bad word checker

[J. Landman Gay]

On 5/10/05 11:17 PM, Mark Talluto wrote:

> Here is any interesting user request.  We make a product that  generates 
> random letters for vision testing.  We have been asked to  make sure 
> that the software does not accidentally create a vulgar  word.  I am 
> sure I can come of with some of the basics, but I really  need a list of 
> vulgar words.
> 
> I must admit that it bothers me to know my program will have such  
> language in its bowls.  The request is valid and needs to be done.  I  
> have already created a small app that has made thousands of  
> permutations of the range of letters available.  I just need to  quickly 
> run my list against as complete a list of vulgar words as  possible.  
> Anyone of any ideas on the list?

Not a solution, but a true story that happened to me when I was working 
in the AOL HyperCard Forum (excerpted from an interview I gave a long 
time back):

No files may be released to public libraries on AOL if they contain any 
language considered to violate the Terms of Service. In order to help 
speed up file checks, I wrote a comprehensive HyperCard utility that 
stores a dictionary of bad words and then automatically scans for 
language violations in all the files I had to download.

It was incredible freedom. I no longer had to read every single word of 
every single script, resource, and text file. I could point this baby at 
a folder and go to bed. In the morning, fifteen megs of files were 
checked for language and logged; I had a full report of any violations 
in each file.

The other staff liked it too, and it became the forum utility tool for 
file checking. I gave it to the staff in the DTP forum and they liked it 
too, since it reads any file, not just stacks. Everyone was using this 
great tool, and I had saved staff a lot of work. So, I reasoned, 
probably staff all over AOL would like it. There's a staff area where we 
can post files for each other and I uploaded it there and waited for it 
to be released.

Some time later, I received a rejection notice, saying that AOL could 
not release my language-checking utility because it violated the Terms 
of Service. My file had bad words in it.

-- 
Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com