[limmeau]

Back in the days when people used Usenet for discussion, newsreaders had a killfile with which you could stop hearing from that particular person ever again (unless they changed their name).

That's a feature I dearly miss from today's HTML-based discussion areas.

[przemelek]

I met my last trolls on Google Buzz, so I created extension to Chrome which was (and still is ;-)) removing comments from those people from my stream. So even if they are writing something in other people Buzzes I simply didn't see it :-) [normal block in Buzz works only in this way that it blocks only given person from commenting on your posts].

So I think HTML based discussion areas aren't as bad ;-) you can still have tools for removing trolls comments. DOM is our friend here ;-)

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fadjoojmlelmmmiban...

[limmeau]

Still, you'd have to write a similar Chrome extension if you meet your trolls again in a random blog's comment section.

Also, if everybody knows that everybody's news client has a killfile, then there is a stronger incentive not to troll than when all you know is that some clever developer could theoretically write a site-specific script to hide HTML comments.

[wazoox]

Usenet is still there, and the killfile still works. Obviously there is much less people on Usenet now than it used to, so maybe we'll see the end of the Eternal September at last, who knows?