Do Not Remember Me On This Computer? December 20, 2007 7:06 AM   Subscribe

PonyFilter: "Do Not Remember Me On this Computer" login checkbox?

(apologies if this has been asked for before. I did a light search, but I'm on a very slow link)

Would it be possible to add a check box at login to use a temporary cookie for Metafilter login? I'm thinking something along the lines of what Yahoo Mail does in allowing you to choose how "permanent" your login is.

It's easy to forget to log yourself out in internet cafes, and very hard to get 747 pilots to turn around so you can fix it when you remember.

In any case, it would be nice if closing the browser was enough to log you out of metafilter in certain cases.
posted by tkolar to Feature Requests at 7:06 AM (40 comments total)

Remember me should be an opt-in, not opt-out. That's how most websites do it, and it's what users expect.
posted by Plutor at 7:15 AM on December 20, 2007


How do we know this is even you posting? Haw ha! Someone's hijacked tkolar's account and is posting ridiculous MeTas in his name. Haw!

Good idea. The way I log in at work is tricky this way if I forget to log out.
posted by carsonb at 7:25 AM on December 20, 2007


Hey everyone I am nice and I do not swear in MetaTalk.
posted by Mister_A at 7:31 AM on December 20, 2007 [1 favorite]


I must admit, I think that's a very good idea. There have been many times I've logged in on a computer that I'll never be returning to... and I'm not always sure if I remembered to log out, which seriously bugs me.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:39 AM on December 20, 2007


Down with moderation! Up with self-links! Music is stupid!
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:39 AM on December 20, 2007


+1
posted by grouse at 7:50 AM on December 20, 2007


Plutor writes "That's how most websites do it, and it's what users expect."

Most websites get it wrong. A check box to set it temporary would be great though.
posted by Mitheral at 8:17 AM on December 20, 2007


Opt-in log me out of all sessions. I'd like.
posted by cashman at 8:17 AM on December 20, 2007


People log out? joke here.
posted by cgc373 at 8:19 AM on December 20, 2007


Yes!
posted by sneakin at 8:30 AM on December 20, 2007


I would like it if the front page showed us that we aren't logged in (currently working), and who we aren't logged in as (pony enhancement).
posted by blue_beetle at 8:32 AM on December 20, 2007


Every day I'd just look up and see "Not logged in as Mathowie" and curse my existence.
posted by cashman at 8:37 AM on December 20, 2007


I've never done this before because it works using sessions, which means as long as you keep hitting some page on the server once every 20 minutes it will stay alive and keep you logged in. The problem with MetaFilter in particular as opposed to every other site that easily offers this is that you can spend 20 or more minutes writing a comment. By the time you hit submit, you're effectively logged out and you'll get an error instead of the comment posted. I never wanted to have the problem of losing huge thoughtful comments so I just required persistent logins instead. If I could figure out a nice way to capture those errors, I could do it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:50 AM on December 20, 2007


Mitheral: "Most websites get it wrong."

Let's consider what the possibilities are if you forget to click it:
1) It's opt-in, you want it to remember you. You aren't logged in the next time you start your browser. Result: annoyance.
2) It's opt-in, you don't want it to remember you. Result: success!
3) It's opt-out, you want it to remember you. Result: success!
4) It's opt-out, you don't want it to remember you. Result: someone has access to your account. This is the one case that could be a disaster if "someone" is a dick or if you are an admin.

Apologies to Blaise Pascal.
posted by Plutor at 9:01 AM on December 20, 2007


I LOVE every single one of you.
posted by eyeballkid at 9:03 AM on December 20, 2007


mathowie, 'do not remember me' checkboxes don't create expiring sessions, they make the login/session cookie expire when the user quits the browser. While I don't know coldfusion, that should be pretty trivial to set up.
posted by zsazsa at 9:05 AM on December 20, 2007


It's just Metafilter not your bank. I'd venture the _vast_ majority of people want their login information remembered. Why make that majority go through an extra step?

mathowie writes "I've never done this before because it works using sessions, which means as long as you keep hitting some page on the server once every 20 minutes it will stay alive and keep you logged in. "

But doesn't your login information get stored in a cookie? When the hypothetical box is checked the Metafilter Cookies can be set to be Temporary and get deleted when you exit the browser.
posted by Mitheral at 9:09 AM on December 20, 2007


I'd venture the _vast_ majority of people want their login information remembered.

The vast majority (such as myself) want it remembered the vast majority of the time. But as Plutor points out, that one time you don't want it remembered is a doozy.

But what Mitheral said about non-persistent cookies.
posted by grouse at 9:27 AM on December 20, 2007


The problem with MetaFilter in particular as opposed to every other site that easily offers this is that you can spend 20 or more minutes writing a comment.

I don't know enough about web technologies to tell you if the "browser session cookie" is viable or not, but it seems like you could make a very useful first pass on this using sessions by making the timeout 3 hours instead of 20 minutes.

Even 6 or 12 hours would be fine. In general I would just think of this as a safety net for when I forget to log out.
posted by tkolar at 9:29 AM on December 20, 2007


I'd venture the _vast_ majority of people want their login information remembered. Why make that majority go through an extra step?

