Cookie Control

[Mutley]

It's asked me about 3 time now - seemingly at randon times but I haven't tried to figure out why.

Anyway, each time I click YES but BG obviously does not trust me or my answer. Doesn't trust you either Mutley.

Definitely not trusting me, 4 times it has asked me tonight. Perhaps it does not understand Portuguese?

[MarkJ]

Did you delete cookies - either intentionally or by having your browser set to delete cookies at the end of a session? I suspect that would cause the cookie questioning thing to reappear.

Personally, I think this is a really badly organised "law", passed with good intentions I know, by people who have no idea at all about how cookies work and how they are now pretty much indispensible facts in our on line lives.

Have any of our members ever tried turning off cookies full stop in their browser? You quickly find that you have to re-enable the things (even if they are used in a slightly unsavoury way to track us arpound the web by some sites). Many good sites use cookies to remember our logins or which threads we have already viewed etc (as B-G does for example) but they can be used less nicely - which is what this silly law is aimed at.

Whilst the law makers are at it, they should also have included the much less well known, but larger and more sneaky and unsavoury LSO's which are on your computers. These are placed by sites which use flash - so pretty much all sites these days - and are not removed when you clear your cache or delete cookies etc. In fact, they are quite hard to get rid of unless you know how....

[Thomasin]

I don't like the big black box with red text [black box flight recorder?] but, like Terry, I'm very pleased to be rid of the green triangle.

What on earth is an LSO?

~~ liver, sausage and onion?

[olliecat]

Did you delete cookies - either intentionally or by having your browser set to delete cookies at the end of a session? I suspect that would cause the cookie questioning thing to reappear.

Could be an answer - as I said - I haven't looked into it. I expect I'll be asked the same question every time I restart my browser, unless I tweak my browser/cookie settings. Will test later. Sigh!!

However, I do know that BG also asked if I wanted to accept cookies BEFORE I logged in. Most PHP code has Session Start code on the various different forum pages. This is so one can login smoothly and the result is that a session cookie is used. As far as I can make out, where this new law is concerned, a session cookie is considered to be an essential cookie and one does not need to ask a user for their permission to use an essential cookie. If other non-essential cookies are used then consent is needed.

Apart from session cookies I wonder in this particular case what other cookies are needed before logging in. If none are needed before but they are needed after, then why not ask for consent after login. Then the answer could be stored in the forum database and one wouldn't be asked repeatedly.

Personally, I think this is a really badly organised "law", passed with good intentions .

I agree it's not a well thought out law. I'm so glad I don't have to figure out how to implement it (not at the moment anyway.)

[MarkJ]

I don't like the big black box with red text [black box flight recorder?] but, like Terry, I'm very pleased to be rid of the green triangle.

What on earth is an LSO?

~~ liver, sausage and onion?

Local Shared Object. Also known as a flash cookie. If you stick it into a search engine or wikipedia you will soon discover what they are

To see them, you will need to enable "show hidden files and folders" in your Winders OS (and in Linux you will need to show hidden stuf too). But once you do, they are easily found via Application Data and then Macromedia in your Documents and Settings.

I wouldn't worry about them as such - just another interesting little "geek" thing to look at and another "cookie" which is not covered in this new law!

Wish it was liver, sausage and onions though! That sounds yummy with some mashed potato!

[Thomasin]

Thank you Mark, but I don't think I'll bother. Your menu sounds far preferable (and more understandable).

[Mutley]

I've not been near the 'cookie tin' tonight and I've had me dinner which was not liver and onions and mash (I wish).

As the puddy tat says, it is hard enough being on the receiving end of these laws, goodness know what it is like to be on the implementing end. You do have our sympathy Pam.

[wendyar]

athurk,

I am in Australia and just joined BG a couple of weeks ago. The box does appear outside the UK. I am a novice at navigating the internet, having just connected at home a couple of months ago. When I first saw the box, utter panic set in. Could I lose my new mates forever? I clicked "I accept" and waited. It disappeared until I logged in again and there it was again.

I checked with my 66 year old sister who has been using computers all her working life. Her reply was, "Don't Know"!! I think some of us, although we know we are reasonably intelligent, simply don't use the technological side our their brains, being artistic, creative and intelligent!! Cookies are something I bake in the kitchen. We used to call them biscuits, Down Under!

So what do I do???

Cheers,

wendyar

[Procat]

Hi wendyar,

If the message keeps appearing just keep accepting. And if it becomes too frustrating cursing softly (or loudly if you prefer) sometimes helps.

[Guy Etchells]

Cookies are controlled by your browser.

To avoid having to click to accept each time you visit a site in Firefox go to
Tools - Options - Privacy - ensure accept cookies box is ticked -ensure accept third party cookies box is ticked - ensure keep until they expire is selected.

Similar selections apply to other browsers
Cheers
Guy

PS in Internet Explorer use the Internet Options menu to add http://www.british-genealogy.com/ to your whitelist of sites to always accept cookies.