Hi @unplugged_69,
Glad to help:
- “My question is if I completely uninstall it, do you confidentially think I then will be able to use your plugin to stop the bots without having any problems or issues??”
This plugin stops a particular kind of bot that disobeys your site’s robots.txt rules and follows the hidden link. Bots that do this are trapped/blocked until you release them. Other types of bots, for example bots that actually obey your site’s robots rules, will not fall into the trap, and thus will not be blocked. There are many, many types of bots out there, and this plugin stops the ones that disobey your robots rules. So to answer your question specifically, it depends on which type(s) of bots are hitting your site.
2. “I have noticed that some people had issuses in conjuction with a cache plugin but im not sure if that was because their plugin was not deleted before installing yours?”
As far as the cache plugin goes, I will repeat again: Blackhole is not (yet) compatible with cache plugins or scripts, etc. On sites where there is no caching, Blackhole can work normally and provides a proven way to stop disobedient/bad bots. So to summarize:
- Site has caching = do NOT use Blackhole
- Site has no caching = can use Blackhole
If your site has a cache plugin, do not use Blackhole. If it does not, then Blackhole will work normally.
I hope that is crystal clear, let me know if I can provide any further information. Glad to help anytime.
Hi Jeff, Thank you for your prompt answer however perhaps I didn’t make my questions quite clear… I have now deleted and uninstalled the WP Super Cache plugin on my website, does my website now mean that I DO NOT HAVE CACHING and therefore I can go ahead and use your plugin.
OR does your above answer mean that because I previously had the caching plugin installed that I still cannot use your plugin regardless of deleting it?
If I can use your plugin could there still be any residual left behind that I would need to remove after I uninstalled it?
Hoping you can clarify the above.
Regards
Glad to help:
- ” I have now deleted and uninstalled the WP Super Cache plugin on my website, does my website now mean that I DO NOT HAVE CACHING and therefore I can go ahead and use your plugin”
Honestly I cannot say whether or not any given website has caching without examining it thoroughly. If there are no caching plugins on site, and there are no caching scripts or apps on the server, then *probably* there is no caching on the site, but again I am not able to give a definite response without proper investigation, etc. Best advice would be to ask your developer or web host whether there is any sort of caching happening, they will know best and be able to let you know for sure one way or another.
2. “OR does your above answer mean that because I previously had the caching plugin installed that I still cannot use your plugin regardless of deleting it?”
Not at all, my previous response simply says that if your site has any sort of caching then do NOT use Blackhole. Otherwise if the site does not use any sort of caching then you’re fine to use it.
Again, if in doubt regarding caching on your site, either cache via plugin, or cache via server script/app, then consult your developer or web host, who will be able to let you know for sure with a definite answer.
3. “If I can use your plugin could there still be any residual left behind that I would need to remove after I uninstalled it?”
As long as there is no caching happening on site, either via plugin, server script/app, or any other method, then Blackhole will work flawlessly and clean up after itself upon removal. The only time extra steps need to be taken is if Blackhole is used on a site where any sort of caching is enabled, which is why caching is clearly indicated as being incompatible with Blackhole.
I hope this makes sense, let me know if I may expound further, glad to help anytime.
