TromboneChat

Since a couple of days, on the "front page" I can neither see the search function nor the classifieds. Only when I log in (which I usually don't) it is visible again as usual. - Has this been changed intentionally?

Also missing is the quick links tab.

See Matt's post here

For full use you need to log in. A lot of websites are like that.

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 12:35 pm For full use you need to log in. A lot of websites are like that.

Maybe. And lot are not like that. That's no reason why TC should be like that.

For the ca. 25 years I've been on TTF and TC is has not been required. Surely this was done with a certain purpose in mind and I would like to know the reason why this - for me cumbersome - change is now deemed necessary?

Oslide wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 2:08 pm

Doug Elliott wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 12:35 pm For full use you need to log in. A lot of websites are like that.

Maybe. And lot are not like that. That's no reason why TC should be like that.

For the ca. 25 years I've been on TTF and TC is has not been required. Surely this was done with a certain purpose in mind and I would like to know the reason why this - for me cumbersome - change is now deemed necessary?

I presume the change was for security reasons. TromboneChat has recently been invaded by scammers who are trying to steal from legitimate chatters. I don't think anyone is targeting you with cumbersomeness. I find it absolutely no problem to log in and chat (probably much too much) to my heart's content.

Posaunus wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 2:46 pm

Oslide wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 2:08 pm

Maybe. And lot are not like that. That's no reason why TC should be like that.

For the ca. 25 years I've been on TTF and TC is has not been required. Surely this was done with a certain purpose in mind and I would like to know the reason why this - for me cumbersome - change is now deemed necessary?

I presume the change was for security reasons. TromboneChat has recently been invaded by scammers who are trying to steal from legitimate chatters. I don't think anyone is targeting you with cumbersomeness. I find it absolutely no problem to log in and chat (probably much too much) to my heart's content.

That's pretty much what it boils down to, unfortunately. I'm trying to think of alternatives but striking a balance that is open enough to be useful, but not open to scammers is a bit of a challenging. Especially when the scammers seem to be persistent enough to actually learn a bit of the lingo.

I am assuming that the majority of scams were in the classifieds. If the new format requires “logging in” and it reduces classified scams, I give it my support.

Well, if it’s for security reasons, what can I say? I’ll get over it.

Probably my reaction only shows that after these many years on this forum, diving into the fascinating lecture several times daily, I’ve lost perspective and feel too much a part of it, unreasonably. It would have been interesting to read and try to understand why this log-in measure has become necessary, but I’m naive to expect to be informed about it.

Nevertheless, let me take this opportunity to say a heartfelt BIG THANK YOU to all the many people who have been contributing to this great forum in the past- the old and the new one - or still are doing so!
It’s been a tremendous joy for me to be able to read about many things that I never would have heard of otherwise. Having to log in five times a day won’t keep me from doing so in the future!

And, please, read and think about my footer!

Using TromboneChat on my phone is in inconvenient because I often inadvertently log out. (Clumsy fingers!)
Easier on computer.
Just remember to check "Remember Me" when you log in.

Since the scammers seem to have zeroed in on the Classifieds, Matt thought that hiding the Classifieds to people not logged in would help keep them at bay. I believe you can still read the rest of the site without logging in.

Basically, if you want to participate (or read) the Classifieds, you have to log in. Otherwise you really don't.

Posaunus wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:22 pm Using TromboneChat on my phone is in inconvenient because I often inadvertently log out. (Clumsy fingers!)
Easier on computer.
Just remember to check "Remember Me" when you log in.

I do that too, occasionally. I'm not 100% a huge fan of the layout but it isn't bad for the price we pay for the theme ($0!). There are a few alternative themes I have installed that may help with that but I much prefer the tan background aesthetically so I have to live with my occasional fat-fingereness.

As far as transparency of the changes, I typically do like to be pretty transparent about what changes are being made, but it was pointed out that it might reduce the effectiveness of the changes in this instance - and I agree (and still do!). I'm guessing the spammers have RSS feed readers and other automated methods of retrieving ads based on the pattern of scams that I've heard about. Putting a little friction into automatically retrieving them might be sufficient to abate some of the worst of it.