Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2014 February 18

= February 18 =

Simple abuse filter
I have a private wiki for a college project. How do I go about writing an abuse filter to stop the word "nigger" and it's variations ("nigga" etc.) from being used. I have the extension installed. Thanks, 46.7.249.24 (talk) 15:47, 18 February 2014 (UTC)


 * I've never worked with wiki software before but I do know that there are a few different kinds. It would likely help if you told us which software you are using as well as which extension.  Dismas |(talk) 20:39, 18 February 2014 (UTC)


 * Edit filter/Instructions explains how to create a filter. Looie496 (talk) 20:48, 18 February 2014 (UTC)


 * You should be aware that people will become quite creative about getting around your filter - for example, you might see various idiots using nygger, n1gg3r, ni99er, N+I.G_G!E,R and more other variations than you'll ever think of. They'll post image files with photographs of the offending word and they'll use Wiki markup to obfuscate the word (eg N igg e R).  It's exceedingly difficult to exclude all of the variants and obfuscation tricks.  In the end, you're probably going to have to ban users who misbehave - and it's really better to set up MediaWiki to make that easier.  Personally, I'd disable IP editing and make it so that you have to request a login account from either an admin, or perhaps from any existing person with an account.  (SteveBaker...ironically posting as an IP user because the stupid car dealership machine has cookies disabled! 99.96.179.150 (talk) 20:16, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * The usual "edit filter" approach is, IMO, bogus.
 * There are literally millions of possible alternatives (and that's a low estimate) and a different approach would probably be better. I'd look for a "highlighting" filter that tags all suspicious posts for admin review:
 * Edits with a "bad" word (even that kind can be legit and should be looked at rather than undone)
 * Edits with an unusual number of "strange" characters (words with digits, foreign code pages, etc)
 * Edits by users who had some of their edits undone recently,
 * Edits containing images (that shouldn't be a lot),
 * Edits by new users (less than 24 hours, or less than 10 "good" edits)
 * That way, you can catch the really malicious cases more easily, including abusive editors who don't resort to profanity, and it's less obvious what "gave them away." Unfortunately, I don't know if it can be done within Wiki software. I'd prefer a system like our "minor" edit system, but where the "major" or "suspicious" edits are flagged, say with a "REV" for review. - ¡Ouch! (hurt me / more pain) 11:41, 20 February 2014 (UTC)

Lock symbols on photos
I have a file stored on my computer and when I open it each photo shows a yellow lock beside it. What does this signify? I have never seen this before. Thank you.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 16:17, 18 February 2014 (UTC)


 * What operating system are you using? What software to open the photos? The latest versions of Mac OSX have "locked files", which ride on top of file permissions from the Unix side. (If you are on windows, sorry, wait for next answer :) SemanticMantis (talk) 18:24, 18 February 2014 (UTC)
 * I'm on Windows. I can see the photos OK. I had just put the file on a CD beforehand.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 18:29, 18 February 2014 (UTC)
 * I think it is read-only. If they came from a read-only medium (such as a CD) then they might inherit the read-only setting from there.  Astronaut (talk) 18:34, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

why Wiki set such a lot cookies ?
why Wiki set such a lot cookies ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alex351837 (talk • contribs) 21:25, 18 February 2014 (UTC)


 * MediaWiki sets cookies for many reasons, including to manage web caching, user sessions, and user login information. Nimur (talk) 21:40, 18 February 2014 (UTC)