Pinguinite: Frequently Asked Questions

Pinguinite v. 2.00

How do I sign in?

The first time you attempt to post an article or comment or access some privileged function, the site will check to see if you have signed in. If you have not, you'll be directed to a "sign in" screen where you may enter your screen name and password. After you sign in, you'll have privileged access.

How do I register to post?

To register, visit the Register page and enter the requested information. All fields must be completed. After you do so, the system will send you an email with your confirmation code. If you've entered your email address correctly, you should receive the email within a few minutes.

The email will contain a special web address for you to visit. Once you do so your account will either be confirmed immediately or, if the site requires Administrative approval of accounts, your request will be forwarded on to the site moderators for final approval.

I registered a screen name but didn't get any confirmation email. Why not?

The confirmation email is sent immediately, and usually received immediately, but there could be delays related to occasional internet problems having nothing to do with the website. If you believe you have entered the address incorrectly or that there is some other problem, you may either notify the site moderator or owner to inquire, wait for the account you registered to expire (72 hours) at which time you may reregister with the correct address. You may also register with a different screen name immediately without waiting. Remember, if you did not enter your address in correctly, we have no way of contacting you.

I'm entering my Screen Name and Password but it's telling me it's not right. What do I do?

You're probably entering one of those incorrectly, but we're happy to assist. Just contact us and let us know the problem and we'll square you away.

Every time I sign in I'm told everything is fine, but when I click "continue", I'm asked to sign in again. What's wrong?

This means you are signing in properly, but that your web browser is not accepting or returning "cookies" as it should. Make sure your browser is set to accept cookies from this site. Some users experiencing this problem have had it resolved after rebooting their computer. This problem could also occur if your computer's clock is set to a date in the future and setting it to the correct date fixes the problem. Contact us if you're unable to find a solution.

How do I check to see if anyone has replied to one of my posts?

Just visit the "Latest Comments" page and enter your screen name (or just a unique part of it) into the "To" field and click the "Go" button. You'll receive a listing of only those posts that are directed to you, with the most recent post displayed first. You can also click the "Check Pings" link that may be displayed on various pages throughout the site.

In the "Setup" page there is a "Bozo Filter". What is that for?

As you post more and more, you may encounter personalities from which you do not wish to hear. If so, you may enter those screen names into the Bozo Filter. After you do, you will no longer see their comments on the threads or on the Latest Comments page even if they ping you. You also won't see articles posted by them.

In the "Setup" page there is also a Category Filter. What do I do with that?

The category filter allows you to see only those articles and comments in topics you are most interested in. You will still see any comments from those categories in which you are pinged when you do a ping search.

Do I have to enable "cookies" on my browser?

A pair of cookies will be set only if you sign in and will expire when you close your web browser, or after one week. Cookies are required to access any privileged function.

Where can I learn more about Pinguinite?

All the application software for Pinguinite was completely designed and written by Neil McIver. The original version, started in 2002, was Perl CGI/MySQL driven. The upgraded 2025 version uses Python, utilizing Nginx, Uvicorn, FastAPI & MySQL, and the operating system is Linux.

Thank you!