"allow ONLY registered members to post"

Ya... but that'd make sense... and then it wouldn't be Mudcat...

"newcomers may feel a bit cautious until they have tested the water"
Right... and the whole point is you get to 'test' by observing as a guest rather than just having any goof who can 'sign in' and post whatever they want...

But we all know that the people running this place don't want Mudcat to be like that... so it won't be...