Free Republic

May I please make a humble request? Is there any way you could add a button or something on the submission screen to warn of us forbidden sources before we spend the time preparing an article for posting?

It would be nice if, when we want to use some tags for emphasis (such as <em> to denote someone else's comment), or bolding, if we didn't have to then revert into full HTML and manually add paragraph breaks. It shouldn't have to be all or nothing. For instance, the blogging software Wordpress automatically converts line breaks to paragraph tags, while still allowing the addition of HTML for other things. Is there some reason that we couldn't have the same capability here? It would make commenting a lot less painful.

I'm writing a desktop application that I'd like to deploy onto Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. I'm trying to pick the language that will give me the most conveniences, without setting timebombs that will go off down the road. Here's what I think I know so far: C++ Pros: 1) resulting code runs fastest, provided I am not a bonehead 2) most flexibility in memory management 3) Maximum difficulty in reverse engineering my object code, though there is nothing revolutionary or complex in what I plan to write. 4) Tools are rock-solid. C++ Cons: 1) memory management is the biggest hassle,...

It would be nice if one could search threads by the author of the original article. Currently one can search by user (the FR member who is posting). Often a column by someone like Thomas Sowell is marked by the keyword "sowell", but if the author's name has not been designated as a keyword for the thread, I don't think this works.

How come when I click on Free Republic linked articles, they come up in extremely small windows?

The state chit-chat new messages just started showing up again on my pings page... and I can't figure out how to get rid of it/them. There's a link that says it's removing me from these notifications... but it doesn't.... they're still there!

I have noticed that FR has become abysmally slow in response and page loading in the past day or so. I've noticed a few responses in the threads where other Freepers mention in passing the slowness. I checked it on several of my client's locations. Everywhere I brought up FR was slow. Sometimes takes up to 30 seconds to load the browsing pages. Moving to a topic, is a bit faster but not much. I also noticed last night that doing title searches that used to bring up pages of responses now only bring up less than a page. John,...

I've never seen so many vanities on FR. Ever. And most by newbies, who perhaps don't understand what FR is meant to be. FR has ceased to be a place to evaluate the published word, and has degenerated into a sophomoric chatroom. Jim -- can you please provide guidance on what you'd like to see FR become? Can you let us know your thoughts on vanities, and explain how you'll enforce your policy regarding vanities? I personally feel that if the ratio of vanities to discussion of the published word continues to increase, FR will become a common chatroom for...

Is it possible to search "all topics" or a specific topic for only those replies with images? I love FR images... is there a way to archive posted images that can be accessed (kinda like a FR image database)?

Please ping this if you miss #Views stats... (To admin ...does the view counter disappearance have any correlation to the drags and slow performance at times?)

FR is down when trying to enter thru www.freerepublic.com Could someone with a yahoo ID go to the backup site and let everyone know how to get here to the beta site? I got here using: http://beta.freerepublic.com/tag/news-forum/index?

Greetings, You never really see freerepublic threads in search results, do you? May we discuss a search engine optimization plan for the benefit of The USA, our neighbors, and ourselves? For example: Submission links to reputable sites.Robots.txt tips!What meta tags REALLY work?Other tag optimization i.e. ALT tags for images.Optimizing the browser for Linx.exe. Please contribute your thoughts

What do you think of this router, printer server, and firewall? I need a wireless router for a laptop with DSL service, 2 old printers, and a portable printer (USB)? Frequently Asked QuestionsZoneAlarm Secure Wireless Router Z100G Discussion ForumZoneAlarm Secure Wireless Router Z110G - Is It Worth The Price? (post March 19, 2007) Other thoughts are a Belkin F5D8230-4 and a Belkin F5D7230-3.

Threads on Freerepublic prior to 9/11 have a different format. I have tried to search for some of these older articles. Maybe they are no longer available. For example: Catholic ProLifers under attack by McCain From a historical perspective, it is an interesting article. One problem I am finding is that vanity articles may not be accessable... When I try to access such an article, it comes up with: No such file (give_legacy_article) Just curious if there is a way for ol' timers to access the archives? There are much more important things to be done at Free Republic.

Yesterday all was fine, today, on FreeRepublic and only on FreeRepublic. The text doesn't fit in my browser window, I have to keep scrooling back and forth to read it. Any suggestions?

I notice the "New Posts to You" is on the top line and always shows in red. In the old format, this indicated I had new posts waiting. But now, once I go to look at the new ones, the indicator stays red and I can't tell when new stuff occurs. Or is it just me?

I like the new and improved Free Republic flavor.

I had a search engine that went missing on the forum page. How do I get it back? It searches by poster, keyword, etc. (I would search for this search engine but have no engine to search with) Also, I don't have any of the subject links that use to be on top of the page, and the one link that allows me how to add what headings to the side bar is half way off the page. Aside, from that this is a great place and I would appreciate the help!