Because they'll go through that step precisely once for each computer they own, as opposed to people who are moving from computer to computer and will have to login and logout a lot?
posted by tkolar at 9:34 AM on December 20, 2007


I don't get it. No one remembers me here anyway.

Who are you again?
posted by The Deej at 9:35 AM on December 20, 2007


That's how most websites do it, and it's what users expect.
It's not what MeFites expect. I love that this place keeps you logged in forever, and don't trust "keep me logged in" checkboxen, especially considering how often I have to log in to bloody Flickr.
posted by bonaldi at 10:02 AM on December 20, 2007


Ya kidding aside, I like not having to log in.
posted by Mister_A at 10:19 AM on December 20, 2007


I love that this place keeps you logged in forever

Yeah, but if you stay logged in forever, you never even see the non-existent "keep me logged in" checkbox. Like was said above, this would only affect you once on each new computer.
posted by smackfu at 10:34 AM on December 20, 2007


It looks like Coldfusion can do session cookies, so I probably could add a checkbox on login for "this is a public computer/don't save my login" below the existing form.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:54 AM on December 20, 2007


Awesome, thank you.

Now, about the Metafilter iPhone client...
posted by tkolar at 11:06 AM on December 20, 2007


I like how livejournal has an 'expire all sessions' button which logs you out everywhere you're logged in. So when I've used LJ somewhere weird and am not sure if I logged out I just click the button to be sure. The main downsides are that it also logs out the computer you're on right then and there is still the potential of being logged in somewhere until you go home and click the button, but it's a nice safety net. Kind of a passive one too in that it doesn't change anything unless you go click the thing yourself.

Other than that I like metafilter not logging me out. I wish I could set more places to this, flickr being high on the list.

My work webmail system does what Matt describes, logs out really fast throwing an error every time I write a message more than a paragraph long. Given that I use that account for all my work communication and I collaborate with people all over the country it's a huge huge pain. I know that's not what's being suggested here exactly, I've just been wanting to moan about it for ages.
posted by shelleycat at 11:07 AM on December 20, 2007


Well, for example... I am right now typing this from some fancy shmancy agency I've never been to before. I'm freelancing, and I'm only gonna be here for 2 days. Each time I walk away from the computer, I never know if it's going to be the last time I get on the internet here... so I log out every time I walk away. So in light of that, I do think a timeout feature would be nice.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:36 AM on December 20, 2007


This is the one case that could be a disaster if "someone" is a dick or if you are an admin.

We call this "the loquacious effect"
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:46 AM on December 20, 2007 [4 favorites]


Yeah, but if you stay logged in forever, you never even see the non-existent "keep me logged in" checkbox. Like was said above, this would only affect you once on each new computer.
Well yeh, except it never works that way. You forget to click it the first time, or some fucked-up thing happens and you end up having to log in again (see Flickr for this). Whereas if it's opt-out, then only the people on public PCs have to worry.
posted by bonaldi at 11:51 AM on December 20, 2007


Logging in would require remembering my password, or user number or something. This is too much to expect.
posted by Cranberry at 12:32 PM on December 20, 2007


So I don't know all of this programming stuff. I definitely wouldn't want there to be an automatic logout because of exactly what Cranberry said. But I just think an optional "I'm on a public computer, so log me out lest I someday find strangers have written drunken AskMes in my name -- not that something like that would ever actually happen to anyone" button would be cool.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:39 PM on December 20, 2007


I haven't logged into Flickr on this computer since I upgraded from Firefox 1.0 to Firefox 1.5, and that was more than two years ago.
posted by Plutor at 3:16 PM on December 20, 2007


Really? Cos everyone had to log in again when they upgraded the usernames. Unless you're some kind of noob
posted by bonaldi at 3:45 PM on December 20, 2007


I can do this with people in real life and I highly recommend it as a feature.

You never saw me. Remember to forget.
posted by Eideteker at 4:14 PM on December 20, 2007 [1 favorite]


Huh, I just realized from this other thread that the iPhone appears to have a maximum document size it will accept. Maybe we DO need a metafilter for iPhone...
posted by tkolar at 4:25 PM on December 20, 2007


Yes, please. I really do not care if it's some totally obscure checkbox I have to drill down three preference windows from my user page to get to. As long as it is somehow an option.

I hop from computer to computer all day at my work and I end up leaving myself logged in all over the place.
posted by churl at 6:40 PM on December 20, 2007


bonaldi: "Really? Cos everyone had to log in again when they upgraded the usernames. Unless you're some kind of noob"

Which they did two and a half years ago. It was only the people who didn't pay attention back then who had conniptions when they started requiring it.

Who's a noob now?
posted by Plutor at 7:42 AM on December 23, 2007


Let me rephrase, then, Captain Literal.

Really? Cos everyone had to log in again when they changed to requiring Yahoo usernames. Unless you're some kind of tool who took the Yahoo name before it was required, not realising the number of now-removed undue limitations it imposed compared to the old-skool ones.
posted by bonaldi at 9:46 AM on December 23, 2007


[crying emoticon]
posted by Plutor at 4:49 AM on December 24, 2007


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