Coming Attraction: "Kill Files" (Ignore and more)

[John Robinson]

Many familar with USENET News may have heard of the killfile, or of killfiling someone. A killfile is simply a list of names you wish to ignore. Any posts with a matching name in the killfile are discarded, unread.

The Focus software will have the ability to killfile posters, or in other words, the often requested "Ignore" feature.

However, Focus killfiles will be much more.

First, a little info about how the posting software works. When a post is made, a number of records are placed onto a list. This list is the source data for the Self-Search routine among other things. Each record is associated with a comment, but a comment can have any number of such records. The record associates a user with a comment, and also notes how the association is made. This association field is similar to what you might see in a mail program. There are 'From' and 'To' associations, as well as 'CC' and 'BCC' associations. Each mean something different, but all associate a user with a comment.

FROM - The user who posted the comment.

TO - A user mentioned in the "To:" field.

CC - This will be reserved for bumps. It's currently not used.

BCC - This will be used for concealed bumps. Have a long bump list? Use BCC and conserve screen real estate!

The Focus version of the killfile will operate on these associations. This is the "What". You will be able to ignore all bumps (CCs) 'in some particular context'.

The "Context" is the magic, it defines when you ignore "What".

Want to ignore bumps? "What" = "bumps", "Context" = "all".

Want to ignore all posts involving you on a particular thread? "What" = anything, "Context" = some thread.

Want to ignore all posts from some user? "What" = anything, "Context" = some user

Or just their bumps? "What" = "bumps", "Context" = some user.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE ...

Not only will you be able to describe what you want to ignore, you will also be able to describe other actions as well. An "Action" is one of: Ignore, Deny, Allow, or Promote.

IGNORE -- silently discard the comment from your self-search

DENY -- informs the user that you do not wish to receive such-and-such.

ALLOW -- accepts the comment into your self-search.

PROMOTE -- accepts and flags the comment. Want special notice of anything JohnRob bumps to you? "What" = "Bump"; "Context" = "user John Robinson"; "Action" = "Promote"

You can specifically "ALLOW" comments because you can set defaults. You can setup your defaults to never allow bumps from anyone. And then further instruct the software to allow bumps from JohnRob. The more specific defined rule wins.

Now, I should note that IGNORED or DENIED comments are still accessible. It will take an extra click to get to these, but that will not be a problem because you didn't want to see them in the first place.

Additionally, you will be able to delete individual comments from your Self-Search, or even wipe the slate completely.

These features are not yet ready, I have some footwork to do before I go there, but this is what is in store for you.

Of related interest, we will have the ability to WATCH various things. A separate list will allow us to know, via automatic BCC bump, any new thread posted to your favorite forum. The watch list is further out yet, but will be a reality as time permits.

[Carolina]

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE ...

It cuts, it slices, it dices. Yes, sir, your own set of Handy-Dandy KillFiles brought to you by the same folks that gave you Free Republic!

LOL! Thanks, John for all your hard work.

[Grampa Dave]

I still remember your reply/post after you and others had been savaged by the bully/thugs, the Orphans of the Reform Party, where you wondered about just forgetting about it. Well soon you will be able to put these world class clymers into the electronic toilet and flush them down where they belong.

They did not win. When John Rob announces this wonderful new addition, they will dumped into the electronic ashcan filled with clymer/bullies/thugs.

I will be making a list of these members of the Axis of Whining Weasels. Many names come my old mind immediately, and it will be easy to compile the list of these clymers as they attack GW and us in the days before the new addition.

Howlin has a couple of crazies that stalk her on FR. When John Rob's new addition is implented, she can ban them from her computer.

The racists from the Orphans of the Reform party who are nothing but racists will be one of the first group to go bye bye from my computer. All Alpha Bull Libertarians who worry more about the so called rights of the Islamic terrorists will join the Racist Orphans of the Reform Party. The snipers who post anti republican/GW remarks to any post will be blocked as soon as I receive one of their drive by shooting replies.

We have a lot of work to do for this election in November. We need to support our president not rip him 24/7. When we said good riddance to these buggers of ill repute, we will have more time to work for positive changes.

