HTML and BBCode

What's the difference?

[myPH]

Can someone explain to this newbie the difference between HTML and BBCode. I see that sometimes only one, or both, can be used in forum signatures, for instance.

Do both get spidered and qualify as links, for instance if I use our website url as my signature in a forum?

Is this okay with the search engines, or frowned upon. or they don't care?

[Gargen]

BBcode only includes a few tags, and there are a few differences in the way its used. But i know msn and yahoo dont care about links like that they will put them in, but G is a bit more picky.

[mcavic]

BBCode gets converted to HTML when you post. So search engines don't see any difference.

[myPH]

Thanks guys. Oh, the learning curve...

So another quick question:
Why do some forums (fora?) allow BBCode or similar and disable HTML. I'm asking because we have a phpBB forum. Does it affect the wellbeing of our forum and/or our members if I change the settings, disable one or the other?

[Farix]

For security reasons mainly. Hackers can use HTML properties to cause havoc on the board, including break templates, logging people out, locking or deleting topics, running nefarious JavaScript, and etc. It is far too dangerous to freely allow the use of HTML on a forum without any restrictions. BBCode was created to provide a security layer between the poster and the HTML to prevent exploitation while still allowing posters to add formating and presentation elements to their posts.

[Leosghost]

Also depending on the "hardness of the shells" allowing posting of html can allow access to other areas of the server than the BB ..some hosters are running very old configs and it's not to hard to use a BB or a guest book to get into the rest of the site or the server proper..

First thing to do with a new site is to remove: switch off BB or guestbooks if you dont need them ..

If you really want them ...? then switch off html ..

Guest books are just in invitation to get "owned"..

Unsecured server co-ordinates are "traded" and posted on various sites and IRC..

Once breached they can then be used to host illegal material ..on the pages of unsuspecting website owners ..