Optional registration now available for MacDailyNews & iPodDailyNews [UPDATED]

328 Comments

As requested by many of our “regulars,” optional registration is now available for MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews.

What does this mean? Those who register get to reserve their own username that nobody else will be able to use (sorry, spoofers). So, get your name while it lasts! First come, first served. Those who wish to post without registering can continue to do so with whatever name they’d like, but the lack of a “star” symbol after their name denotes that they are not registered.

Directly under “Add Your Feedback” below, you’ll see two new self-explanatory links, “Register” and “Login.”

Register with a real, working email address, so you can receive our confirmation email and be able to click the link contained within to activate your registration. In other words: fake email addresses aren’t going to work.

After you’ve done the quick registration, just login with your username and password and you won’t even need to enter the famous “MDN Magic Word!” You can even choose to “Auto-login on future visits.”

Registration is quick and easy, requiring only the following:
• Username (Must be at least 4 characters long)
• Password (Must be at least 5 characters long)
• Screen Name (Can be 1 or more characters long)
• Email Address (Must to be a real address)
• Agree to the Terms of Service

Entering a URL is optional (actual use TBD in future upgrades)

Whether you decide to register and lock up your very own unique name or not, reader feedback is still open to everyone. Enjoy!

MacDailyNews Note: Bear with us while we work on your suggestions and fix some lingering issues. Thank you for your patience. Our Privacy Policy can be viewed here.

We will leave this article at the top of the home page for awhile, so that everyone can get a chance to see it.

328 Comments

  21. I’m in as well. Been coming here for what seems like years and years. I don’t post much but now and then I will just have to say my piece.

    Hey MDN. You should go through your logs, and make sure nobody but the real ZuneTang can sign up as ZuneTang. I love their posts, especially when the noobs miss the joke.

    Love the site. Be cool one and all.

    Reply

  24. Yipee. Good stuff. Still its nice to see a Windows Troll once in awhile popping in, only to get smashed and squashed like a bug in the end. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  25. “This should have been done years ago. MDN will get more enjoyable to read from now on.”

    ——————–

    Agreed, although I’d still like these discussions to be forum style with mandatory registration.

    I like the way AppleInsider does it, where there is the home page that lists the articles in descending order according to date, butt when you post a comment you are taken to a proper forum..

    It’s much easier to identify the most active threads and a whole heck of a lot less trolling over there.

    Reply

  30. @Tre

    Yes, Forum style would be nice. Not only for the reasons you listed but also being able to quote and reply directly. Seeing who’s online at any given time, starting your own threads, etc. etc.

    MDN, is this a possibility?

    Reply

  35. Welcome back, Ampar. Your dreams were your ticket out. Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about. The names have all changed since you hung around, but those dreams have remained and they’re turned around. Who’d have thought they’d lead ya, back here where we need ya?

    P.S. I wonder if the coveted “Zune Tang” screen name will go to the original or to one of his pale imitators.

    Reply

  38. Thank you !
    I will probably miss the MDN tho… 🙁
    So prophetic most of the time!

    I remember all of the complaints about how the site became narrow but you know it fits perfectly on my iPod touché ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> and as soon as the iPhone is released in Australia – it will look good on it also.

    Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  48. Now all we need is MDN Poster Badges! For every 62½ postings, we earn an MDN Merit Badge. For every 16.67 MDN Merit Badges earned, we qualify for the MDN Special Recognition Program. Upon doubling those qualifying badges, we will be sent a FREE iMac computer!

    Wow! What a great program! Happy I signed up!

    But wait, no MDN Magic Word requirement for us?! Why should registered users be penalized! Perhaps we can establish a level of qualification so that we can receive and post extra MDN Magic Words by email!

    And editing postings would be really good. That way, when whee misppell sumtheen, wee kin goe kurect itt.

    Reply

  64. I’m looking out my window and seeing snow. I look here and find find and amusement.

    Thanks all and MDN.

    “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” – Edward R Murrow

    Reply

  65. This is a good thing, but if MDN goes any further (e.g., AppleInsider), it will lose the freewheelin’ style that attracts many of us.
    MDN: This is a reasonable balance–please don’t spoil a good thing!!

