Registration process is ridiculously ornerous

[gnat]

I just went through that ordeal and I would like to know why registering to post a question as a newbie subjects me to a new account creation process approximately as hard as if I wanted to do online banking?

I mean...use some common sense.
What is with all the COMPLETELY ABSURD rules on login name and password? I have a simple password i use for forums I am only exploring and may never visit again...and I bet you couldn't hack if you tried...
But I couldn't use it here. I tried my algorithm -- which is generally what I use for bank accounts where I have a lot at stake and want to be careful.

But that wasn't good enough to "protect me" from someone wanting to hack into my forum account and...what? why exactly does the moderator think a simple fORUM needs to be "protected" like is fort knox?

And the captcha nonsense...took me through I think it was 15 screens before it decided I was maybe human? WHY WOULDN'T A ***SIMPLE*** TEST OF MY HUMANNESS HAVE WORKED for a simple forum WHERE MY FIRST POSTS NEED MODERATOR APPROVAL BEFORE THEY WILL BE SHOWN ANYWAY?

Sorry for the sarcasm but this really is extraordnarily ridiculous. Linux is it's own worst enemy sometimes.

I just wanted to ask a simple question so I could complete a first time Linux install. And the official forum needs to put me through all this -- instead of making things as simple as possible?

This is not friendly. This is NOT how to get Linux to take over the desktop. Just sayin'

Thought of the day:
“We have become the tool of our tools.” ― Henry David Thoreau

[xenopeek]

Without the CAPTCHA and first posts moderation, the forum would be bombarded with spam every day.

As a general rule of staying safe online: use a unique password for every website. That way, should user data be stolen from one website it doesn't give the attackers (or the people they sell the information to) immediate access to accounts on other websites (that have the same username/email and password combination). You can use a password manager like https://keepassxc.org/ or https://www.lastpass.com/ to keep your passwords for you so you only need to remember one master password.

The risk is obviously not that attackers would gain access to somebody's forum account (and post support requests in their name?) but rather that they could use stolen user data to gain access to accounts on other websites. While passwords on the Linux Mint forum are encrypted, passwords that are very short or simple are susceptible to guessing by brute-force and dictionary attacks. Hence the forum has a minimum length and complexity requirement.

[Pjotr]

This is how to create a secure password that's easy to remember:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... t/password

[Cosmo.]

This is not friendly.

Security measurements are never friendly. But they are urgently needed and their importance will grow even more in the future. This has a simply reason. Attackers are not at least friendly, but they are there.

[Moem]

WHY WOULDN'T A ***SIMPLE*** TEST OF MY HUMANNESS HAVE WORKED for a simple forum WHERE MY FIRST POSTS NEED MODERATOR APPROVAL BEFORE THEY WILL BE SHOWN ANYWAY?

Because those simple tests are already cracked, and there are a handful of moderators, and we can't spend all day, every day disapproving spam posts. Using such a simple test would result in the moderators being made to spend way too much time on this.
For you, the annoying and difficult process was a one-time burden; for the moderators, spammers are a daily burden. You spent a few minutes out of your day to save us hours of work, every day. Thank you, it's appreciated!
Now be so kind to stick to the forum rules, and stop using all caps. It feels like you're shouting in my face while standing too close. It's rude and doesn't make your message any clearer.

[Jim Hauser]

I just went through that ordeal and I would like to know why registering to post a question as a newbie subjects me to a new account creation process approximately as hard as if I wanted to do online banking?

I mean...use some common sense.
What is with all the COMPLETELY ABSURD rules on login name and password? I have a simple password i use for forums I am only exploring and may never visit again...and I bet you couldn't hack if you tried...
But I couldn't use it here. I tried my algorithm -- which is generally what I use for bank accounts where I have a lot at stake and want to be careful.

But that wasn't good enough to "protect me" from someone wanting to hack into my forum account and...what? why exactly does the moderator think a simple fORUM needs to be "protected" like is fort knox?

And the captcha nonsense...took me through I think it was 15 screens before it decided I was maybe human? WHY WOULDN'T A ***SIMPLE*** TEST OF MY HUMANNESS HAVE WORKED for a simple forum WHERE MY FIRST POSTS NEED MODERATOR APPROVAL BEFORE THEY WILL BE SHOWN ANYWAY?

Sorry for the sarcasm but this really is extraordnarily ridiculous. Linux is it's own worst enemy sometimes.

I just wanted to ask a simple question so I could complete a first time Linux install. And the official forum needs to put me through all this -- instead of making things as simple as possible?

This is not friendly. This is NOT how to get Linux to take over the desktop. Just sayin'

Thought of the day:
“We have become the tool of our tools.” ― Henry David Thoreau

What you have to remember is that those rules were not made with you in mind. They have been around for a while and you just joined the other day. Making things easy for everyone would include the bots, spammers and people looking for easy and often used passwords. I remember first joining this forum 4 years ago. At the time, I too wondered what all the fuss was about. But since that first day there has been no fuss for me (just a couple of small missteps.)

That other operating system is king of the desktops. It is also the domain of hackers, trojans and other virus and malware threats. Do you see the connection? (easy access for all...)

Nobody wants a forum filled with spam or one that is easily hacked.

I have received very good and useful information from these fine people on this forum and still do. I have also found many new friends along the way.

In 4 years my system has not had any anti-virus or anti-malware. My only security is an external router/firewall, common sense and Linux Mint itself. In 4 years this system has never been infected or hacked from outside sources.

It does not seem to me the right approach to criticize others for something that I do not understand. If anything I will buy them the next round...

[Termy]

Try administering a message board with this much of a following and come back to the community with: "I mean...use some common sense." I guarantee you would eat your words, and ask for seconds. Just sayin'. Not to mention the things you're unhappy with pretty much apply to every message board online. Also, comparing this to signing up to online banking is a little silly, IMO.