[madfly]

pinging freepers with Browser problems after viewing my posts with HTML I got using IE5.5 and "View Partial Source".

Most of these folks having crazy problems in self search and other things, are using NETSCAPE BROWSERS (different versions). Last night, SierraWasp logged on with IE5, then, when he went back to try NETSCAPE he could not log on. He really needs help! (nothing personal, lol) This thing has been driving us all buggy!

Hoping we can find some help here. This started before the new posting feature was launched. I'd say it started the day the freepathon ended and the new keyword update was added.

Thanks

PS...anyone else having trouble with NETSCAPE?

[Dales]

Dude, that is an impressive sounding implementation. Looking forward to it.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I am not using Netscape, but which version of netscape are people using?

Thought there was a new one out.

[madfly]

I have had 2 replies. One uses 4.07, the other uses 4.72.

[Dales]

One thing to keep in mind, though, Grandpa Dave.

If you ignore all these folks totally, then their propaganda goes unchecked.

Just a concern.

[Grampa Dave]

I will trust you to monitor and then let me know what is important if anything.

[Dales]

lol gee thanks.

Not a job I particularly want. :-/

[Grampa Dave]

I'm too old and fragile for that job!

Some of my friends and freeper friends like to torture themselves an monitor all the lefties have to say and the GW bashers have to say. I let them monitor and report.

[madfly]

Little update. I just read on another thread by TBL SHOW, that someone had trouble with word wrap not working.

That's what I saw in the post that was messed up.

I now think that HTML I copied, using "View partial Source" did not have WordWrap working, causing a block of codes to string out to near forever. This was problematic for folks viewing that post with NETSCAPE browsers. They are having trouble with posting, self search, My mail, my comments, pings, nearly every function.

At some point here, I am going to duplicate that darn post and ask for Netscape volunteers to reply. Do I see any hands? lol Any Admin Moderators with Netscape? :)

HELP

[blackie]

Great post Dave !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

[blackie]

There is Netscape version 6.0 and it sucks big time...I purchased it and then put it in the trash.
I'm running I.E(comes with Win XP) 6.0 and it's perfect !!

[LowOiL]

Wow, FR is really rocking today....

[rwfromkansas]

I have IE 5.

[rwfromkansas]

The only downside is that people could talk about us behind our backs and we wouldn't know since we banned them..lol. But, sounds like it would be worth it just to get them off our screens....:)

[snopercod]

That was me with the original complaint, and yes, I use Nutscrape 4.08.

The three things I have noticed are:

1. When I cut and past an article right out of...say...the Orange
County Register, the paragraphs are all broken up. IOW, "white space"
in the original text is duplicated on FR. This is something new. I always
thought that HTML ignored white space.

2. Word wrap doesn't work in the box in which I am now
typing this.

3. Attempting to visit a state "locale" locks up my browser after about 35K
of data, the darn thing just hangs. This is something new as well.

On the original topic, wouldn't it be possible to make all posts
from a person invisible to everyone but the poster? I think that
is what has happened to me lately. (Or maybe it's just my caustic
and abrasive personality.)

[snopercod]

There is a new version of NutScrape, but it requires a faster Pentium
processor than my computer has.

[John Robinson]

1. Hmm. I'll check that out.

2. I'll check that out too.

3. What do you mean, hangs?

I think these are all Netscape issues, I don't see them on MSIE. Time to switch to Netscape for a week... uhg.

Okay, I'm putting you back on ignore. :-P

[madfly]

Hmmm interesting. Were you replying to one of my posts when it happened?

I also was having the problem with whitespace showing up.

Because I use IE5.5 (with "View Partial Source", I was only posting crazy stuff. Just causing others to have problems---unintentionally, of course :o). I am not having any of the troubles you guys are having.

rwfromkansas still has problems scrolling past my ping in his self search, but he told me today he uses IE5.

And snoper, it's not about your personality - your post #57 is blank!! lol

Maybe someone will respond to us soon. I see dicussions have been going on since the first of the week.