Browser Cookies

[Mirage35]

This afternoon I deleted all of the redundant cookies in my browser (sites that I have no direct contact with, have never heard of, don't care about) from my browser. It's January and I have time on my hands.

After opening CF and viewing two threads, about 100 (I gave up counting) of them are back. Yeah, I know, somebody has to pay for it, but now I know why CF seems to load so slowly sometimes.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

This afternoon I deleted all of the redundant cookies in my browser (sites that I have no direct contact with, have never heard of, don't care about) from my browser. It's January and I have time on my hands.

After opening CF and viewing two threads, about 100 (I gave up counting) of them are back. Yeah, I know, somebody has to pay for it, but now I know why CF seems to load so slowly sometimes.

"Cookies" are largely used for "tracking" a user to permit advertisement targeting. You can set your browser up to disallow cookies which largely solves the problem. Alternately, you can set your browser up to remove any cookies when the browser itself is closed or, in some cases, when the web-page or "tab" is closed. There are also "add-on's" for a number of browsers such as Firefox that will block/prevent cookies.

FWIW...

[Mirage35]

Yeah, I know, but there are a handful that are actually useful to me - the one that remembers my login information for example.

Not a real problem, I just felt like grumbling this morning. I'm over it now - on my way to a boat show, so in a better mood.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

After opening CF and viewing two threads, about 100 (I gave up counting) of them are back. Yeah, I know, somebody has to pay for it, but now I know why CF seems to load so slowly sometimes.

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

Yeah, I know, but there are a handful that are actually useful to me - the one that remembers my login information for example.

You can set your browser to delete all cookies upon exit.

Cookies and login/password info are separate, so deleting cookies on exit won't effect your subsequent login access.

-Chris

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

Yeah, I know, but there are a handful that are actually useful to me - the one that remembers my login information for example.

Not a real problem, I just felt like grumbling this morning. I'm over it now - on my way to a boat show, so in a better mood.

Say thanks to idiots from Mozilla who claim they are on your side while apparently the cannot resolve the login cookies from the tracking cookies.

With Chrome or IE you don't even get a vote.

They are out there to get us. We are down here not to make it any easier for them ;-)

b.

[CaptTom]

If you want an enlightening experience about trackers, install the Ghostery plug-in.

Right now it's showing 9 trackers on the page I'm typing this into.

I'm not making any judgement calls, just thought people might want to know more.

Also, I agree that if you delete cookies on browser exit you won't auto-logon to sites like this one (or your bank, etc.) next time you open the browser. Fortunately most browsers let you set exceptions.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

You can set your browser up to disallow cookies which largely solves the problem.

If you do online banking, you're going to need to allow cookies from that domain.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

If you want an enlightening experience about trackers, install the Ghostery plug-in.

+1 on Ghostery. Lets you see (and block, or not) all the background trackers and snoopers sites employ. Along with Adblock, it makes the Web a lot easier to use.

Cookies are a double-edged sword. They can be used to track your visits, but also store useful information to make a site like CF more functional. You can erase the CF cookie each time, but at the price of having to manually log in all the time.

[Mirage35]

It's fascinating how it has evolved. I was doing project management on web development back during the first tech boom (late '90s? Memory is getting fuzzy).

At that time cookies were a new thing, everyone was trying to understand them, and the big discussion was whether they should even be allowed. Handing personal information over to anonymous website operators - didn't know if we wanted to do that.

They've now become so commonplace that half of the people just give Google et al whatever personal information they want, and the other half (like me) try to resist but give up because they serve some useful purpose and there's no way to separate the good from the bad.

Ah, well. This is in the off-topic forum, but it's now drifting (joke?) seriously away from sailing. I started it; I suggest we drop it.

BTW the Toronto Boat Show was fun (ref. my second post above). Got to look at lots of stuff that we probably won't buy even if we win the lottery.

[hafa]

If you're using Firefox, install the Cookie Monster Add-on. Very easy to use and manage and disallows all cookies except those you explicitly approve.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

You can erase the CF cookie each time, but at the price of having to manually log in all the time.

Several folks have said this...

But I delete cookies after every browser exit, and the browser password function still works fine. Click on "click here to login," then click on the browser's log-in pop-up (user's screen name), click log in, done.

This using both IE11. I think I set Chrome that way, too, but can't remember off-hand.

In IE11, I think the path is Internet Options, Content, AutoComplete... something like that...

-Chris

[bletso]

Yes cookies, especially those from the google group of which there are many can be a pain. Google has become the thousand pound gorilla. It allows custom advertising and who knows what else. I erase all the cookies I don't want often, sometimes daily. I can keep the ones I want like the bank and CF.

I find that this keeps a lot of the fluff advertising down. It amazes me how you can get hundreds of cookies in a few days, and I don't surf the web much and allow cookies only from websites I visit. (An option which doesn't seem to be efective)

[SaylorMade]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

It's fascinating how it has evolved. I was doing project management on web development back during the first tech boom (late '90s? Memory is getting fuzzy).

At that time cookies were a new thing, everyone was trying to understand them, and the big discussion was whether they should even be allowed. Handing personal information over to anonymous website operators - didn't know if we wanted to do that.

I hope you didn't have any technical responsibilites in that project ....
Cookies are one of the simplest technologies, and they are not in itself "handed over" to anyone.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Several folks have said this...

But I delete cookies after every browser exit, and the browser password function still works fine. Click on "click here to login," then click on the browser's log-in pop-up (user's screen name), click log in, done.

This using both IE11. I think I set Chrome that way, too, but can't remember off-hand.

In IE11, I think the path is Internet Options, Content, AutoComplete... something like that...

-Chris

True, the browser’s auto password system still works, but with the cookie you don’t have to go through the login at all. It’s done in the background. I assume the browser password record is generated by the OS or the browser, and not by the external site.

BTW, for those who don’t know, a cookie is a small data record generated by the website (the server). It is stored on the client’s computer as a cookie file. Lots of things can be stored in a cookie file. It can be benign data on settings, or more nefarious data around personal usage. It’s open-ended, which is why it’s hard to treat them all the same. Some cookies are useful, some are annoying and some are dangerous.

[Lepke]

Firefox has an add on "Self-Destructing Cookies" that lets you pick out your login cookies or any you want to keep. Others are deleted when you close the tab. Easy to use.
You have the option of having the cookie deleted either when you close the tab or browser.