Tech: two Mudcatters with same name

Subject: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: greg stephens
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 09:51 AM

I find it odd that it is possible to have two completely different members who share the same name. I presume it only happens if one member leaves(is it possible to sign out permanently?).
    I noticed this when checking out past postings of a current member, and found they included a completely separate member with the same name back in 1999. I spotted the difference because (new) Josh in 2004 votes BNP(but of course is not a racist), and doesnt know anythting about folk music. Whereas (old) Josh, in 1999, knows about Alan Lomax and Stefan Grossman. But the two are lumped together as one member if you look at the lists of postings by Josh. I think this should be made impossible: if there is(or was) a Josh, then the new one should at least be Josh2 or something.

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 10:37 AM

Greg, as far as I know it is impossible for 2 members to have the same name and database rules (referential integrity) would make it difficult to delete a member without loosing thier posts.

I think what you are seeing is a post made by a non-member in the days before "Guest" was added to the name.

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: Barbara
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 11:43 AM

I think the tech people can reset the system to allow that to happen. But I'm not sure if it would then pull up posts made by both.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: pdq
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 11:52 AM

I just checked the history of one "Nick_" . He appears to be British. Mixed in are posts from "nickr", "nickt" and several others who are American and have interest in mandolins and Appalachian music. Can the great computers at Mudcat World Headquarters separate these people???

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 02:05 PM

Well yes Barbra, someone on the tech side probably could but I doubt it would be done leaving the old name the same.

On a typical system, the actual key is likely to be a member number not a name (eg I think Im something like 4469 here) and the member name field may well allow duplicates - it does at both folkinfo and at the Annexe. What I do is every time a new person tries to join or updates their details I run some simple SQL. For a new member it goes:

"SELECT m_name FROM member WHERE m_name = 'newname'"

If this query returns a row, it means the username has already been taken and this is reported and the person is given the chance to try another name.

The difficulty I mentioned earlier is one with standard rules of relational databases. With my forums, one of those rules could be expressed that for every post (and every post contains the memberID of the poster) there MUST be a corresponding entry in the member table.

I could not simply delete my memberID (1) at folkinfo for example as I have posted there as to do so would break the rule. If it was allowed, there would then be a lot of posts made by an unknown poster. Delete a few more members on a system like that and you have chaos and confusion on your hands!

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 02:46 PM

Greg, neither of the individuals you mention is a member. They are GUESTS. It is impossible for there to be two members named Josh, but any number of GUESTS can identify themselves as Josh. In fact, there's nothing to stop anyone from masquerading as GUEST,greg stephens or GUEST,Bee-dubya-ell. That's one reason why we become members: so that whoever reads our posts knows that it's really us and not some troublemaker.

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 04:00 PM

You are wrong there Bee-dubya-all. The new Josh did sign up as a member and his last 3 posts show without a guest tag - check the old forum search. The other post reffered to was made in 1999 and even though it shows "josh", and NOT "Guest, Josh", I am pretty sure it was a Guest posting.

To bore you with the history... Membership existed before the Guest tag was introduced and at one time, it was impossible to tell a member post from a Guest post by looking at a thread. The Guest tag was added after a non-member impersonated a member. It is therefore possible to find plenty of older posts made by non-members that do not show "Guest" in front of the name.

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 05:17 PM

Sorry, I had not realized that Josh had become a member after starting the thread and making several posts as GUEST,Josh. Yes, there are four posts by the current Josh and one by a "josh" from '99.   

Thanks for the explanation, Jon.

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: bbc
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 09:48 PM

If they are the way Bee-dubya-ell wrote them--one w/ upper case & one w/ lower, I think that makes them two different names, by the Mudcat system.

bbc (always lower case)

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: JennyO
Date: 22 Aug 04 - 10:56 PM

I had a look at the thread where a Josh posted in '99, and I can see that it must have been in the time where the GUEST tag had not been introduced, because one post in that thread had nothing at all in the "from" space. That could not happen if there was a guest tag, therefore that Josh could be anybody. I think Jon has it right - after all, he is in a position to know.

Subject: RE: Tech: two Mudcatters with same name
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 02:32 AM

Jon has it right. We had a change in the cookie system - I think it was about 2000. There could bwe a name used before that date, that is used by a different person now. If it presents a problem, let us know - e-mail me, [e-mail]; or Pene Azul, [e-mail].
I don't think it should be much of a problem, since the change took back quite a while ago.
-Joe Offer-