lynx-dev changed default for PERSISTENT_COOKIES

[Klaus Weide]

On Tue, 7 Dec 1999, Kim DeVaughn wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 06, 1999, Larry W. Virden (address@hidden) said:
> |
> | >> It should revert to the old default, in my opinion.
> | >that's my opinion also - but I wanted to see how the discussion goes
> | 
> | I don't have an opinion one way or the other on this one, but I sure
> | would like to see the persistent cookies default go back to the old one...
> 
> I do too, but that's because there has already been a rel-version of
> lynx put out with that as the default.  Perhaps it shouldn't have been
> done that way, but it was, and now is not the time to be changing it.

Yes, I also find that very unfortunate.  I should have spoken up then,
but didn't (probably just didn't pay attention).  I certainly don't like
changing defaults around from version to version without good reason.
Still I think there is good reason here.

> Doing so is quite likely going to confuse and/or irritate alot of folks
> when the next rel-version rolls around, and suddenly their cookies don't
> work anymore.

The *possibility* that even *one* naive user, knowing nothing about
cookies or that lynx keeps them "for" him, loses a bit of his privacy
through lynx's fault concerns me a lot more.  I certainly don't want
to be any part of that.  Compared to that, I find it quite irrelevant
if some (or even many) folks get a bit irritated.

And I think what Divid Woolley wrote in
<http://www.flora.org/lynx-dev/html/month1099/msg00610.html> deserves
repeating:
| Non-commercial browsers don't have to achieve any particular market share
| or sell associated products, so they can afford to use best practice,
| rather than commercially expedient practice.

> Yes, I know ... RTFM ... but in this case, the relevant information is
> buried away in the CHANGES doc, and in the lynx.cfg file.
> 
> Perhaps *if* this change is going to go in -rel, there should be a (hope-
> fully small) README.1ST file, that identifies this and other significant
> user-visible changes since the previous -rel version (the TEXTAREA EDIT/
> DWIMEDIT, and KEYMAP related changes also come to mind for this).

Certainly.  Such a thing should be in a prominent place.  I think that's
nothing completely new...

> Of course since Klaus doesn't mind politely responding to all of inquiries
> on "why don't my cookies work anymore" type questions ... :-) ...

I haven't been overwhelmed so far...  but you are welcome to jump
in. :)

> PS: I have yet so see *any* complaints come in that anyone has had
>     problems with the current -rel default setting being "on", so I'm
>     not sure just what problem is being solved by changing the default
>     setting, at this late date.

You surprise me.

Why should complaints or, I assume, customer expectations[*] be the
all-important criterium?  Aren't we supposed to use our best judgement?

Don't we all do this, to a great part, for fun?

Well, here's another of David Wooley's messages:
<http://www.flora.org/lynx-dev/html/month1099/msg00637.html>

Follow the link to the junkbusters site.  Select "Cookies".
All *I* need to read is
  * People often type their email or postal address into forms, when
    registering at a site or requesting information.
in order to know why, in *my* best judgement, PERSISTENT_COOKIES:TRUE should
not be the default; no matter what other browsers do, or what people
(*informed* people, at least to the degree that they know about cookies)
expect.  (The folks most likely to get burned are also the least likely
to complain to lynx-dev.  They just don't know what's going on.)

[*] conditioned by commercial products produced with a different
motivation of course...

   Klaus