    Reply

  85. OK, this works great. I noticed though that the registration includes a comment: “By registering at this site you agree not to post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, or that violate any laws.”

    I wonder how the citizens of AENUS are going to get around that. Oh wait, I forgot, they citizens of terrorist countries and have total disregard for anyone else, much less coming to an agreement. Silly me.

    Post away.

    Reply

  100. Thanks, Anonymous (if that is your real name)!

    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    Thorin, I’m a legend in my own mind. That pretty much sums it up. You’ve known me under many different names as I dodged the spoofers. It was like running in your sleep. Or, maybe my sleep. Very tiring.

    Reply

  102. Thanks, Anonymous (if that is your real name)!
    Andy, I relied on multiple personalities to stay in touch.

    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    Thorin, I’m a legend in my own mind. That pretty much sums it up. You’ve known me under many different names as I dodged the spoofers. It was like running in your sleep. Or, maybe my sleep. Very tiring.

    Reply

  122. @Ampar

    “I relied on multiple personalities to stay in touch.

    Hmm, I’ll kinda miss those brown things that won’t squirt, metabolism inhibitors, and birds of prey from strange places. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  134. Cool, logged in and locked in my name. I had gotten away from commenting so much because there were two of us with the same name.

    One thing tho, I clicked the log me in automatically in the future and was wondering if there was anyway to log out? Not sure why I would need this but it just seemed strange that there was no way to do it.

    Reply

  155. Swordmaker logged in and typing on my iPhone. Can I now complain about the really slow and often incomplete loading of MDN? I often get an error on loading -1011 – probably where one of you advertising partners isn’t playing nice. How about loading the content first, then the ads. We’ll still see the ads as we read the comments.

    Reply

  162. Your Anonymous concept is overkill!

    You could have allowed everyone to carry on using any name they pleased – some of which are clearly made up on the spot for the humour of it.

    All you needed to do was add a flag/icon next to ‘validated’ logged in names but not next to those were not.Spoofers would still be obvious.

    Richard

    Reply

  163. No one has registered my nickname. Who will be the first asshole to do it? Surely there must be at least one lowlife around. Think of what you’re missing: instant notoriety! Everyone will know what a jerk you are, How could you pass this up, huh? Hurry up; I’m meeting my voodoo-mistress soon and I need to target at least one curse to some anonymous ‘human” [the M/W].

    Reply

  181. Finally… This “feature” is years overdue… It won’t stop the trolls, but it’s a step forward.

    Now, at risk of sounding selfish… how about increasing he length of the article summaries in the RSS feed (at least), so we have a better idea if we really want to read an article, and if an article is deemed unworthy, thus save MDN the waste of bandwidth, and maybe MDN will stop trying to force feed us with 30,000 ads per page? Just a thought anyhow.

    Reply

  187. i think the system they are trying to put in place is one in which humorous fake name posting (Tom Cruise, Denny Crane etc.) would still be possible. The only exception would be trying to spoof an existing user-name.

    Under the old system, when someone would be getting his or her ass kicked in an argument it would often be the case that a bunch of inane posts would appear under the “winning” interlocutor’s name. It became impossible to carry on an argument in this fashion. The new system will still allow people to post support for their own arguments under different user names but those posts are usually pretty transparently written by the same person.

    Most of us who have been here for a while are willing to carry on an argument (it’s the internet … serious business). Hopefully the new system makes this community more enjoyable for everyone.

    Reply

  190. Like most others here, I am very happy to see Ampar back and looking at his posts, it is indeed the real Ampar. Now what about Twisted Mac Freak?

    Was that you Ampar? If not, TMF if you are out there…give us a sign….post something witty about how stupid Zune Tang is and about where he can stick his stupid posts.

    Reply

  195. Jim – TIV:
    Dextroamphetamine, Acetylcholinesterase and a few other chemical names. Used periodically but they had to be tabled to avoid compounding the confusion.

    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  197. Thank you for turning off my email posting. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Unfortunately, the world potentially knows exactly who I am. And now, the government has to change my name (again)

    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    that was a joke.

    Reply

  199. Damn! My account has not been activated yet!!!

    @ MDN Does this mean that you will now have more advertising because you can accurately declare your membership to would be advertisers?

    Does it also mean that the value of advertising is going to go up?

