WP-SpamFree is AWESOME!!

Sounds good.
I’d check it out.

From a cursory glance at the code, it appears to me that the plugin will also block all trackbacks and pingbacks, regardless of whether they are spam or not.

These “simple solutions” have been tried before. They have flaws. That’s why we use more complex solutions.

I mean, I have no doubt that this will block spam. But it will also block non-spam. Just something to consider.

@otto: I’ll be happy to look at your suggestions. Akismet is great, but it still leaves alot to be desired. Complex isn’t always better. For the record, EVERY solution has flaws…that’s just how it goes. This one just plain works, and for most people, it’s a great solution.

It’s shouldn’t block trackbacks and pingbacks – that could be the result of some upgrades in the latest version – I’ll look into that. I know there’s a ton that can be added to it, and I’m definitely going to be constantly improving it.

@heather: Glad you like!

@otto: I just released version 1.3.1, which fixes the trackback/pinback problem. Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. Much appreciated.

WebGeek: This line:
add_action('pre_comment_approved', 'spamfree_allowed_post');

Should be this:
add_filter('pre_comment_approved', 'spamfree_allowed_post');

Although this is a minor nitpick, really. Actions and filters are not all that different anymore. It’s just something to keep in mind for future compatibility.

Thanks Otto! Just made that edit. Much appreciated!

Hello, i’m really interested in this plugin, i managed to download it and test it, however your site cannot be reached – it shows only a blank page.
I read somewhere that the plugin is compatible with WP-Cache. Is it also compatible with WP-SuperCache?
In the past 3 days i haven’t received a single comment spam.
Thanks for the really hard work!

I would’ve tried your plugin had I discovered it before my present solution (Akismet + Spamkarma + Recaptcha) which works fine for me.

@dieselboy: You may have hit the site at a high traffic time. I’ve had WP-Cache off for the last couple days to test a few things. WP-SpamFree is currently compatible with WP-Cache. (If you have any problems, please let me know as it willhelp in development.) I am waiting until WP-SuperCache is more stable (1.0) to test it with that plugin. You’re welcome!

@srikat: I’m glad your system works for you. That is a database-heavy array of spam defenses, and you could be suffering considerable slowdown on your site. You could replace that with WP-SpamFree + Akismet and your site would probably run quite a bit faster, without the users being inconvenienced by captchas. (One of the reasons I created this plugin is that statistics show most people hate captchas – this plugin doesn’t inconvenience users like captchas do.)

Also, if you’re not running Bad Behavior, you really should. It blocks roughly 90% of spam instantly. It also reduces the load on your site, since it’s blocking it from being hammered by spam bots.

I would highly disagree about running Bad Behavior – it has some serious problems that can negatively affect the SEO of a site. We used to run it on our sites until a major problem occurred with it a couple months ago, that caused a lot of people to start auditing the code.

A few reasons why I highly recommend against using Bad Behavior plugin now:

1. It doesn’t properly validate search engine spiders and can potentially block them.
2. If Bad Behavior goes down, or its connection to its server, it can take down your whole blog. Because of this we stopped using it on all blogs we manage a couple months ago.
3. It takes alot of server resources.

You need to read these two blog posts:

• Bad Behavior Behaving Badly
• Bad Behavior Needs Behavior Modification

The author of the second article will be releasing a bot blocker called CrawlWall that will blow away Bad Behavior, so keep your eyes out for its release.

I have never had a problem with Bad Behavior. In fact, it’s worked so well that I’m tempted to say that any problems you experienced are problems with your site and your site alone, and not with Bad Behavior.

However, it’s possible that BB has issues. Nevertheless, it is frequently updated and works incredibly well in my experience, so I will continue to recommend it.

I will also continue to recommend against WP-SpamFree, as I feel it is a somewhat short sighted solution that will cause its users more difficulties in the long run, as well as being a potential problem for companies who need to remain ADA-compliant. I mean, more power to those who want to use it, but it’s far from a panacea and a “solution” to comment spam using javascript is really flat out unacceptable for those of us who care about web and design standards.

@otto:

Wow. It seems more than a little inappropriate for a Moderator here on www.ads-software.com to recommend against a particular plugin, especially one that helps a lot of people, and to recommend another plugin instead. That demonstrates bias, and moderators are supposed to be unbiased.

Just curious, but do you focus this much of your energy criticizing other plugins?

Constructive criticism is one thing, and I’m happy to receive it, but outright attacking a plugin that actually helps a lot of people makes no sense to me.

I thought the whole point of this place was to encourage people to share plugins they have created and let users decide what they like and don’t like. If you have an issue with me personally, email me and we can discuss it privately, instead of publicly being so negative.

Regarding Bad Behavior, the problem was extremely widespread and was the reason for the release of Bad Behavior 2.0.11. I suggest you do a little more research before making uninformed comments like that.

The last part of your comment is ridiculous, and demonstrates that you have some kind of negative bias. No one will get sued for using an anti-spam plugin. On that basis it could be argued that any anti-spam plugin could be the basis for a lawsuit, which is ridiculous, so save the legal advice for the professionals. Also, this has nothing to do with web design standards…people need practical solutions, which this provides. (FYI…A lot of work is going into new features for future versions that would make those a non-issue.)

