403 Forbidden Error

[Overmod]

Wait... you're saying that when you get one of these 403s it blanks the text in the post?

I have plenty of spontaneous resets, where the page shivers a moment like a wet dog and resets itself, and everything typed is lost.  But when there's a bad or slow connection and the submission 'times out', I still have the post text in the window and can resubmit it -- and I think that works if in the interim you sign out and then back in from a separate window or browser with the same credentials.  As I understand the security model to work, a 403 is just an unhandled access failure, and you should still have your text buffered...

Of course, a quick select-all-and-copy is always a prudent 'periodic' thing to do here, as is composing the posts on a word processor and pasting them in.  

[Flintlock76]

And people think gremlins made their last appearance in Bugs Bunny cartoons.

They're still out there, just more diversified.

[Overmod]

Flintlock76

And people think gremlins made their last appearance in Bugs Bunny cartoons.

But Mac, I sure know what I'd take a whack at if I were in a certain location in Wisconsin ... 

[Note to mods: this is not serious.  It is metaphorical and for entertainment purposes only.  No harm to gremlins or other culturally-valued icons, appropriated through privilege or otherwise, is either contemplated or condoned thereby.]

[BaltACD]

Overmod

Wait... you're saying that when you get one of these 403s it blanks the text in the post?

I have plenty of spontaneous resets, where the page shivers a moment like a wet dog and resets itself, and everything typed is lost.  But when there's a bad or slow connection and the submission 'times out', I still have the post text in the window and can resubmit it -- and I think that works if in the interim you sign out and then back in from a separate window or browser with the same credentials.  As I understand the security model to work, a 403 is just an unhandled access failure, and you should still have your text buffered...

Of course, a quick select-all-and-copy is always a prudent 'periodic' thing to do here, as is composing the posts on a word processor and pasting them in.  

When I have gotten a 403 Forbidden error - when I use the back arrow at the top of the browser - what I intended to post comes back into view.  If I attempt to enter it again, I will get the 403 Forbidden error again and again until I get tired and go onto something else.

[Overmod]

BaltACD

When I have gotten a 403 Forbidden error - when I use the back arrow at the top of the browser - what I intended to post comes back into view. 

That has always been my experience both with the recent 'predicted' periodic rolling-blackout 403s and the previous little instances where inadvertent kickout followed by inability to sign back in has been the plague du jour.

That is why what he seemed to be saying about having his post disappear was novel and alarming.  

[samfp1943]

Lithonia Operator

To tell you the truth, I keep hearing about the "new" online Trains and forums. But I'm yet to notice one iota of difference.

I watched a video which seems to promise that they're going to put some content behind a paywall, though. I don't know if subscriptions to Trains and CT (which I have) will qualify as a secret handshake or not.

Maybe they're just not done yet. Heck, I'm still waiting for America to complete our conversion to metric.

  IN the palance of the Klambake's Coprporate I.T.  jargon...."NEW" is one of those terms used to scare off the Pilgrims who post .... Personally, my faith has been shaken and victimizsed more than once in the last 20(or so years).  IF, a new car was a product of I.T. 

They would still have a crank, out front to start them.

[Flintlock76]

You know, when I hear "New and Improved!" the first thing I think of is the old George Carlin gag:

"New and improved?  What was it before, old and crappy?"  

[Overmod]

samfp1943

Personally, my faith has been shaken and victimized more than once in the last 20(or so years).

Yes, but look: it's a free resource, and one that over the years has caused them grief without tangible reward.  I stopped criticizing them in the absolute sense just as I stopped arguing about Yahoo's suicidal reworking of Groups: you can't force people to do attentive customer service to demanding people when there's no money future in it.

A parallel issue with 'how few people read the forums' is that fixing things wrong with them, especially if complicated or requiring 'legacy-systems' knowledge that may be long gone even in specialty consultancy or public support groups, is very low on any priority list.  If the financial situation at Babblebrook Publishing is even remotely as dire as recent actions may indicate, I'd be grateful to see no more than a 'common-core' new system get built and tested and then instantiates on a particular 'flag day' -- and that fits everything we have been told about a stage-three forum (etc.) reworking to come 'in the spring'.  (Which, note, doesn't even start until near the end of March).

Until then I wouldn't expect any broken feature to be fixed, and I'm in fact paradoxically grateful that IT thought enough about some aspect of forum security -- whether peripheral or not -- to go in and tinker with the access permission system.  It would be nice if they fixed the iPhone repair scam issue, which I have only ever gotten from this and no other Kalmbach or other forum or site ... but I can wait.  I have to fire up the desktop to edit my own profile or read PMs, but use a different browser there to post anything ...but again, I can wait.

