Failed Log In

So, okay, Dave:

I logged in as usual. Got a message saying "Failed Log In", and a couple of other options (like "if you think you've lost your name and password, click here).

In a case of the quaints and the cutes, I clicked on "forums" to see what would happen. Took me right in.

So: 1. Did my log-in really fail? 2. Do we even _have_ to log in (that is, what if I just went to forums or such)? 3. Is this a one-time thing, or is there a problem with the sytem?

Part the second:

Okay, so I closed everything down. Reopened. Got the log-in page. Didn't log in. Instead clicked right on forums, and here I am.

Are it supposed to work that way?

You only have to login once. Your browser then remembers your username and password on your behalf, via a feature called "cookies".

In essence, your browser logs you in on your behalf with each and every page you hit on Dave's Garden. Remove your cookies and you'll find that you will not be automatically logged in next time you hit the site.

Dave

Like forever?

If I close down the computer tonight, then reboot in the morning, can I go directly to the forums without logging in?

Forever is relative, of course. I actually have the cookies set to expire on the day of the Epoch (2037). So, no, it's not forever. In 36 years it will expire, at which time I'll just up the expiration date. ;-)

Seriously, though. Cookies are permanent in that they do not go away unless you tell them to go away. For example, you could go into your browser's preferences and tell it to remove all cookies and clear out the cache. Reboot your computer (You are using Windows, right?) and when you come back to DG, you will be completely logged out and you'll have to login all over again.

I have it set this way as a convenience for the members, so they don't have to relogin every single time they bring up their computers. Some people don't like this, so I give them a "Logout" option, which clears the DG cookies from your browser for you. It's not guaranteed to work with all browsers, but I know that it works with my wife's Macintosh and my Linux box. ;-)

YMMV - your mileage may vary.

Dave

What's the day of the Epoch 2037?

That's the day the world ends. At least, that's the day the world ends for 32 bit processors (like most computers today, including the pentium line). 32 bit processors use a u_time variable to store the date, which includes the number of seconds elapsed since 1970. When this date occurs, the seconds will expire and these 32 bit processors won't be able to count any higher, and the date functions will grind to a hault.

The solution: a 64 bit (or higher) CPU. Intel is working on one, Alpha is already there. Apple is working with IBM and others to produce 64 bits successors to their processor line.

But, to answer your question: 2037 is the next Y2K. It probably won't be hyped as much, but it will definitely be there and any server running a 32 bit processor will crash on that day, never to be recovered. Anyone using a 32 bit processor then will be crazy, anyway.

Dave