Viewing online members. How come "Everyone" is the default?

[kat]

After all, how often do we want to know what guests are up to? Especially if there are a lot of them.

Wouldn't it be better, if "Members only" was the default, for the vanilla SMF?

Just struck me as odd...

[LiroyvH]

I've been wondering that myself for quite a while, but figured as the question had (as far as I could see) never been asked: most people prefer it that way

* CoreISP puts his forever alone picture back on the shelve.

[kat]

It simply strikes me as... well... you know...

[Colin]

Yep, I always find myself changing it as well.

[Antechinus]

I fnd it very useful like that (meaning current default).

[kat]

For what reason, out of curiosity?

[IchBin™]

I'm with Ant on this as I like to see what everyone is up to by default. I'm not often worried about anyone in particular, but more curious about the whole picture of what is going on in my site.

[Antechinus]

Usually useful when some idiotic bunch of bots decides to hammer the site. I might see the online list, check them out, and ban a few IP's just to speed things up. Also, sometimes handy to check if known troublemakers are lurking but not logged in. Stuff like that.

[kat]

Isn't that more out of the ordinary, though?

Under normal circumstances, don't you just use that to see who's in and that kinda stuff?

[Antechinus]

Yeah but I'm happy to just leave it the way it is. I don't see any need to change it to some other setting when I want to look things up.

[Colin]

Maybe a definable parameter in the ACP?

[Antechinus]

Bloat. IMHO. I don't really want to have to run another database query every time the page loads.

[Colin]

It would only be run on the who is online page which I wouldn't think gets a terrible amount of traffic.

[Antechinus]

Wouldn't it be run on BoardIndex.template.php too?

[kat]

The reason that I brought it up, is because I only ever use it, here.

The reason I use it, is to watch suspected spamtards and it's kinda irritating to have to select "Everybody" all the time. Guests, after all, can't make spammy posts, yet there are LOADS of them.

Assuming that others will be doing the same thing, in their forum, it made me think "Why?".

[Colin]

No, I don't see why it would, Ant?

[Antechinus]

Because if you don't want everybody showing in the info centre, you'll have to call in the setting there too.

[Colin]

Guests aren't shown in the board info center...

[Matthew K.]

I only go there to see what members are doing...

[Antechinus]

Ahem. How does that information get there?

[Colin]

Ah, I see our confusion. I thought you were referencing that actual guest list was combined with the user list. I don't mind the guest count being displayed.

[MrPhil]

"'De fault' -- the two sweetest words in the English language!
     -- Homer Simpson, in Deep Space Homer

[Deaks]

yeh ant I dont think they on about that part after all that can be altered in AP as it is ... thinmk they mean more ?action=who

aka

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?action=who

A setable default I fell be best.

[Colin]

yeh ant I dont think they on about that part after all that can be altered in AP as it is ... thinmk they mean more ?action=who

aka

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?action=who

A setable default I fell be best.

Indeed.

[Irisado]

It can be both useful, and amusing, to see what guests are up to though, so I don't see any reason to change the default.  I personally nearly always change to members only, but not without taking a look at what some of the guests are doing first.

[HunterP]

It can be both useful, and amusing, to see what guests are up to though, so I don't see any reason to change the default.  I personally nearly always change to members only, but not without taking a look at what some of the guests are doing first.

I've modded this myself a while ago, works fine :

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=428846.msg3186848#msg3186848

[kat]

I think I'm out-voted.

[Irisado]

I've modded this myself a while ago, works fine :

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=428846.msg3186848#msg3186848

That's a useful mod for those who want it.  Just to clarify that my point was that I don't think that it's something that needs to be changed with the SMF default, but anyone who wants to now knows where to look  .