    Reply

  209. I noticed, Micro Me!
    So, for the next several hours I feel obligated to contribute incredibly meaningful commentary chopped into hundreds of posts.
    Hmmm. . . . where to begin?

    Side note: my favorite posts are the ones imploring us not to read them. Still wrapping my brain around that concept. I wonder if I can de-experience Windows too? (made up word alert)

    Reply

  210. MikeK:
    “mike k.” not to be confused with “MikeK.”

    Yes, my real name is Mike Kraemer.

    yeah … it seems silly for there to be two of us (i think there was a third mike k for a while) but i have been using this handle on this board for about 5 years now, so i’m loath to give it up.

    Hopefully the flotsam and jetsam around here will be able to keep track of the difference between upper and lower case … i’m not holding my breath though …

    Reply

  211. Ampar, you could go to that Total Recall place, and have your memory of Windows replaced with a memory of some Martian vacation…

    Just don’t read the small print when the doctor puts you in the chair!

    Reply

  212. ‘Side note: my favorite posts are the ones imploring us not to read them. Still wrapping my brain around that concept.’

    Please do not read this message any further! I warn you.
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    I knew you would (we are all just sooooo curious)

    Reply

  215. There’s only one me. Chill.

    Now if someone can tell me how to get the emoticons to work for me again. Manual is played out.

    Peace.
    THE Olmecmystic ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  235. Unregistered posters should still be able to use any names they want instead of Anonymous. Of course, only the untaken ones.

    Why? Because otherwise we can’t talk to them. eg:
    Anonymous: I agree with you <– which Anonymous are we talking to here?

    Reply

  237. @Anonymous above obvious.

    MDN’s description of the new system is unclear on that issue, but I agree with you; that’s the way it should work.

    MDN is evidently having lots of technical problems at the moment. My inbox is clogged with unwanted notifications and my registered login isn’t working anymore.

    We’ll all just have to hang in there.

    Micro Me

    Reply

  239. After giving up on MDN discussion threads a number of years ago over the spoofing problem I am happy to come back and join the conversation, if only to annoy you Liberals.

    I can now return to pointing out that being a Mac user in a world of Windoze acolytes is akin to being a Conservative in a world of Liberal acolytes.

    I judge politically liberal Mac users to be half way there, you made the right choice of computers (didn’t go with the flow, didn’t pick your computer because everyone else has one, chose a Mac even though Windoze users will look down on you for owning a “toy”. No, you used logic not feelings and picked the right machine. Now, time to do that with your ideological world view.

    Just say this to yourself “anthropogenic global warming is a hoax, we DID find chemical weapons in Iraq, GW won the election fair and square, Rosie O’Donnell and Michael Moore are idiots”.

    Remind yourself of these facts once in awhile and you will eventually be able to set your cognitive dissonance aside and join the rest of us in the world of the rational.

    Cheers!

    -B

    Reply

  240. @Beeblebrox…. being a Mac user in a world of Windoze acolytes is akin to being a Conservative in a world of Liberal acolytes.

    Ummmm….methinks you got that reversed. Conservatives (Canadian version anyway) are narrow-minded just like many PC users I know (I won’t even describe the conversation I overheard today at Best buy between a PC user and someone interested in buying a Mac). Furthermore, the conservatives are unethical, and waste more money than liberals do, in the long run. Even though our taxes are dropping slightly, the conservatives actually decreased in the polls…because Canadians are not accepting of going too far to the right wing.
    SO keep your stupid comments to your stupid self.

    Reply

  243. No problem, Bluster. I mean . . um, you know! (j/k)

    Well, it’s about freakin’ time this thread got political. I was beginning to wonder. Better dead than well-read after all.

    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    (Ann Coulter in disguise? Isn’t that Cheney in drag?)

    Reply

  244. I hope the infestation of ads that have made this site practically unusable have been worthwhile, because I don’t think I can continue wasting time waiting for pages to load here. Please sort it out before you lose me completely!

    Reply

  245. Oh c’mon Buster, I am obviously talking about the IDEOLOGY of conservatism. Grow some nuance dude.

    Who cares about Canadian conservatives? I am referring to the philosophical pursuit of modern conservatism, you know, the view that feelings should not guide decisions? That cold heartless facts are what should be considered over emotion or demagoguery?