The forum page is really cleaned up. Looks good! Is this why it was so slow this morning?

Why all of a sudden am I loading the Latest articles page? It used to be clicking on messages in the upper right corner solved the problem. Now, I finally found "Comments" down the right side a bit, but every time ya hit browse now coming out of a thread, I return to latest articles page! WWWWWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTZZZZZZZZZ - UUUUP!!??!!!

Freddy has taken over our Free Republic! What a nightmare ...

This is better than just a post that "FR search is not working" The FR search function has a serious flaw that is not readily apparent to casual users. I will detail it and suggest a fix for users until the management fixes it. In the meantime, you are free to throw cheese and find a moose for me. When a search for a name in an article is made (examples: Bush, Clinton or sheriff), 20 titles are brought up with the search parameter. If the title sought is not seen the user can "Click to show more articles ......

I don't know if it is just me, but it seems that the 'Popular Keywords' section has not been updating itself; it has had the same list of keywords for weeks now. Is this a known issue? Anyone else notice this?

All my FR pages display fine except for PINGS. When I click on the link to PINGS, which displays all my comments and all comments made to me, the text no longer wraps. Each paragraph is a long line of text and the browser has a horizontal scroll bar. Is there a configuration setting in FR where I can fix this? It doesn't happen on any other website and no other FR page except the MY COMMENTS page. Thanks.

Has anyone noticed that the Free Republic spellcheck function isn't recognizing some contractions as spelled correctly?

OK, let' say I want to post an article. How come sometimes I have the option "post" in the upper right hand corner and sometimes I don't? Let me illustrate what I mean: I want to post an article. I open FR and get this: http://www.freerepublic.com/home.htm OK, great. I can just hit post. But here is the problem, first I want to make sure that what I want to post hasn't bee posted yet. So I hit "threads", and I am here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/browse?ao=1 OK, great. I can post here if I want.. but I still haven't checked to see if...

If anybody even reads this thread I'd like to get some input as to whether or not others think it would be nice to have a system on our "My Comments" pages similar to what there is on the threads (ie...first previous 1-100, 101-200, 201-228 last) grouping the replies. This would make things much quicker when searching for our own replies which contain links and other information that we'd like to review or use again.

1,800-Ton Class Submarine Launched By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The South Korean Navy Friday launched its first, 1,800-ton class, state-of-the-art submarine equipped with advanced missile systems, a Navy spokesman said. Named after the country’s first Chief of Naval Operations, the late Adm. Sohn Won-il, the 214-Type submarine will play a key role in securing sea lanes for transporting energy supplies and other goods, as well as extending the Navy’s operation range, Commander Jung Sung-yup told The Korea Times. ``The launch of the 214-Type submarine will give our naval capability a great boost and help safeguard our maritime interests,’’ Jung said,...

Ever since the last Automatic Update from MS, the FR pager has stopped working right. When it tries to work I get the popup below. My husband has played around with the settings in IE at Tools-Internet Options-Security, but enabling Activex Controls there is not fixing it. Running XP Home SP 2 - all up to date... IE 6.0 MS Antispyware PC-Cillan Not sure which of these is stopping me up or where to look.

Just noticed a change in the profiles of Freeper members. Wondering what was up. I guess this thread can be deleted after someone gives an answer, to save space... Example: Now: The changes are in the heading along the top. Ignore the changes in my profile's content, I'm just asking about the formatting.

I need help with the FR search function. I am trying to locate articles regarding the Coast Guard for the first six months of 2004. When I go and enter "Coast Guard", select "match all words", and "order by post time", I get articles back to last September. When I do a "click to show more articles", I get the same articles again. When I click it once more, I get articles from December 2003 and earlier. Anyone got an idea how to get January to August 2004 articles?? Should I ping John Robinson?

See for yourself: My Forums

I put a music CD that came with a book into my computer last night, played, and now my computer won't recognize either my CD or my CD writer. I've tried everything; Norton, Restore, rebooting. Does anybody have any suggestions about what I might try now?

This made me laugh soooo hard! You can see it here.

Why Use Firefox? “Beware of spyware. If you can, use the Firefox browser.” - USA Today “Better than Internet Explorer by leaps and bounds.” - FORBES Popup Blocking Tabbed BrowsingView more than one web page in a single window with this time saving feature. Open links in the background so that they're ready for viewing when you're ready to read them. Find out more... Privacy and SecurityBuilt with your security in mind, Firefox keeps your computer safe from malicious spyware by not loading harmful ActiveX controls. A comprehensive set of privacy tools keep your online activity your business. Smarter SearchGoogle...

