how do I delete my account?

perl c java · 09-02-2009, 08:56 AM

How do I delete this account?

My suggestion is to put into the LQ.org faq something about how to delete one's account. Or put it in the edit profile section.

GrapefruiTgirl · 09-02-2009, 08:58 AM

We don't delete accounts from LQ.

If for some reason you wish to not use your account any more, simply don't use it. This way, should you decide at a later time that you want to use it again, it will still remain, as you left it.

Sasha

XavierP · 09-02-2009, 02:48 PM

You been a member here for just over 3 years and now your first post is a "how do I leave?" post? A search would have brought up that the best way is to just abandon the account. In fact, if you abandon it for long enough, the fact that you would have had no posts means that Jeremy would have removed the account in his regular pruning sessions. But now you have posted, the account is going to remain in existence.

dragonslayer48dx · 09-03-2009, 05:02 AM

You can edit your profile and unsubscribe from all e-mail notifications, and you won't hear from LQ again. LQ doesn't pester members about not visiting after some time, as is the case with some other subscribed-member websites.

Cheers

jeremy · 09-08-2009, 10:49 AM

Just to clarify the official LQ policy: We do not remove accounts that have posts associated with them. Setting the two email preferences to "No" means that you will never hear from us again. We will remove accounts that do not have any posts associated with them, and do periodically remove accounts that have no posts and have been inactive for an excessive amount of time.

--jeremy

jeremy · 09-08-2009, 11:30 AM

We've added this to the LQ FAQ:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...count_deletion

--jeremy

frenchn00b · 09-08-2009, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrapefruiTgirl

We don't delete accounts from LQ.

If for some reason you wish to not use your account any more, simply don't use it. This way, should you decide at a later time that you want to use it again, it will still remain, as you left it.

Sasha

Freedom is choice. Deleting one's account should be eventually possible. Keep the trace or desactivate would be greater.

Open source is free.

XavierP · 09-08-2009, 02:00 PM

Nope. If we delete accounts we will end up with orphaned posts and the database would get messed up.

perl c java · 09-09-2009, 11:19 AM

So according to Xavier I should have done "a search" to find that I am not allowed to delete my account but can wait and it would have been deleted at some time in the future. I did "a search" and didn't see anything of the kind.

From Xavier's post there seems to be shame involved in not posting for 3 years and then trying to delete the account. I would call it common sense and courtesy to clear out something I haven't used in 3 years. Message boards sometimes get bought by corporations or have their mailing lists stolen, hacked, etc.

Xavier's latest post implies that either Linux or the people who run this board and their precious database either don't have the skill or the technology to delete an account with out "messing up the database". That doesn't seem like a great advert for Opensource.

Also, now that I've posted I'm locked in forever. I don't remember seeing that when I signed up or I never would have signed up or posted. I realize now I should have emailed someone directly and I certainly would have if I had known I would get dragged into something as lame as this.

Here is my solution that is a win-win situation. Please delete this thread then delete my account.

jeremy · 09-09-2009, 11:25 AM

A couple notes:

* As I mentioned, we've added this item to the FAQ.
* There is certainly no shame in not posting, or in wanting to delete your account.
* We have the technical ability to delete accounts, but as it orphans content it is against the LQ ethos to do so.
* You're not locked into anything. The only information we store about you is your email address (and password), which you are free to change to any value at any time.
* Your example of deleting this thread is a great example of why we don't do so. It's not win-win. Someone having the exact same question as you can now find this thread doing a search.

--jeremy

frenchn00b · 09-09-2009, 12:18 PM

Discussing is good guys. Maybe you could find an agreement ?

druuna · 09-09-2009, 12:50 PM

Hi,

Interesting topic.

Did anyone consider this option: Not removing the post(s) but instead anonymize them.

I'm not talking about the content, but the personal information (left box).

Instead of:

Quote:

druuna
Senior Member
Contributing Member

Registered: Sep 2003
Location: netherlands
Distribution: lfs
Posts: 3,121
Thanked: 52

You end up with something like this:

Quote:

Anonimized

This would save the possible important information that is in the posts and also remove/delete the user.

I don't know if this is technically possible, although it sounds like a search/replace

Just my 2c.

XavierP · 09-09-2009, 02:52 PM

For the number of people who find this to be an issue, it looks like a lot of work for Jeremy with no benefit. And if there's a problem or bug and we all get anonimised, it's an even bigger headache.

Pro-tip for leavers: reset your password to something huge and unrememberable, uncheck all the "please send me emails" options, leave. Accounts aren't like credit cards, they have no value once you don't want them any more and no one will knock on your door to ask if you still need it.

druuna · 09-09-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

For the number of people who find this to be an issue, it looks like a lot of work for Jeremy with no benefit. And if there's a problem or bug and we all get anonimised, it's an even bigger headache.

I guess it would be some work for Jeremy, but we are not talking about hundreds of accounts. I guess that it comes with the theretory. The up-side is the notion that one made a few people very happy

As for the problem/bug (none-)argument: Isn't that true for all the changes, add-ons etc.

Maybe I'm just trying to hard to find a golden section

XavierP · 09-09-2009, 04:19 PM

Golden section is: don't announce that you're leaving. All that happens is one of two things: "oh no, don't go" or "bye then". Personally, this should only be relaxed if you're prepared to flounce out of the room. Then it's ok to announce your intention to leave.