How to deal with trolls...

[Witis]

The 60kb office thread is an interesting example. I'm genuinely unsure whether TheImp is trolling or not. If all we had to go on was the thread I would have no doubt about it at all but there's so much "packaging" that I'm left uncertain. There's code that does do what he's claiming... sort of, theres a web site with a frankly insane blog on it, there's a facebook page and so on. If he is a troll then he's put plenty of effort into his back-story and, at that point, I'm kind of inclined to applaud him. If you're going to satirise coders then that's a worthy effort. What's less amusing in that thread, to me at least, is some of the troll-like response. Much of the response seems to have required no effort, thought or imagination at all and is certainly neither deft, subtle or insightful. It's not satire. And if it's not satire then it's really just self-agrandising noise.

You are clearly forgetting Moti Barski and his AI thread: http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...ht=moti+barski
and his battle programming manual which is up to the 12th edition now (Mar 27th, 2012) http://pastebin.com/w0K9hh9q
correction 16th edition (http://yotamarker.justforum.net/t65-...g-16th-edition).
I found his new hang out (recent posts by him) on his own battle programming site, how appropriate: http://yotamarker.justforum.net/f3-battle-programming
He was banned from go4expert.com, I wonder why? http://www.go4expert.com/member.php?u=81247
His AI thread took over the forums for 28 pages over 7 months.

By contrast iMp, in his two troll threads (the other is here:http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...for-Microsoft-!!) has taken over the forums for 40 pages over an entire year, and still going, which makes iMp the all time VB forums troll champion!!!!