Now, if we get the vaporware shuffle at the end of June, or it turns out the new-and-improved forums require subscription or acceptance of targeted inline ad viewing, or back-end data and preference 'sharing with partners' is excessive or becomes annoying ... I'll have more to say.  But until then I cut them some slack, even if my New York tone doesn't imply so.

[Flintlock76]

Overmod

'how few people read the forums'

There's probably more people viewing and reading them than we realize.  On casual observation there always seems to be a lot more views than replies.

So someone's  looking in besides the regulars.

[samfp1943]

Overmod

 

 

samfp1943

Personally, my faith has been shaken and victimized more than once in the last 20(or so years).

 

 

Yes, but look: it's a free resource, and one that over the years has caused them grief without tangible reward.  I stopped criticizing them in the absolute sense just as I stopped arguing about Yahoo's suicidal reworking of Groups: you can't force people to do attentive customer service to demanding people when there's no money future in it.

 

A parallel issue with 'how few people read the forums' is that fixing things wrong with them, especially if complicated or requiring 'legacy-systems' knowledge that may be long gone even in specialty consultancy or public support groups, is very low on any priority list.  If the financial situation at Babblebrook Publishing is even remotely as dire as recent actions may indicate, I'd be grateful to see no more than a 'common-core' new system get built and tested and then instantiates on a particular 'flag day' -- and that fits everything we have been told about a stage-three forum (etc.) reworking to come 'in the spring'.  (Which, note, doesn't even start until near the end of March).

Until then I wouldn't expect any broken feature to be fixed, and I'm in fact paradoxically grateful that IT thought enough about some aspect of forum security -- whether peripheral or not -- to go in and tinker with the access permission system.  It would be nice if they fixed the iPhone repair scam issue, which I have only ever gotten from this and no other Kalmbach or other forum or site ... but I can wait.  I have to fire up the desktop to edit my own profile or read PMs, but use a different browser there to post anything ...but again, I can wait.

Now, if we get the vaporware shuffle at the end of June, or it turns out the new-and-improved forums require subscription or acceptance of targeted inline ad viewing, or back-end data and preference 'sharing with partners' is excessive or becomes annoying ... I'll have more to say.  But until then I cut them some slack, even if my New York tone doesn't imply so.

OK!  Overmod !   Point made, and taken  

I guess, I'm overly sensitive where the IT folks are concerned....

When I first got involved with IT, and its' nuances; I had it driven home by the instructor that 'changes' were always made to 'improve the experience', and reduce key-strokes(?)... Unfortunately, it always seems to have the opposite effect I guess, I'm just overly sensitive???? 

[tree68]

samfp1943

When I first got involved with IT, and its' nuances; I had it driven home by the instructor that 'changes' were always made to 'improve the experience, and reduce key-strokes(?)... Unfortunately, it always seems to have the opposite effect I guess, I'm just overly aensitive???? 

I've always been under the impression that developers monitor which features users use most, then they either eliminate them, or hide them where the sun doesn't shine.

[Euclid]

Flintlock76

 

Overmod

'how few people read the forums'

 

 

There's probably more people viewing and reading them than we realize.  On casual observation there always seems to be a lot more views than replies.

So someone's  looking in besides the regulars.

 

I have come to the same conclusion that there are far more people who read the forums, but seldom if ever post anyting.  Many of those readers are probably not even registered as members.  I have watched threads consistently get over 200 views overnight without any posts in that same period. 

[Semper Vaporo]

Euclid

Flintlock76

 Overmod

'how few people read the forums'

 

There's probably more people viewing and reading them than we realize.  On casual observation there always seems to be a lot more views than replies.

So someone's  looking in besides the regulars.

  

I have come to the same conclusion that there are far more people who read the forums, but seldom if ever post anyting.  Many of those readers are probably not even registered as members.  I have watched threads consistently get over 200 views overnight without any posts in that same period. 

Many of those overnight "readers" are not people, but search engine robots.  Some web sites will list who is on-line and reading, and I have seen up to 15 "Bots" listed, some will say the name, (like "Google", "Bing", "DuckDuckGo", etc.) and others just list "Search Engine" or "Bot".

[Flintlock76]

Semper Vaporo

Some web sites will list who is on-line and reading

This Forum used to do so, and I think the "Model Railroader" Forum still does.  I kind of miss that feature, but it's not the end of the world without it.

[Erik_Mag]

For some reason a recording from the early 70's came to mind with regards to this thread, especially with the following snippets:

"Be comforted that in the face of all aridity and disillusionment
And despite the changing fortunes of time,
There is always a big future in computer maintenance."

"And reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot
it could only be worse in Milwaukee."

[Overmod]

Ah, yes.  "Deteriorata" -- a parody of Les Crane's reading of "Desiderata" from only a year earlier that was a staple of Alison Steele's show.

National Lampoon had some good stuff in those years.  Remember the piece on the Metroliner -- "Speeding America into the Fifties ... railroading's answer to the DC-6"?