Eliminate terms of service box

nicknich3

Can someone point me to the file I need to modify to eliminate the "I have read the Terms of Service" checkbox on the application page?

WallPhone

Its at the botom of themes\people_apply_form_nopostback.php

nicknich3

Thanks, WallPhone.

Wanderer

nicknich3,
I don't know what sort of forum you are running but when someone complains, it's good to have those "terms and conditions" to throw back at them. If they are written well, the complainer won't have a leg to stand on and usually stops things getting ugly.

Chris Miller

Wanderer, some people run forums where everyone knows everyone else outside the forum. In some cases, "terms and conditions" are implied by some other real life relationship or covered by some other document, such as an employee handbook. So in certain situations it's redundant, annoying, confusing or unecessary to present that to new users.

Wanderer

Famous last words:
"...terms and conditions are implied..."

nicknich3

That's true, Wanderer, but it seems to me the overall balance falls in favor of not cluttering up the experience.

I got the idea by noting that Joel on Joel on Software doesn't have any T&Cs at his discussion board.

It also seems to me that the important issues are covered by settled law - regardless of what you put in your T&Cs. It's a little like putting a sign on a big dump truck that says "Not liable for objects thrown from truck." You can't sign away liability anyway.

Now that I've eliminated the T&C box and words on the registration from, if I can just figure out how to prevent the form checker from flagging that the T&C's haven't been checked, I'll be in business.

WallPhone

If you are using the extended application form, comment out line 55 in extensions/ExtendedApplicationForm/default.php: // Make sure that they actually read the terms of service // if (!$SafeUser->ReadTerms) $ApplyForm->Context->WarningCollector->Add($ApplyForm->Context->GetDefinition("ErrReadTOS"));

Wanderer

 Quote: nicknich3  It's a little like putting a sign on a big dump truck that says "Not liable for objects thrown from truck." You can't sign away liability anyway.
Yes but the dump truck is imposing the danger on a public road where the other road users have no choice. (Not to mention "terms & conditions" when his license was issued etc.)

You have a choice as to whether or not you join an online community as well as a responsibility to abide by the rules, assuming they are fair and reasonable of course.

As for the clutter, I hardly think a one-off checkbox click falls into that category.

I for one, as a user, would expect that a community has standards and a fair usage policy as well as an admin who makes it clear from the outset that he/she is prepared to back it up with action.

Speaking from experience, sooner or later a problem will arise, someone will say something that offends someone else and your job to sort it out with a neutral stance, fairly and quickly will become much more difficult without having the agreed "Terms & conditions" to back you up.

It happened at a kids' sleep-in pyjama party once. All the kids brought permission slips with agreed conditions signed by their parents, all but two that is but I relented and let them attend. Guess which two kids ended up tearing each others' hair out? Guess who had to call their parents at 11:00 pm to come and get their kids then put up with a tirade of abuse because I woke them up. It would have been simple just to say "You did agree to pick up your child if there was a problem" or "You did agree that your child is expected to behave in an acceptable manner". Instead it was mayhem and threats of legal action...

Minisweeper

You made kids bring a permissions slip to a sleepover? And when you woke up some kids parents they threatened you with legal action? Man....

Wanderer

It was at a school, government regulations, public liability and all that.

Minisweeper

Oh right. I thought you meant at your house. The legal action thing is still fucking retarded though.

Wanderer

Yes but their point was it was an extended school function, if their kids had got into a fight during normal school hours (which they often did) I wouldn't have bothered them at work to come and pick them up, I would have dealt with it myself.

A fair point, especially since I neglected to insist they sign the extra "Terms & Conditions" of the sleep-over.

Hence my advice:
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lessons afterwards.

Minisweeper

If kids get into a fight at school here too fucking right we ring their parents. Chances are it's their own fucking fault anyway.

nicknich3

I agree with Wanderer to this extent: Some people WANT to know what the T&C's are. It may even impact whether they participate. Clutter, however, is in the eye of the beholder. But clutter was probably a bad word choice. Whenever I see a must-click T&C I cringe at having to read through the thing. And I (this is a personal hangup, I guess) really don't like having to be made to check a box just so some Admin can come back later and say "You were told about this earlier." I'm not sure it makes it (whatever it may be) go down any easier. In my case, it's my personal Board. So I'll do whatever I feel like at the time. But my actions need to be reasonable and legitimate. I'm not so sure having T&C's does anything to make an illegitimate (unfair) action more legit anyway.

ThiloRoe

@nicknich3

I would like to eliminate the TOS checkbox too, and also the checkback if the user has read the terms. I don't need any terms of services at all.

I have looked at the file
themes\people_apply_form_nopostback.php

Unfortunately I'm not a coder and can't really figure out what to do to have the terms of services including the checkbox disappear. Can you help me?

Thanks!

sujang

bump