    I stand by my metaphor. Even if I take the most generous of views toward Liberalism; that it is a pursuit of an ideal government run society, it is hard to avoid history. Modern Liberalism fails wherever it is tried. It doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. It only survives because it has intrenchment and lots of blind followers.

    Conservatism manages also to survive but for the same reason that Macs survive, because it works. There is no peer pressure to choose a Mac just like there is no peer pressure to become a conservative. Quite the opposite. But we choose Macs because they have demonstrated themselves to be a reliable way of doing computing. Likewise, conservatism has proven itself, over and over again, to be the ideal philosophy for the smooth running of a country.

    That’s all I’m saying.

    Reply

  254. George bush sucks! Conservatives are morons! Legalize drugs, abortion, gay marriage, and give all “illegal” immigrants free citizenship and open the borders to unrestricted immigration! Outlaw the death penalty, raise taxes, increase spending on social programs, and pull all troops back from foreign soil!

    Reply

  258. Here comes the Calvary!!!!!

    I spent the last couple of days listening to as much liberal talk radio as possible. And from what I heard, Ed Shultz is the only one that came anywhere near holding my attention. And I enjoyed finally hearing some libs talk facts.

    I listen to one other show last Wed. night. All they talked about were the callers from that mornings show who didn’t like the new evening show, so then the next morning, I listened to almost 2 hours of people calling in explaining why they didn’t like the evening show the night before. Thompson and Bennet are the two host, I believe. One happens to be black, so automatically, everybody who called in complaining were labeled as racist. That was the gist of both shows. Now I know they will have different topics, but listening to the way they handles themselves was, well, about what I expected.

    Now listening to Shultz deconstruct the Clinton campaign and point out its flaws and having a blow by blow of the debate discussion was very helpful, and he was on the money most of the time, with compliments AND pointing to the flaws.

    Now I know that I may listen again next week and start to hear the same old “Bush stole, Bush lied, 911 inside job, Haliburton” BS, but I hope not, and I hope that I have stumbled upon a repository for decent liberal discussion. We’ll see.

    Oh, and go Giuliani/Huckabee ’08!!!

    (How about that $20, Ampar?)

    Reply

  264. @Beeblebrox…Who cares about Canadian conservatives?

    Well….I think most of us do (here anyway). But I digress…I brought it up because, as I use a little nuance here, it is the degree of conservatism I have a problem with. A little left a little right, most of us swing around the centre up here. I disagree strongly when conservative IDEOLOGY starts wandering too far to the right (as we currently have), it is not a proven philosophy for running a country smoothly. It tends to divide a country…over and over. Both in the US and in Canada.

    Reply

  265. Personally I think the federal Marijuana Party up here has a better platform than either the grits or the tories….at least on those days when they can remember what they stand for.

    Hey…political ideology, Ann Coulter…that ought to get us to at least 7 pages.

    Reply

  268. Ann Coulter to the right is what James Carville is to the left. Punditry, humor, and some stuff to think about. If it hurts, it might be true.

    Always-
    From the time I lived in DC in the late 80’s (and seeing him on occasion[in passing]) I have never cared for Biden’s ego. But watching him in the debate last week made him look like the only adult on the stage(not hard to do) and I was so glad to hear SOMEONE stand up and basically say “your full of shit” about the Patriot Act and withdrawing forces. Kudos to him for having a pair!

    Reply

  272. Uh-huh, I think I have it. Something to do with gluten-free cookies. It’s always the simple stuff.

    At least I’m helping us inch towards seven pages. I don’t think you’ll make your ten though Ampar. The discussion is far too civilized.

    Reply

  274. @TT

    You are right about the Ann Coulter occasionally getting in a line that causes pain to a liberal. None of us are perfect in anything, be it political or otherwise. Its her continuous…if it is somehow related to anything liberal then it is awful, useless and harmful to little babies and puppies. Its the knee-jerk reaction that is tiresome and makes her, in my opinion, lose any credibility. Additionally, it just makes her appear childish and mean.

    Reply

  277. “Nice star”

    Thanks Buster. It’s not the star per se, but its spiritual significance. Right now, it’s right above my house and three Mensa rejects, perched on humps, are headed this way, bearing frankincense and a Diet Coke.

