What's the "point"?

[Pixeldawg1]

The point to my particularly persistent pestering pertaining to points is that there is no "official" explanation as what they are for, who gives them out, and what the overall significance of them is. I personally envision a little old man in a swept-away room in a dank basement with a gigantic book that he sweeps through long page after long page, and if he finds something you have done or said that is point-worthy, he gets on his 286 Intel with 4mb of RAM and a 128mb Hard drive and 1MB video card and hits that "point" button next to your name (ALL in DoS, of course...). The entire process takes hours, I am sure, particularly on that 28.8 modem...

In all seriousness, they don't serve a purpose. I've been around since 2013 and and I can't remember a time when the points meant anything. My guess is that it's basically a vestigial tail. It likely was some kind of system of giving out different levels of 'trophies' to encourage people to post. I don't know how many software changes there might have been since the form started - there's been one since I joined - but it's probably a feature that got carried over to the new system and then just sat there, being all useless and bored.

Of course, your vision of the little Wizard of Oz behind the TPF curtain with his fancy machinery is also a viable explanation.

Ah, thanks for that. Basically, you are saying there's not point to the points. So, next question, what's the point in showing them? Just to drive OCD people like me nuts, I suppose???

 

[limr]

The point to my particularly persistent pestering pertaining to points is that there is no "official" explanation as what they are for, who gives them out, and what the overall significance of them is. I personally envision a little old man in a swept-away room in a dank basement with a gigantic book that he sweeps through long page after long page, and if he finds something you have done or said that is point-worthy, he gets on his 286 Intel with 4mb of RAM and a 128mb Hard drive and 1MB video card and hits that "point" button next to your name (ALL in DoS, of course...). The entire process takes hours, I am sure, particularly on that 28.8 modem...

In all seriousness, they don't serve a purpose. I've been around since 2013 and and I can't remember a time when the points meant anything. My guess is that it's basically a vestigial tail. It likely was some kind of system of giving out different levels of 'trophies' to encourage people to post. I don't know how many software changes there might have been since the form started - there's been one since I joined - but it's probably a feature that got carried over to the new system and then just sat there, being all useless and bored.

Of course, your vision of the little Wizard of Oz behind the TPF curtain with his fancy machinery is also a viable explanation.

Ah, thanks for that. Basically, you are saying there's not point to the points. So, next question, what's the point in showing them? Just to drive OCD people like me nuts, I suppose???

What other purpose could there be?

(No, they hold no power other than that which you give them )

 

[Tropicalmemories]

Whatever the points system is based on - I have 113, which makes me superior to anyone with 112 or less.

 

[Space Face]

Whatever the points system is based on - I have 113, which makes me superior to anyone with 112 of less.

Indeed. That's the way democracy works. Oh, wait a minute.......................................

 

[smoke665]

So basically the software uses a quadratic equation ax2 + bx + c = 0 to resolve "other" factors which in the end mean nothing anyhow?

 

[petrochemist]

Whatever the points system is based on - I have 113, which makes me superior to anyone with 112 of less.

I don't think it's possible to have anything between 83 & 103.
Most will go from 83 to 133 on receiving their 500th Like, but there may be a few who manage this before their 1000th post.
There are no further trophies beyond that so the very popular/frequent posters like @Derrel have no further recognition of their vast input.

Quite a few forums have trophy systems along similar lines, none of which really offer any benefits. I suspect they originally started off as a way to increase traffic, once the forum has got going it's purely the content that drives traffic. By the time people have realised how irrelevant they are there's enough content that they have done their job

 

[Rickbb]

id that is point-worthy, he gets on his 286 Intel with 4mb of RAM and a 128mb Hard drive and 1MB video card and hits that "point" button next to your name (ALL in DoS, of course...). The entire process takes hours, I am sure, particularly on that 28.8 modem...

Except that in DOS there is no "button" to hit. He would have to type in a command line statement with arguments and parameters, then hit enter on the keyboard. lol Unless he had a script or batch file written that would prompt him to enter the username of the appointee.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

id that is point-worthy, he gets on his 286 Intel with 4mb of RAM and a 128mb Hard drive and 1MB video card and hits that "point" button next to your name (ALL in DoS, of course...). The entire process takes hours, I am sure, particularly on that 28.8 modem...

Except that in DOS there is no "button" to hit. He would have to type in a command line statement with arguments and parameters, then hit enter on the keyboard. lol Unless he had a script or batch file written that would prompt him to enter the username of the appointee.

Of course, Rick. You are on point. he would be the "point wizard" though, so surely he would have a batch file written. I miss DoS sometimes... it was a much simpler time.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

Whatever the points system is based on - I have 113, which makes me superior to anyone with 112 of less.

And I truly bow to your greatness, too...

 

[Pixeldawg1]

Whatever the points system is based on - I have 113, which makes me superior to anyone with 112 of less.

I don't think it's possible to have anything between 83 & 103.
Most will go from 83 to 133 on receiving their 500th Like, but there may be a few who manage this before their 1000th post.
There are no further trophies beyond that so the very popular/frequent posters like @Derrel have no further recognition of their vast input.

Quite a few forums have trophy systems along similar lines, none of which really offer any benefits. I suspect they originally started off as a way to increase traffic, once the forum has got going it's purely the content that drives traffic. By the time people have realised how irrelevant they are there's enough content that they have done their job

You sir, make several good points. Thank you!

 

[snowbear]

Keyboards? I recall an early computer (I believe carried by Heathkit) that used a keypad, not unlike a phone keypad, to enter commands. Come to think of it, some of the work-County's PBX machines (ATT System 85) used a terminal with the same type of keypad (mid to late 1980s).

 

[limr]

Keyboards? I recall an early computer (I believe carried by Heathkit) that used a keypad, not unlike a phone keypad, to enter commands. Come to think of it, some of the work-County's PBX machines (ATT System 85) used a terminal with the same type of keypad (mid to late 1980s).

BAH! No one's serious unless they remember punch cards! And room-sized processors!

 

[snowbear]

Keyboards? I recall an early computer (I believe carried by Heathkit) that used a keypad, not unlike a phone keypad, to enter commands. Come to think of it, some of the work-County's PBX machines (ATT System 85) used a terminal with the same type of keypad (mid to late 1980s).

BAH! No one's serious unless they remember punch cards! And room-sized processors!

I had a keypunch machine in storage but had to let it go.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

Keyboards? I recall an early computer (I believe carried by Heathkit) that used a keypad, not unlike a phone keypad, to enter commands. Come to think of it, some of the work-County's PBX machines (ATT System 85) used a terminal with the same type of keypad (mid to late 1980s).

BAH! No one's serious unless they remember punch cards! And room-sized processors!

Bahhhh! Punch cards... ANYONE can use punch cards. Try one of these on for size. No little sissy keyboards either... Hahaha!

And amazingly, my wife can work one like nobody's business. In China, they still learn how to use them in school.

 

[limr]

Keyboards? I recall an early computer (I believe carried by Heathkit) that used a keypad, not unlike a phone keypad, to enter commands. Come to think of it, some of the work-County's PBX machines (ATT System 85) used a terminal with the same type of keypad (mid to late 1980s).

BAH! No one's serious unless they remember punch cards! And room-sized processors!

Bahhhh! Punch cards... ANYONE can use punch cards. Try one of these on for size. No little sissy keyboards either... Hahaha!

View attachment 202901

And amazingly, my wife can work one like nobody's business. In China, they still learn how to use them in school.

I want to get one and pretend to use whenever I have to go back to work at an actual office. Just to fake people out.