Sniper Country Duty Roster

Posting a New Message

You are seeing this because you have JavaScript disabled

In order to be able to post on the Sniper Country Duty Roster there are a number of prerequisites:

You must have JavaScript enabled in this browser.

You must be registered before posting.

Why must JavaScript be enabled?Many people see the use of JavaScript, VBScript and other scripting languages, as well as the use of cookies, as an intrusion into their privacy. Therefore they disable the use of these technologies when surfing the web. This may be good practise when one surfs sites of ill repute, or with unknown intentions - one can never be too careful. And this especially applies to some commercial sites using the banner advertising that one sees all over. Some of these sites do save information, such as surfing habits and preferences. This information is then used in later advertising to target only those surfers who are likely to respond, due to their surfing habits. However, we at Sniper Country do not believe in doing this. We use scripting for now, and possibly cookies later on, only to ensure a smoother and better experience while you're at Sniper Country. An example of the beneficial use of JavaScript for you, the visitor, is this exact posting page. If you right click on the document, and view source, you will see exactly the JavaScript we use in this page. You will see the following:

On about line 5, the command to the browser that the scripting language is JavaScript.

Next you will see a number of functions. The sole purpose of these is to validate your input. More about this later.

Next you will see a number of "document.write" and "document.writeln" statements. These are use to build the page necessary for posting - that which you cannot see at this stage.

And lastly you'll see all this code you're looking at now.

Getting back to the validation.
The normal way in which validation is done, when not with scripting languages like JavaScript, is with CGI/Perl (which is what was used with the previous versions of the Duty Roster here at Sniper Country.) When you click on the "Submit" button, your page, with all you entered, or not entered, is sent back to the server - wherever that server is. The server must then process you request amongst all the other requests it is getting - both from the site you're visiting and other sites that may be hosted on that same machine. If any error exists in the data that you entered, everything gets sent back to your browser, for you to correct. Then you post again... The server thus has a lot to do, and the speed of the 'net between you and the server is also crucial. This is where JavaScript steps in.
By looking at the source you will notice, as mentioned above, that the functions to do the initial validation is already in your browser. It was sent along to your browser when you first opened the page. Now, when you hit "submit", most of the validation is done on your personal PC, without having to go through the 'net back to the server first. You thus save a lot of time, and release the server to do the more important work. Thus, to be able to post on the Sniper Country Duty Roster, you must have JavaScript enabled. To do so, enable it in your browser, and refresh/reload this page. You should not see all this, but should see the entry fields to post. If you choose not to, to be honest, and put it quite frankly, the following:
If you feel that you cannot trust Sniper Country and me, Marius Ferreira, Webmaster for Sniper Country, to enable the use of JavaScript on this page, I do not see the reason why we should trust you in posting on our site. It may sound harsh, but those are the realities. If you have any queries about the use of JavaScript, especially as used on Sniper Country, feel free to contact me, and I'll explain as best I can. I am not saying by any means that I am an expert as far as JavaScript is concerned, but I do say that I know what I'm doing with JavaScript on our site.

YOU MUST BE REGISTERED BEFORE POSTING.

Your Name:  *
E-Mail:     *
Password:   *
URL:

(URL of your website - if any - or one you want to point the readers to

City:       State:  Country:

Cookies Allowed?
(Tick this box if you are willing to allow Sniper Country to store the above information, except your password, in cookies on your PC. If you do not check this, no cookies will be stored. Also see the FAQ.)

(* Indicates mandatory fields)

(Note: Posts that are completely irrelevant, contain foul language, include insults, or are provocative without reason will be removed. This Sniper Country Duty Roster is moderated by more than one individual and will be monitored regularly.)

ARE YOU RETRYING? HAVE YOU FIRST DONE A RELOAD TO VERIFY THAT IT IS NOT THERE ALREADY?

!! Sniper Country Duty Roster Rules of Engagement !!

(If you have any comment or suggestions about the Board, please feel free to contact Marius Ferreira, our ( South African ) Webmaster, or any one of the other staff members, Garry Blosser, Pete Reiff and Scott Powers

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