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I use two step authentication for my Apple ID and use the same ID as my identity at these forums.
It's a real pain to have to log in every time I revisit these forums.
Is there any way to have my user remembered so I don't have to use two step every time I need to ask a question?
Thanks!
No. Your session login status is held in a cookie that expires after ±30 minutes of inactivity and each time you close your browser.
Apple ID credentials need to be considered as secure as financial credentials, since credit card data for purchasing stuff is stored within its record in the database. e.g., we all have to login every time here and again Manage Apple ID (etc). Consider it a necessary safeguard as we all do.
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I'm not in agreement with ChitlinsCC. I'm surprised ChitlinsCC wrote the above.
My account is old enough that when I got it, I didn't have to enter a credit card with the account. I think it is a bad idea to use the same account you do with your credit card here. I suggest all folks get a separate account that doesn't have a credit card associated with it for these discussions. I believe this is much more secure than Apple's suggestion of using one account for everything.
Robert!
Apple must ASSUME that EVERY user HAS a CC associated with THAT Apple ID.
Most everyone does not think about their security. I agree totally with your multi-ID strategy - and practice that very thing.
The un-asked-for analysis of the login/logout strategy was meant to associate Apple areas and sites like Banks
Remember... you are not paranoid if they really are after you!
buenos dias
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I don't think it has anything to do with your financial safety. It more likely has to do with being one of the busiest forums on the planet. Leaving everyone logged in forever means having to have a massive system that can handle and keep literally millions of users logged in all the time. That's simply too many accounts to keep open all at once 24/7. To reduce the load, inactive users are automatically logged out.
How to improve your experience with Apple Support Communities ( ASC )
Apple must ASSUME that EVERY user HAS a CC associated with THAT Apple ID.
Why is that? They could look and see if you have a credit card with the id.
Howdy Kurt
Without completely opening the server load can of worms... again... , I agree that AppleWebWorld* is a busy place - #44 globally and #30 US > http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/discussions.apple.com <[ gives ALL of apple.com result ], I respectfully submit that merely leaving a discussions page open (exceptions = My Activity & an OPEN Reply pane) consumes no bandwidth at all. A user must ACT to make a request before the server ACTS to respond. Apple/Akemai distributed location network of fail-over clusters worldwide should be able to handle the ASC load easily (if I am not mistaken, Apple/Akemai practically invented the concept)
To test (and put it to bed),
Saying merely the COOKIE held logged in state consumes server bandwidth is equivalent to saying a light bulb consumes electricity when the switch is off.
Although Apple may have intimated behind closed doors that the load is the reason for this , it is much more likely that it may be part of a strategy at Anti-SPAM or a prophylactic against negligence for not providing adequate security measures (the masses just don't think!). I submit that ASC timeout is merely a policy consistent with the necessarily secure areas' - iTunes Store, Apple Store, My Apple ID, ?more?
* One day, maybe some clever detective will deduce how Apple has distributed its information architecture, but I am pretty sure that the "support" areas (subdomains) are very meager consumers
buenos tardes, amigo
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[snicker]
Yes, the could - but how high is writing/testing a few lines of code to do this thing to satisfy a relative few on the ToDo List? We defeat what we can, eh amigo? I pity the 2-steppers!
later
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I'm suspecting there is a "security through obscurity" quality to ASC.
Robert
I do get what you're saying, but I wasn't referring to bandwidth. The servers themselves would have to open, and hold open memory space for every logged in account whether you were actively using it or not. That's a lot of RAM being wasted that could be put to use for other active users. Possibly, more RAM than could be accessed by the server software.
I respectfully disagree - again.
That's not the way it works - in other sites with which I am familiar - nor here. The logged in state is in a cookie on your computer and is reset to +30mins with every HTML action you take AND +20mins with every 'AutoSave' within an open Reply pane - [ credit for both of these discoveries goes to tt2 ]
The servers hold:
e.g., this one = discussions.apple.com/thread/7056687
your post to which I reply = discussions.apple.com/message/28306504
The servers are going to be open anyway, requests or not - and do indeed have combined capacity, both in storage and memory -
The server Software is a another story entirely - in this case JiveSoftware. I submit that in its unaltered form, it runs huge enterprise collaborative communities that dwarf ASC's load. I could be wrong (and often am), but if the server load explanation is true, it is because the Apple-JiveWare is altered so (dumbed down) that it no longer resembles its original self - Frankenstein's Monster?
An internet server has open ports for Web services - like a door that is wide open, but only wide enough for one person to enter... if a bunch of folks want to go IN, they merely wait in line. If the to door is "busy", the browser is told that and tries again at intervals until it is "your turn" - maybe more like a "Deli Counter"? but VERY fast and VERY BRIEF nonetheless
Again, ASC cannot account for a bazillion request/response transactions per second - the JiveWare 'management' console knows simultaneous visitors (logged and guests) at any given moment for sure.
When you weigh the three factors discussed - load, SPAM & security liability - security seems to take the prize.
BTW, I am not a big fan of "Helmet Laws"... culling the herd and all. 😉 But if they didn't do these security things, they would get sued - not saying they would lose, just have to answer.
Think of the login timeout as part of the toolbox of other measures - most notably iOS device passcode "Black screen message" - I'll bet there are a bunch of 'party-ers' that have come up against that one!
I said I didn't wanna open the can of worms again, but alas, we did it anyway!
Actually, the added steps required to login using the "idmsa" subdomain's routines are what actually seems slow and demanding in my experience
I guess what I am saying is... with Apple technical expertise, the "take a number" system should be robust and designed for 'normal' load PLUS 'worst case scenario'
Staying logged in does not affect the server performance unless a logged in user does something. The cookie is a text file that just sits on your computer saying you're logged in. The server won't read it until you visit the site.
That makes me feel good. I feel like I was being a bad citizen because of the ACS work around I use. I guess doing a query every 15 minutes isn't the best but so be it.
Anyway, the ram argument is somewhat bogus because of paging these days and giga bytes of memory anyway.
I do not understand why people thing these forums are a huge load. Its
-- not much data.
-- all text
-- an sql data base.
-- a low transaction rate, at least in my view. Ten a second? More likely 1 per ten seconds at best.
sql database have been studied since the '70 to get max performance. A lot of order entry systems have large loads. I'd imagine that Orcle data base could hand the load out of the box.
Wish apple was more user friendly in these forums.
Robert
Although I noted for my long-windedness, that is my point exactly. - ÇÇÇ
total agreement, Robert. - ÇÇÇ
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