I am showing Jim Clymer (CST) in the PA Senate race at 4%. Does anyone have any other 3rd party candidates that have performed better in House or Senate races?

What is crawling/spidering?

Just wondering - has FR considered implementing an RSS feed? One that would alert to pings and mail, and maybe threads deemed important, would, I think, facilitate discussion here, without having to constantly check back.

Alan Keyes's daughter is a selfish hedonist. Yes, she is a lesbian, and these pictures prove it. http://i.xanga.com/AvaAdore/DSC00926.jpg http://i.xanga.com/AvaAdore/DSC00920.jpg I got this from the following blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=AvaAdore&nextdate=7%2f23%2f2004+21%3a56%3a5.607&direction=n Still don't want to believe it, compare it with this picture family picture. http://www.keyes2004.com/family.php Yes, it's Maya, and now it's official. Maya Keyes is a lesbian. She is a sinner, according to Alan Keyes.

I find it very difficult to find important discussions. Sometimes I log in late at night and find many fluff threads. I would like to be able to see the threads with most comments, etc. Is there a way to convert the forum to a traditional message board software (like those forums running on vBulletin, phpBB, infopop, etc.)

Before posting, I (almost) always use the 'search' feature to look for words in the article title. All too frequently, however, people have invented their own titles (yes, against policy, but they still do it) or I mistype a word so the search fails and I end up posting a dupe. I think a useful feature would be the ability to search on the article's source URL, which wouldn't be subject to these kinds of problems. It would also facilitate finding the discussion of a particular article. Just a thought.

The site really should be improved. Interesting stories with a lot of activity are treated the same way as those that amount to just filler. The simply slide down the list and quickly disappear. As crappy as their politics are, www.democraticunderground.com has a much better site. One of the things it does is bring those stories with recent posts to the top of the list. freerepublic.com should do the same.

I went through all my "Comments" pages and grabbed source to build a better list I'll keep on the local drive. Anyway, I found these: On the "My Comments" pages: <font size=-1 color="#777799"<b>News/Activism... They're missing the close tag for the font code. The ends of "My Comments" pages end like this: </html></body> Should be the other way around.

Blue Apples, privacy, and Web Bugs at FR Some freepers use a visible graphic or 'icon' on their every post such as one person that uses a "blue apple" from his own home webspace. Icons like that can serve as a 'web-bug' to harvest personal info from freepers. Now I realize FR doesn't allow java, javascript, vbscript, or active-x content so the risk is lowered. But some of these same freepers are also amatuer programmers with access to detailed webmaster server-access statistics. Those stats can collect the IP addresses, and a number of other environment variables from every computer that...

Since the new Free Republic software has been up you can view how many total threads and replies you have posted. I am curious, who on FR is in the top 10 of posts and replies and how many do they have?

Posting in chat. Link colors within articles only are backwards. Red until I click on them. No spacing between user typed text and the forum text/links within articles. Main 100 article list page looks normal.

Hey Jim(Robinson), I've gotten some emails from people asking if Freerepublic can help them. They are dealing with unsympathetic judges(not to mention attorneys, social workers, and GAL's). This is about child custody and vistitation. There are so many horror stories out there, that I'm sticking my neck out and seeing if we can help them with positive ways to change the laws, and of course public perception :) Remember that sign I had for my first FReep? I believe that a child should know his/her real rather....and that a man should not be a victim and slave to the state....

Free Republic My Mail | My Comments | HairOfTheDog My Comments Brief | Full Once upon a time.... That "My Comments" link used to light up when I was browsing around and would say "New Posts to You". It doesn't do that any more when people post to me. I have to click the link and check the My Comments page for new posts to see them. It's been broken a little while, I thought the software no longer did it... but I notice on my love's computer it works. Is this something in my settings?

If you aren't familiar with the technology, RSS is a method for news & opinion sites (such as this one) to publish an index of new topics in XML such that visitors to the site can get regular updates using a news aggregator client (such as 'Feedreader'). The benefit to the user is that they don't need to continually refresh their browser because the reader just checks the index every couple minutes and lets the user know if any new topics exist. They can stay on top of hundreds of sites without any effort and can instantly go to a...

Christmas in Iceland: Rotted fish, 13 trolls and no sign of Santa By JIM WALSH Courier-Post Staff Oh, those wonderful Christmas traditions! The rotten fish and mushy potatoes. The deadly attacks by a fiendish beast. And late-night visits from a guy named Meat-hook, skulking in your kid's bedroom. OK, maybe not in your house. Not in mine, either, I hope. But definitely in Iceland. Now, let me digress for readers thinking, "Hey, this is South Jersey's newspaper. Why are you writing about the suburban North Pole?" Well, today's column started as an exploration of eggnog, which is local enough. How...