Cookie gets changed when hit comes from a referrer

[Chris Angelico]

On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info> wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Oct 2013 00:31:06 +0000, Denis McMahon wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 09 Oct 2013 23:48:12 +0000, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, 09 Oct 2013 18:06:05 +0000, Denis McMahon wrote:
>>>
>>>> Find the relevant forums and ask in them.
>>>
>>> In fairness to Nikos, that may not be an easy thing to do. I for one
>>> have *no idea* where to find an appropriate forum to learn about these
>>> sorts of web basics. comp.protocol.http doesn't exist :-)
>>
>> If Nikos wants to write programs that communicate using internet
>> protocols, Nikos really needs to learn where internet protocols are
>> defined, how to read and interpret those protocol definitions, and how
>> to check that the data he's sending or receiving is the data that he
>> thinks he's sending or receiving.
>
> You can't seriously mean that everyone who runs a website has to become
> skilled at reading and interpreting the RFCs for "internet protocols".
> Which protocols? All the way down to TCP/IP?

Certainly not; but if he's run into trouble with cookies, I think it's
not too much to ask him to read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie
It has a lot of text, but quite a bit of it is likely to be of use.
Then there's links down the bottom to an RFC, to Mozilla, and so on,
which could also be of use. Half an hour spent reading there will pay
good dividends.

> ... I do think it is simply unfair to treat him more
> harshly than we would others in the same position. If *anyone else* asked
> for help on these sorts of network and browser questions, we'd give them
> more constructive pointers than just "google it".
>
> Nikos, are you reading this? This is what happens when you behave like a
> royal pain in the arse and annoy people. They stop wanting to help you.
> Be told. Learn from this. Don't repeat this mistake in the next forum. If
> you learn nothing else, learn that lesson.

Actually no, it's not unfair to treat him more harshly. What's unfair
is that he hasn't been banned, killfiled by everyone, or in some other
way completely cut off from assistance. It's just as unfair as the
mercy God shows to us. We're being extremely unjust in helping him...
he hasn't earned anything, he hasn't merited help, he's not paying us.
It's a gift, it's free service, and it's a privilege. Nikos, rejoice
in the unfair and inconceivably merciful state of this forum, and as
Steven says, learn from it and don't make the same mistake elsewhere.

(I've made that mistake myself, too. I've made myself a stench in the
nostrils of certain communities. It's not something you can't come
back from; it's part of life, part of learning.)

ChrisA