I just learned something a few minutes ago. Spam Karma has gone GPL. I’m not sure what this means for the future but I do know that by installing this plugin on this site I have had only minimal problem with comment spam. I hope that some competent coders pick up this project because it works.
About Larry D. Burton
I'm a 55 year old controls engineer who just likes tinkering with stuff.
Finished high school at a local institute of learning. Decided it wasn't a good time to be a healthy, physically fit 18 year old with no college experience. Entered college and started working toward a degree in animal husbandry.
1975-1976
Discoverd that I was not going to be a very good husband of animals so I left school to figure out what I might be good at. A local beverage company took pity on me and paid me to go from place to place making sure their on tap beverages were maintaining their high quality.
1976-1979
Got out of quality control and into vending. Learned about control systems and refrigeration also learned that vending machines are heavy and vending doesn't pay all that well.
In 1977 I found myself married
1979-1981
Dedicated myself to installing and maintaining commercial refrigeration equipment. Found myself on the roof of a local grocery store one night in the middle of an ice storm replacing a compressor and figured it was time to get back into school.
1981-1986
Got my but back into school at night and changed jobs to keep the mechanical and electrical systems of a local coporate hospital in working order. The job expanded to unstopping drains and burning lab samples and amputated body parts.
1986-now
Finished school and took on a job designing, installing and maintaining industrial control systems. Along the way I picked up a bunch of computer skills that became very useful connecting various industrial controllers to one another and moving the data into coporate databases. I now operate Dallas Bay Technologies, a one man shop specializing in technology solutions for industrial problems.
That is disturbing to hear, Larry. Since I installed SK, on your recommendation, I have had almost no trouble with post spam. Not many utilities or other software I have used matches that performance.
I read the link, from the developer, and was concerned also with his opinion of Word Press. Do you agree with his assessment of the deterioration of WP? It has worked well for me, all problems have been due to my neglect of upgrading and general denseness about following instructions.
I wouldn’t worry too much about what Dr. Dave says. I’m sure there are problems with the architecture of WP but I think the same can be said about most software. Too often, though, personality conflicts and egos are more the cause of bad reviews on software than actual faults in the software.
Dave has put out an incredibly effective plugin for WordPress and the WordPress development team has ignored much of his input on WordPress development often causing him much grief in maintaining his plugins. I can understand him being miffed at the situation. I can also understand his decision to walk away from WordPress plugin development and the WordPress platform. I don’t think his concerns as a developer necessarily need to be taken into account in my decision to remain a WordPress user.
I’ll continue to use both WP and SK until my needs are no longer met by one or the other application. I have not found a replacement for either that I would be happier with.