This is a 3-month old plugin! What if people went off on every plugin when it was just released? What if people went off on WordPress when it was a fledgling? It’s had several years to develop and become what it is. Do you think it was perfect when it first came out? No. Do you think it evolved over time? Yes. If this plugin is popular, then it’s because it actually helps people. People are smart…as soon as it stops being helpful to them, they know how to click the little “Deactivate” button.

I really can’t understand why you are being so negative, especially because this plugin was simply put out there to help people. Just let it be.

Wow. It seems more than a little inappropriate for a Moderator here on www.ads-software.com to recommend against a particular plugin, especially one that helps a lot of people, and to recommend another plugin instead. That demonstrates bias, and moderators are supposed to be unbiased.

Huh. I don’t know where you got that idea from. I’m perfectly free to be as biased as I want to be. I mean, I’m not moderating anything here, just giving my opinions and advice.

I thought the whole point of this place was to encourage people to share plugins they have created and let users decide what they like and don’t like. If you have an issue with me personally, email me and we can discuss it privately, instead of publicly being so negative.

I think you’re reading more into it than I’m putting there. I have no personal issues with you. I don’t like your plugin much, and I very much dislike the way that it works, and I don’t think it’s a particularly good idea for any users to use. But that’s it.

Look, I’m a coder, I write code, I evaluate code. I’m also a web designer, I design things for the web, I understand web standards. In my day job, I write high-availability mission-critical servers that handle billions of dollars of transactions a year, although that’s less relevant.

My point is that I’m a mega-nerd and I think about programming and standards and this sort of thing a lot. And I dislike WP-SpamFree entirely on that basis. No personal animosity is intended. Didn’t mean to get under your skin, I just don’t like the basic idea of the plugin itself, as a mega-nerd who thinks about this sort of stuff a lot. ??

Regarding Bad Behavior, the problem was extremely widespread and was the reason for the release of Bad Behavior 2.0.11. I suggest you do a little more research before making uninformed comments like that.

I’m well aware of the problem that caused BB 2.0.11 to be released and indeed the causes of the problem. We had many users here asking questions about it. However, the problem did not happen to my own site, and it only lasted all of a day or so before it was fixed for all users. So I think that making allegations like the ones you linked to are unfounded. I also don’t like the attitudes of people whose posts you linked to, but you didn’t write them so I have nothing to say to you on that score.

The last part of your comment is ridiculous, and demonstrates that you have some kind of negative bias. No one will get sued for using an anti-spam plugin.

Companies have been sued for using CAPTCHAs before. Successfully, I might add. The ADA is a law with teeth to it.

Reliance on javascript to allow commenting eliminates the possibility of all clients that do not support javascript. Since many clients for disabled people do not use javascript by default, this is a potential ADA violation if you’re somebody who has to follow the strictures of the ADA (a US company, basically).

Also, this has nothing to do with web design standards…people need practical solutions, which this provides.

And there’s my real answer. If it’s on the web, it should adhere to acceptable design standards. Anything less is unprofessional. I realize that you’re all about the practical, and that’s fine as far as it goes.

However, I am a professional. I do this sort of thing for a living. I could not recommend your solution because it is a very unprofessional one, for reasons that, in my opinion, are more important than “it works for now”.

That’s all I’m saying. Nothing personal.

I really can’t understand why you are being so negative, especially because this plugin was simply put out there to help people.

You badmouthed a plugin that I like and highly recommend. So I felt obligated to give you my true opinion of your own work. Nothing more than that.

@otto:

I’m a web developer and a professional as well, and I own a web development company. I’ve been in web development since 1996, when the web itself was young. I’m a mega-nerd too, but a mega-nerd that keeps practicality for users in mind.

You’re not under my skin. I just think you’re demonstrating a lot of unfounded bias. You can think what you want about being a moderator, but the whole concept of moderators involves lack of bias.

Regarding legal issues, there are a lot of ways to keep something like this in place, and accommodate everyone. Properly written “Terms of Use” or “Legal” pages do a lot to protect site owners as well. Your point about CAPTCHA’s goes right along with my philosophy about CAPTCHA’s inconveniencing users.

I criticized Bad Behavior because it has real problems – it can both take down a site, and hurt the search engine rankings of a site…those are serious issues. You were recommending it on a thread for a plugin that you were criticizing (WP-SpamFree)…It’s not like I went over to the Bad Behavior plugin page and started bashing it. I used to love the plugin, AND recommended it to everyone. My eyes got opened with the 2.0.10 crash and many of us started auditing the code.

I’ll go one further about the reliance on JavaScript – it’s not a permanent solution, because future evolutions of bots will be able to process JS and it will no longer work as a filter. It works right now, and that’s what people need – right now. That’s where I go back to the fact that it’s a 3-month old plugin and continually under development. I have quite a few things that I’m working on for future versions.