    If your Mac’s a coeliac, those cookies better be gluten free; you’ll get twenty of them per visit.

    Reply

  278. Very nice addition.

    My time with Apple is coming to an end after two good years spent with them. I have been hunted down by recruiters and proposed a job career that I could not refuse. Great time with you Apple, I’ll go back to being a VIP as before joining you.

    This also means that I’ll be able to resume my “Seahawk” nickname of time ago. Some old timer might remember it.
    For all of the MDNs users here, Apple is truly a different company in many respects: I have seen the backstage ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  284. @Buster

    Don’t worry, you’re still a star =)

    @Lee

    I don’t like sites that practically force you to register in order to comment properly. Besides, having half the comments be “anonymous” would make it hard to have a conversation when you can’t tell who said what. The registration should be to prevent impostors, which it does perfectly well without making all non-registered users revert to “Anonymous”.

    Reply

  290. Sorry, Frank, but I am in the middle of “Miles Gone By”, and have a signed copy of Walter Isaacson’s “Benjamin Franklin” in the wings, and after that I hope to finish Thomas Sowell’s “Basic Economic” that was borrowed by my daughter just as I was getting started. Then I will return to Stephen Hawking for “The Universe In A nutshell”.

    After that, I will look into Chomsky. And Frank, we should all be looking for facts.

    Congrats Cowboys (had to catch it on Sirius on the way back from a roadtrip to do hiking in Northern Arkansas with the kids)

    Passing through home briefly and back on the road for a couple of days, I think. Will try to keep in check on the thread when I can.

    Have a good week to all.

    Oh, and Buster, I know she does. But most people I know don’t take her comedy serious, but her points are justified.

    Reply

  292. TT: Enjoy the Ben Franklin, I thought it was very entertaining and informative, and much more open about his faults without in any way trying to diminish his brilliance.

    Based on the selections you mentioned, I also STRONGLY recommend the book “Global Brain” by Howard Bloom. Easily one of the most entertaining, informative, and just innovative pieces of thinking I’ve read in years.

    Reply

  302. Not a ten, but pretty good Ampar.

    Buster: Over 300 posts with no blood on the floor! That’s got to be a record. The Americans proved to be unbaitable in this thread. Either registration calmed them, or the effects of your Marijuana Party have seeped over the border ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  304. @Micro Me

    And I even through some of my best pitches re: Coulter, right wing extremism and then downright name calling.
    Maybe that was the wrong direction…ok…

    Macs suck and PCs rule.

    Now where did I put down that doobie……..

    Reply

  312. Pfft, Macintosh? What’s that, some kind of Apple?

    We don’t like your kind here. And what’s more. I don’t like the way you walk. And I don’t like the way you talk. This website ain’t big enough for the two of us!

    Hmm… duel with railguns at dawn?

    Reply

  313. @Vlad…I think Macintosh is Granny Smith in disguise.

    Think we can make 8 guys? TT, are you and Ampar still gazing in wonderment at the trails of smoke swirling around the velvet Elvis painting under the blacklight in the basement while listening to Lou Reed’s “Walk on the wild side”?

    Reply

  318. Buster-
    Alas my profession of getting high precludes me from being able to get high anymore, lest I should be high while getting high, only to slip, and in that fall from grace, my highness be deemed the cause of my descent, and his Highness the Insurance Adjuster then to be lower than low in his dispersion of funds.

    But get a few beers in me…..

    Reply

  319. Buster, TowerTone, Ampar! You’re still here?

    I’ve already told you, you’re not going to make ten. Now off to bed immediately, all of you, or I’ll call Matron.

    You too, Thorin and Vlad, off you go. You shouldn’t be associating with these three. They’re high security patients.

    And what’s that strange burning smell?

    Reply

  326. Oh look Meester Indiana Jones. Some some mummified corpses over here.

    Let’s us see now, thems have name tags. Hard to read. This one has two T’s on it. Wonder what that mean?

    Careful now. Mind dem bones. This says……. Ampule! He musta been a chemist.

    Now this one. Hmmmm, Busty! So, this one was a woman! That means bad luck! We must go now. We’ll never find Vlad and blucaso.

    Reply

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