MySQL Bugs: #64980: sometimes capthcas don't make sense

Bug #64980	sometimes capthcas don't make sense
Submitted:	14 Apr 2012 11:11	Modified:	20 Apr 2012 10:23
Reporter:	Peter Laursen (Basic Quality Contributor)	Email Updates:
Status:	Closed	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Websites: bugs.mysql.com	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	after re-captcha	OS:	Any
Assigned to:	Vlad Safronov	CPU Architecture:	Any
Tags:	qc

Description:
I have experienced that sometimes a Captcha makes no sense. AN image will be uplaoded.

This is somewhat related to: http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=64944

How to repeat:
See above and image to come.

Suggested fix:
I don't know if recaptcha's are delievered from a web service or not or it is an algorithm executed locally.  

However I am maintaining a few online applications wiht Captcha authentication and they all have configuration options (difficulty level, font settings etc.).

Captchas on bugs.mysql are the most difficult I have ever seen. If there is a configuration option the make them less hard for usrs I think you should do this.  I think difficulty level can be 'loosened' quite a lot without risking an increase of 'bot spam'

How should this captcha be interpreted?

Attachment: captcha.jpg (image/jpeg, text), 12.49 KiB.

Thank you for the problem report.

A solution could be to provide an option to "Please give me another captcha!".  This I have seen several times in different captcha-enabled login pages. 

(but still text box content should not clear - ie. either 1) text box content should be stored in a buffer and pasted back on page referesh 2) or AJAX or AJAX-like page-coding should be used so that the whole page need not refresh).

one more nonsense captcha here.

Attachment: onemore.jpg (image/jpeg, text), 12.19 KiB.

Peter,

the captcha does have *reload* button. This is on the right, the button with two round arrows.

OK!

btw, the image you uploaded is not nonsense. This looks like a house number "24".
http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/29/google-now-using-recaptcha-to-decode-street-view-addresse...

issue with clearing comment has been fixed.

Fixed.