Password checker - how "intelligent" is it?

[Pervigilo]

OK, got a couple of questions regarding passwords and the checker, as a recent password I worked out could easily be one of four very similar words.

Which leads to these two questions (examples made up in case anyone was wondering):

1) If there is a UK and a US spelling, would the checker only be programmed with the UK one? Or both? Or just whichever the clue setter decided was right?

Example - if the answer was "colourblind" it could also be "colorblind". Or, there are other words which can be spelt multiple ways, but mean the same, such as "griffin" and "gryphon".

Also, would the letters the pyramid holders have been carefully selected to avoid this kind of ambiguity?

2) If the word could be a plural, would the checker recognize either? And would the "s" be one of the letters?

Example - if the clue was "a group of these eat grass and make milk", the answer could very well be "cow" or "cows".

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I ended up with a password which had both of those problems so had four potential spellings, which would have taken two weeks and £14 to check if I wasn't convinced the checker was intelligent enough to handle it.

[Happyhannah]

If you're talking about the pyramid I think you're talking about, I have a feeling I know what password you're on about too I came up with a couple of possible spellings and had to check both just in case. It was neither

[evilkeen]

None of the passwords I have seen on the forum have had that kind of ambiguity, and I suspect they would avoid it - my feeling is that if you are not sure it is exactly right, then it probably isn't right at all!

[Happyhannah]

Hmmm, I know what you mean, but the one I'm thinking of fit the clue incredibly well, it just happens that people can't seem to agree on how to spell it!

[evilkeen]

Hmm

[Pervigilo]

I agree here. The password fitted the clue so well in multiple ways, that it was a "sure fire" answer.

Mind you, as that is the second "sure fire" answer I've had, I need to redefine that phrase.

[bluesign2k]

To answer the original question or whether the password checker has any "intelligence".... I would assume not.
I may be wrong but I believe the checker merely checks the string of letters you enter against the password, which I assume again is another string.
Therefore, the checker has no "intelligence".... either you have the password right and the letters match exactly or you have it wrong

[Happyhannah]

I think that's where the nice balance between the password checker and travelling to the pyramid comes in!

On the one hand it's probably cheaper and certainly faster to check online, but you can get so much more feedback* if you visit the shop!


*Unless, of course, the Keeper has no idea what's going on

[Pervigilo]

Therefore, the checker has no "intelligence".... either you have the password right and the letters match exactly or you have it wrong

Yeah, but it wouldn't be hard to program it to check against more than one string, which is where some info from the inside might be re-assuring.

[Happyhannah]

Hmmm, one thing I'd really like to know about the riddles and password checkers:

If we're asked, for example, to name a street, will the password contain the word "street" or not? I mean, if I find that it's High Street, will the password be "High" or "Highstreet"? When you only have the checker, you would have to check twice to find out which.

[Toxophilite]

I've had the same dilemma with multiple words for the same thing that all sound perfect as passwords. I also currently have a situation where the password could be a verb or its associated noun. Most annoying when you are convinced that you are on the right track and know that the checker will not discern any subtle differences. However I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt and agree with the above sentiment that if there is ambiguity, I am probably wrong. I know that recent solutions have been fairly unambiguous but I think the Isle of Mann pyramid password was the surname of one of two possible Miss World contestants.

[steve]

I don't think that the password checker has any intelligence; I think that you have to be spot on with your answer.

On a slightly different note, I think that it would be cool if once a solution is posted, then SW post the original solution, or tell us all how close to the original solution the post is.
I'll bet some of the solutions that produce the correct password vary slightly from the originals.

[krusty'n'nyk]

now that i would like to see, along with ALL solved riddles, not just the ones that can be bothered to post them!!

i think some of us need all the rays of hope we can muster!!

nykxx

[steve]

I have heard about one password that caused a bit of stress.
The correct password was entered but another word was added as well and the checker refused it.
Below I have provided an example of what I mean, the question is fictitious.

Question, where did the container ship Riverdance run aground?

Answer submitted: Blackpool beach (The checker would probably change this to "blackpoolbeach")
Password checker reported Wrong
Actual Answer: Blackpool
Password checker reported Correct

Therefore I still recon that the password checker has no intelligence what so ever.

[ChadH]

It will have absolutely no intelligence.
It will be a simple case of
if strGuess = arrPassword(numPyramid) then
response.write("Congratulations blah blah blah")
(Or whatever the php equivalent is)

It would be nice if it worked a bit like the pyramid keepers in the sense that it looked out for four key letters first.
If the four letters don't match then the checker reports that it is incorrect
If the four letters do match, then the checker reports a slightly different message before checking it properly.
It would be nice, but it doesn't do it that way at the moment.