the prospective poster has alternate solutions or symptoms?In the 30 odd years I've been writing code, I've found that informing the user before they do something is far more effective than complaining at the user after they've done something. Particularly when you're talking a "help me!" forum where the user is likely to be unfamiliar with the full functionality of the forum, let alone the forum's expected etiquette. Worst of all, each complaint to a "necrothreader" is a one-on-one situation; that "necrothreader" is unlikely - incapable of, that is - passing that information to all future visitors.
Do you really want to complain at the rest of the world's 7 billion humans who have, to date, not used Tom's Hardware (oh, the poor lost souls) and so have not been informed of expected thread etiquette? One by one? And all of their descendents, too - forevermore? lolll....add a little code...save yourself some grief - and new users the public humiliation and hurt feelings.
Just my...verbose...two cents.
More about : dead threads
I take your point and I hope I've only ever complained about a resurrection when it's been done to plug some duff product or website. It's perfectly natural for someone with a problem to Google a few chosen words and for that string to have cropped up in Tom's at some time in the past. That person might not even notice the date but just want to add their problem to the thread if they don't see an answer that works for them.
However, given that problems evolve over time, they would get a better result if they post a new thread with full details of what's going wrong for them so in many cases, necro posting is a bad idea in my view.
Best solution
ibsteve2u said:
In the 30 odd years I've been writing code, I've found that informing the user before they do something is far more effective than complaining at the user after they've done something.Apparently that isn't the case here, because we've had a warning when replying to old threads for at least 6 months now.
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My original comment arose simply because I googled several issues, ended up hitting Tom's Hardware, and is my habit flew right to the ends of the threads where I usually find that the answer is contained only to find lots of both necroposting and complaints about same, necessitating wading backwards through threads to find the real conclusions...all of which lead me to post my question/comment.
So I selected "randomizer's" answer as "best"...albeit with the caveat that I did not post to a dead thread to validate that there is, indeed, a warning mechanism in place.
Ain't like "Tom's Hardware" is one of my boxes that I can torture when in doubt of an answer.
So I selected "randomizer's" answer as "best"...albeit with the caveat that I did not post to a dead thread to validate that there is, indeed, a warning mechanism in place.
Ain't like "Tom's Hardware" is one of my boxes that I can torture when in doubt of an answer.
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