Log In...is it just me?

[Wenhaston]

Since joining this forum earlier this year, I've used the 'log me in automatically' option as I do elsewhere whenever it is available. It has worked perfectly until recently.

Now I almost daily find that I have to log in to access the forum. I don't clear my cache, I don't clear my history and I don't delete cookies and I don't log myself out! So what has happened?

Co-incidentally, it seems that whenever this happens and I go to look at new posts, there aren't any...most frustrating.

[fatmac]

Not that it helps you, but it's working OK for me.

(Try bookmarking it after you have logged in.)

[Tomo]

Wenhaston,

What OS and browser do you use?

[fatmac]

My sytem is :-
O/S = AntiX 13 base (Linux)
Browser = Iceweasel (Firefox derivative)

[Tomo]

Were you using Iceweasel prior to sign in issues? I use FireFox and there are selectable settings which will allow for Private Browsing, if that option is use no passwords are recognized, where as in regular mode all password are recognized.

Offhand I say check the Iceweasle privacy settings or such...

[Wenhaston]

I'm using the latest Firefox but I don't use any privacy options and my automatic login to other sites doesn't have this problem!

[Tomo]

I use the latest Firefox also, but still if I wanted I could choose the privacy options and not be able automatically signed in each visit as I currently am.

[Narrow gauge Nutter]

I am using Chrome, and this has been happening to me EVERYDAY.
It seems that it signs me out after non access for a period - how long I don't know.
I do clear history, etc and as expected this does sign me out, but it also does it by itself?

[John New]

Not had the problem described with this forum but do regularly with another one. I have a feeling but no way to check that it happens if you log in on more than one machine. The 2nd seems to disable the first but randomly!

Firefox on both home Pcs Apollo on the I-pad

[Nevadablue]

Something seems to log me OUT every day. I have been online all day, and just came in to check for new posts and I need to LOG IN again.

Any idea what causes this? I'm running Chrome/linux... all settings at this end look correct.

[More_Cats_Than_Sense]

There is a "remember me" or "keep me logged in" (on this computer) checkbox on the windows version (on the forum homepage), does the linux version have this feature? After I run one of my "cleaning" programs it uncheckes this box so I have to check it again. I'm not running linux so I can't check for that unfortunately.

[Nevadablue]

Thanks Barry... yes, the Chrome version I'm running has that box. It is always unchecked when I log in... like I just did. My guess it is something in Chrome that I haven't found yet. No biggie, just wondered.

[tebee]

You need to keep that box checked . It's all to do with cookies , which are small files the browser saves on your machine to remember things like settings on your computer.

Cookies have an expiry date/time after which they don't work though, otherwise you might log on to a shared computer at you local library say and two years later someone else log in to the same site and it would remember your logon details for them

There are two cookies involved here though. Note it's a long time since if worked of the internals of this sort of website and the times I mention here are from memory and also re-settable by the website administrator so may not be 100% accurate for this site.

The first is the one that remembers your logon details . It's expiry deadline is set according to whether the checkbox was checked when you logged into the website. If it was checked it sets it to expire in something like 1 years time, if not it sets it to expire in a short time like 30 minutes.

Now every time you open a new web page on this site it checks if there is a logon cookie set and it if has not yet expired it uses the details it finds there to check against your logon details stored in the website's database on the server. If they agree it shows you a logged on, gives you the privileges of a logged on user. It then resets expiry of the logon cookie as I talked about above, but based on the current time.

The net result of this is that if you logged on with the checkbox ticked you stay logged as long as you use the site once a year, but if it's not ticked, you will stay logged in as long as you keep using the site. If you pause however for more than 30 minutes you will be logged out.


The second cookie remembers the state of the checkbox. This also has a long expiry time.

However if you clear cookies, you not only clear the logon cookie, but the checkbox cookie too. Next time you you come to use the site you will be asked to logon again but the checkbox will also not be ticked. If you don't check it again manually you will only be logged in for the duration of that session, next time you will have to log in again.

Note that the same thing happens when the checkbox cookie expires - this is just to force you to logon once a year or so. This is mostly designed to protect people who sell computers without clearing the cookies ! Again if don't manually check the box then, you only get logged in that session and next time need to log on again.

Tom

[Nevadablue]

OK the timers should have just started. I logged out, and logged in with the box checked.

I'll report back when I find out what happens.

[Nevadablue]

Looks like it worked. I haven't had to log in since the previous post. Thanks for the help!