Topic on User talk:Derivative
This is a permanent link to the first version of this post.
You can view later versions on the post history page.
While a lock and a ban are technically the same, the difference is a lock can be undone without any discussion while a ban is designed to only be overturned by a decision by the community. A ban is taken as a more permanent "you are not welcome here anymore" while a plain lock is a preventative measure taken on a steward's own intuition.
They're not "banned from posting" by wording.
@Looney Toons, the lock is a part of CentralAuth. There is nothing in MediaWiki called a "ban" likewise however. A lock is a block, just on every wiki. A ban is deemed an indefinite prohibition from contributing to Miraheze and using all services for an indefinite period of time until it is reversed.