Proposing a couple of slight changes.

[Samadhi]

Well, 3 things. First, that doesn't invalidate my point. I'll admit my conclusion is based on anecdotal evidence, but AFAIK it stands to reason. If you'd like to test it, I'm game. We do a week with no banning, then a week with banning, and see how much spam we get. Yes, actually, thinking through procedures I'm willing to bet on that. Gentelmen's bet, some non-monetary thing to bet on.

Second, what's so bad about randomly banning an IP? I'd say it's on the order of 0.5% that any actual user would be banned over any year period.

Third, I honestly don't know how difficult/easy it is to fake IPs. If you have some info on that, I'd be most interested. But, logically, it doesn't seem like it's something that can be done by automation (IE, a new IP can be faked, but it takes human intervention), otherwise we'd be overrun. Why would there be multiple spams using the same IP? (which ALWAYS happens if not banned.)
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[HyToFry]

[HyToFry]

Script kiddie says it's basically impossible, so I concede all points to Samadhi.
_________________
"History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again." Hi ho.

[mv*]

It can't be too hard to change your IP if you work from a Mac. My IP is reset every time I restart the computer. I bet there would be a way to bypass that and reset within 1 second in a scriptable manner.

[Antrax]

It's far from basically impossible. He calls himself a script kiddie? pshaw.
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[Samadhi]

[HyToFry]

[Antrax]

By definition, if there's an IP address between you and whatever you're talking about, you're using a proxy. Still, there are open proxies and there are other types. Also, there are still dynamic IPs. And inter-network spoofing. But hey, other than that, completely impossible.
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[HyToFry]

inter-network spoofing is the only example of faking an IP, and I don't think it can be done through the Internet used on a website. The other examples are not faking an IP. You're using a legitimate IP in every case.

You might not be using it legitimately, but you're not faking it.

Dynamic IPs are the poorest example that you posted. Script-kiddie never said you couldn't get a new IP. He just said it's basically impossible to fake an IP.
_________________
"History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again." Hi ho.

[Antrax]

I never said anything about using an IP address that doesn't belong to anyone. Just one that doesn't belong to me, at least not for long.
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[Samadhi]

Hy: My point is true, regardless of the impossibility issue.
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[HyToFry]

Sam, if a spammer was using a fake IP with every post, banning that IP would be pointless. As it is, it's not possible to make up an IP with every post, so my point is moot. If it was possible, then banning the IPs would be silly. You may as well be banning random numbers.
_________________
"History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again." Hi ho.

[Samadhi]

Out of frustration, I will say: Ok.
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[HyToFry]

Coming from you that's practically the same as a non fixed-view person rolling over and dying.
_________________
"History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again." Hi ho.

[Samadhi]

Speaking of asparagus.
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[mv*]

We should ban all the IPs that don't belong to known GLers to protect them from spam.

[Logain]

If faking IPs were easy then all P2P software out there would take advantage of that code and there would be no more RIAA lawsuits

Would there be a way or would it be beneficial to have to have a unique IP to register a new username? And if someone tries with the same address it needs a mod to approve the registration for cases of people here using multiple handles or from the same work/school domain?

[Samadhi]

There are over 4 trillion possible IPs, actual usable ones are only in the hundreds of billions. I'd say, at present rates, we could run the GL for centuries without a collission.

Or am I misunderstanding your question?
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[Samadhi]

[HyToFry]

[Samadhi]

*cough* there's others
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[Samadhi]

I was trying to find the discussion about the message given when moving a post to spam, but it looked like it would take more than a minute so I thought I'd just post here.

Perhaps you could just remove the period from the original, and refrain from making the spam part bolded?
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[Courk]

It's in this thread.

[Samadhi]

If you'd told me that 137 minutes ago, that would have been useful.
_________________
And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.