Readme First! (Last update: 2007/August/31)

[Volker Pittlik]

Is it necessary to register to read this forum?

Not at the moment. This may change without announcement or explanatory statement.

How does the registering work?

A few minutes after registering you will receive an e-mail with a confirmation of your request. In this forum manual acceptance of accounts is enabled. You will get a second e-mail after your account has been activated.

May I use a pseudonym?

Yes, but to use your real name (that one written in your passport) is highly recommended. If you use a pseudonym do it with great care. In the past pseudonym users caused a lot of trouble here. Please keep in mind that pseudonym users have a lower level of tolerance here than users posting with their real name. Choose the pseudonym with care. Best is one that just looks like a usual name. "Fun" or obviously fake names will not be accepted. Remark: I'm not going to discuss with anyone what a normal name is.

Recommendations for posting

Members should post in a way that is respectful of other users. It is expected to stay on topic of the different subforums. Each posting should add some new content to the forum. Controversies are OK, but personal attacks in any form are unwanted. To announce new chess programs or other websites is OK, but please do it in a reasonable way. Your signature is a good place to inform others that you run a website too. To mention new programs some times is OK, but please avoid aggressive marketing in the forum. Please also never post any offending, pornographic or illegal content or links to it. Spam in any form is also not tolerated. Excessive use of smilies will be treated as spam.

How to post diagrams?

To post a diagram
1. Press the "Diag" button
2. Insert a FEN string
3. Press the "Diag" button again.

Limitations: For unknown reasons the diagram is not displayed properly for some users if a complete FEN or EPD string is inserted. Also a wrong number of pieces is displayed. This happens although the diagram is properly displayed for you. For this reason it is highly recommended to post only the piece placement part of the FEN. For example "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR" for the initial position.

It is also recommended to copy the complete FEN or EPD string and paste it after the diagram again. This enables others to copy the position comfortably. To change the script to do that automatically and the avoid the problem described above is also on the to-do list.

How to post formatted text (source code, result tables and so on)?

To post formatted text please:
1. Press the "Code" button (or type [ code] without the whitespace or press (alt+c)).
2. Insert the formatted text.
3. When you're finished please click the "Code" button again.
(Alternatively click the "Close Tags" link or type [/code] or press (alt+c)).

The maximum line length is 102 characters at the moment. If the line is longer it will be wrapped. To disable this is on the todo-list.

What can I change in my profile?

After registering you can change your individual profile. You find a link to your profile at the top of every page. You can choose to show your e-mail address and online status. Your e-mail address will never be displayed in clear text but in a form to enable other users of this forum to send e-mail to you.

You can also choose an avatar to be displayed along with your messages. There are three sections: "_user", "Logos" and "misc". Please don't use a photo of another person. There is only one logo per program. In doubt the author of the program can decide which logo to use and also to disallow someone to use the logo as avatar.

If a logo or photo is missing please send it to wbforum@vpittlik.org. If necessary I'm going to reduce the size to 80*100 pixel. The preferred formats are .gif, .jpg and .png.

You can choose different forum styles in your personal profile. If you have problems to read the forum please take a look at: http://www.phpbb.com/styles/demo.php for a style that is satisfying for you. Let me know and I'm going to install it. Because each style needs a lot of diskspace I don't install styles for fun. Feel free to make suggestions to change some things in a style, but keep in mind that a change can cause problem somewhere else where it is not expected. But I hope we can find a solution which is satisfying for everyone.

Please read the FAQ

There is also a link to the FAQ displayed on top of every page. That document contains a lot of valuable information. It is highly recommended to read it: FAQ.

Time zones and time format

Server time is GMT. You can set your personal time zone in your profile. Those who prefer the 24:00 format can use d.m.Y H:i or D j.n.Y G:i in their profile.

In case these rules are violated

Members who violate these rules may have to bear the consequences. Depending on the character of the violation the consequences may be a private or public warning, a temporary or permanent ban from the forum. A ban may be applied with or without previous warning.

Acknowledgment

My thanks to all people who made contributions to this forum.
Wilhelm Hudetz has created the logo on top of the pages.
Joost de Heer and Cornel Pacurar wrote the PHP script and phpBB Mod enabling us to post diagrams.
My apology if I have forgotten someone.