funny letters

[carmalee]

maybe should put this under technology, anyway...... have just signed a petition and to verify my credentials had to type in a code - numbers and letters - why are they displayed in that strange fashion rather than as normal characters? Just curious - thanks

[redman41]

Often wondered that myself carmalee, they are not very clear at times.

[ChuckFickens]

To stop computers being able to read them, they are a security measure to stop automated posts.

[cazzz1975]

I wish the one on this site (to report) would stop using yellow and light grey, I can barely read what letter/number it is

[Old_Geezer]

Quite so, but I suspect given time it'll turn out that the bots will be able to read the darned things easier than the humans can.

At the moment getting it wrong is a pain, but more so if the returned to page clears all you have written/ticked before. It's amazing how the "I definitely don't want you to send me spam" box seems to get unticked again on a failure return.

[goldrings]

I thought they were written that way so that you could exersise your neck and eyes trying to read it, whilst on the computer

[ChuckFickens]

OG... the most common captcha in use also has an audio alternative to the written one (for the people with sight problems) and that has been "cracked" within the last couple of weeks...

http://www.geek.com/a...search-team-20110526/

[carmalee]

chuckF - as usual you come up trumps - many thanks - Redman41 and I have our answer.
True words indeed goldrings.
The cazz/OG exchange? what are bots please.

[ChuckFickens]

bots is just a name for a (generally infected) computer that would try and post things automatically.

[carmalee]

who need adult education classes when we have answerbank? - again, thank you ChuckFickens - what I like about you answers is that you recognise some of us are maybe a little 'out of our comfort zone' in the computer world but your answers are always so clear without being patronising - appreciated