Okay, I was hoping it wasn't going to be needed but it takes only one bad apple...

Here are the ground rules.

  • I reserve the right to edit, delete, or ignore any comment.
  • If I edit your comment in any significant way, I promise to make that fact clear in the edit. (Exception: Broken links and typos will be repaired without comment.)

Things that increase the likelihood that your comment will be edited or deleted:

  • Offensive or abusive language or disrespectful behavior. (Insults count as disrespectful behavior. Examples of insulting words/phrases: "moron", "designed without adult supervision".)
  • Misrepresentation. (I.e., claiming to be somebody you're not.) If you don't want to use your real name, that's fine, as long as your "handle" isn't offensive, abusive, or misrepresentative.
  • Comment spamming. This includes posting multiple comments in rapid succession, even if they are different. If you are prone to spurts of creativity, collect them into batches and post them as a single comment.
  • Comments that are off-topic, particular when the discussion turns into a shouting match.
  • Comments that attempt to "out" a company/program/person. E.g., trying to guess the identity of a program whose name I did not reveal.
  • More generally, comments that identify a specific company, program, or person. You can talk about a program, but you have to call it "Program X" or something like that. The purpose is to discuss problems and solutions, not to assign blame and ridicule.
  • Comments that expose me to potential legal action. Examples: Disclosing any company's trade secrets, posting copyrighted source code, violating Microsoft's company guidelines.
  • Giving yourself a star. (This is another case of mispresentation.)

If a wave of comment spam is under way, I may choose to moderate or even close comments until the problem subsides.

More rules may be added later, but I hope it won't be necessary.

Disclaimer: All postings are provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confer no rights. Opinions expressed are those of the respective authors. More legal stuff here.

[31 May 2004: Add exceptions for broken link repair.

2 Dec 2004: Add disclaimer and exception for fixing typos.

13 Dec 2004: Add remark on temporary closure of comments during spam attacks.

15 Mar 2005: Add remark for off-topic comments.

20 Mar 2007: No "outing".

25 Dec 2008: No disrespectful behavior.

12 March 2009: Examples of insults.

8 July 2010: Self-starring.]