Community Coding Project

I know the last post here was a long time ago, however I'd like to mention that I would participate in this. I'm 15, I can do some C++, but its been about a year (I still have a book...), and I don't have a compiler or an IDE (I could get Dev C++ though). I am reasonably good with Python, though I've only been working with it for 3 months. My specialty is with fractals. I can do up to basic calculus and write, especially creative writing. I am a horrible artist, so I won't be bringing any of that to a team.

This may not help my reputation, but I've dabbled with hacking as well. I even tried to hack this site, but Apache Tomcat 5.5 just gives me an error message every time I get to a possibly important piece of java code. Good job with that part Webrunner. :)

I'll look forward to something (hopefully) but if nothing comes around, then I'll continue with my programming and dabbling.

A "you are not authorized to do this" error message or an "argh, core dump" error message?

I made a program to input VCH codes for me, but due to my internet connection it wasn't feasible.

Paranoia has me.

You all look like spambots.

*loads gun*

Ignoring legalities and such, isn't hacking (or attempting to hack) someone's website a pretty rude thing to do?

Yeah, EK's post was a bit weird. Not only the sudden openess, but also all the irrelevant context. My spam sense is tingling. Could be the ring leader. Or a rookie. I say we shoot him then Milo. And maybe Haplo.

For added fun, we can also call this operation Ban the Bards. :B

(Hmm. Wait... no need to shoot Haplo - he's already on fire... poor thing)

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Edit: So, okay, HS makes EK seem less ring-leadery. But the zoom's still on him.

Edit2: This is NightWind on a sugar rush.

Well I would've thought that having a CMC account with games played would've made him seem less bot-like, myself.

Ah right that too. *lowers gun*

I'd admit that at certain times I can be very paranoid.

Kai Wrote:I say we shoot him then Milo.

...Wait, what?

Actually, if we could get whoever is sending us spambots to make a bot for CMC itself, we'd probably let the adverts slip by us a bit more often.
Also, how would bullets stop a spambot? The best you could hope for is destroying the server, in which case you'd no longer be able to use the forums anyway.

(10-26-2009 02:58 PM)Bigger Boss Wrote:  Actually, if we could get whoever is sending us spambots to make a bot for CMC itself, we'd probably let the adverts slip by us a bit more often.

Don't give them any ideas.

It's also how I've managed to avoid detection all this time.

Making a bot that can play CMC isn't that hard. The problem is making a bot that can play CMC intelligently. I have been given no evidence that whoever wrote these spambots is capable of such a feat.

(10-26-2009 09:27 AM)Milo Wrote:  

Kai Wrote:I say we shoot him then Milo.

...Wait, what?

For encouraging EK here. That post combined with the diehard enthusiasm of coders and hackers probably just restarted the whole hacking attempt. We're engineers - we're like that.

Thus we shoot you.

Unless you're already dead of course. Then we'll fill your coffin with little jellybeans.

When EK says he's tried hacking, he means he's been trying to grab files on CMC that he shouldn't have access to, not that he's been spambotting the forums.

The spambotting most likely comes from some external company/service that'll charge some $00s to provide a few tens of thousands of backlinks to their customers via automated posting on just as many different forums or social networking sites or whatever. Whoever's benefitting from those links being posted almost certainly neither knows that this particular forum is being affected nor particularly cares.

(10-27-2009 04:49 AM)Mireille Wrote:  When EK says he's tried hacking, he means he's been trying to grab files on CMC that he shouldn't have access to, not that he's been spambotting the forums.

True - that's what I thought as well, though I tend to bundle the two together because they're unethical and intrusive.

masa Wrote:The spambotting most likely comes from some external company/service that'll charge some $00s to provide a few tens of thousands of backlinks to their customers via automated posting on just as many different forums or social networking sites or whatever. Whoever's benefitting from those links being posted almost certainly neither knows that this particular forum is being affected nor particularly cares.

I think I noticed a pattern for some of them, so yeah, most likely they are spambots as opposed to humans.

The contract will die out soon enough.

Oh it probably won't - there'll be plenty of new customers that'll pay for the same service, or will subscribe for continued service. If anything, as their customers begin to see tangible results, we might start to see spambots more often, rather than less.

In that case...

*does the Anti-Spambot dance*

Which is why we install a captcha for new members.

These bots are capable of breaking a few CAPTCHAs, so we'd need to make sure it's a fairly decent one.

Since people can't even do some of the CAPTCHA's (flashback to that thread we had a while ago) I say we get them ones.