Whats up with the random questions?

[shnuffles]

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So I've been wondering forever...and its probably a dumb question...but why in the world do we always have to answer a "random question" like, "what is H2O?" or, "fill in the blank: student ______ forum" when searching the forum? Is there a point?

Ok, I guess I should get back to studying

 

[fizzle]

So I've been wondering forever...and its probably a dumb question...but why in the world do we always have to answer a "random question" like, "what is H2O?" or, "fill in the blank: student ______ forum" when searching the forum? Is there a point?

Ok, I guess I should get back to studying

It's to filter out bots that scour forums such as this.

 

[Chemist0157]

Isn't it similar to those odd letters we have to type to proof we're not spyware?

 

[fizzle]

Isn't it similar to those odd letters we have to type to proof we're not spyware?

These filters are used mainly for two purposes:

1. To prevent automated, scripted creation of forum accounts which would then post a flood of spam messages.

2. The search function uses a lot of bandwidth for a forum, so having a bot constantly put in searches all the time would be a huge drain on bandwidth. This is also the reason that many forums put in a "cooldown" time between searches (e.g. You need to wait for at least 30 seconds between searches).

 

[TooMuchResearch]

I've never had to do this, and I use the search function regularly.

 

[thisisapublicfo]

2. The search function uses a lot of bandwidth for a forum, so having a bot constantly put in searches all the time would be a huge drain on bandwidth. This is also the reason that many forums put in a "cooldown" time between searches (e.g. You need to wait for at least 30 seconds between searches).

Your lack of technical knowledge is astounding.

 

[fizzle]

Your lack of technical knowledge is astounding.

I'd appreciate it if you could tell me how I was wrong instead of just telling me that I was wrong. It works a lot better that way.

 

[zenlike]

I'd appreciate it if you could tell me how I was wrong instead of just telling me that I was wrong. It works a lot better that way.

You were way more than close enough to warrant that kind of remark.

But, to answer your question, bandwidth is how much data you can cram through a pipe. A search stresses the limited resources of the processors, causing what would seem like a slowdown in processing (but not affecting the bandwidth). Now, if you were downloading a huge file at a high rate, you would be stressing the bandwidth.

 

[Sangria]

I've never had to do this, and I use the search function regularly.

it's probably because you're logged in when you use the search functions. Guests have to say that H2O is water

 

[MonsterAddict]

it's probably because you're logged in when you use the search functions. Guests have to say that H2O is water

Finally someone answers the real question "what is h20" WATER. Now i can search...thanks guys!!!

 

[silverlining1]

it's probably because you're logged in when you use the search functions. Guests have to say that H2O is water

Ooh, never knew about this. Another perk to being a logged-in member instead of a lurker