Topic: loading forum

[Simon]

It's speeded up again now - we did have a whole load of 'Guests' (bots) a while ago, most of whom have now buggered off, so that may have had something to do with it.  I've also just optimised the tables, which I think has more of a placebo effect than anything, but maybe it helped.

[Rik]

I know the placebo effect well. Wish we could kill bots though.

[mistybear]

Excuse my ignorance (no comments please), but what are bots?

[Simon]

Little automated search engines, Kate, usually looking for security holes in which to post spam and the like.    Fortunately, SMF seem to be fairly immune to them, but they can still cause problems if they arrive en masse.

[mistybear]

A little like relatives at Christmas........ 

Thanks Simon.

[Clive]

Search engines such as google use them to sift and catalogue the information they spew up when you instigate a web search.