[Python-Dev] Summary of Tracker Issues

[Georg Brandl]

Terry Reedy schrieb:
> "Andrew McNamara" <andrewm at object-craft.com.au> wrote in message 
> news:20070515034743.2030F5CC4B5 at longblack.object-craft.com.au...
> | I'm reluctant to mention the name of one particular tool I'm aware
> | of, but as well as the above, it also has OCR to defeat CAPTCHA, and
> 
> How about asking a Python specific question, with answered filled in rather 
> that multiple choice selected:  I would be willing to make up a bunch.
> 
> The initials of Python's founder.  ____
> The keyword for looping by condition. ____
> The char that signals a name-binding statement. ____
> (I am intentionally avoiding question words and ? that would signal Test 
> Question to automated software.)

There are two problems with this:
* The set of questions is limited, and bots can be programmed to know them all.
* Even programmers might not immediately know an answer, and I can understand
  them turning away on that occasion (take for example the "name-binding" term).

> If we anticipate users rather than programmers to register (as if so, it 
> would be nice to collect that info to formulate sensible responses), then 
> questions like
> The orb that shines in the sky during the day. ____
> 
> | automatically creates throw-away e-mail accounts with a range of free
> | web-mail providers for registration purposes.
> 
> Either don't  accept registrations from such accounts (as other sites have 
> done), or require extra verification steps or require approval of the first 
> post.  How many current legitimate registered users use such?

This is impossible to find out, I think, since SF.net does not publicly show
real e-mail addresses, instead, each user has an alias username at sourceforge.net.

Georg