Where’s your handwritten password file, Bub? You know, that little notebook you planned on using to keep up with changes. Very few people can remember well enough to hold more than a half dozen, if that, and every change makes recall that much harder.
This is one of my pet peeves. A good password should be long, easy to remember and difficult to guess. Note that I didn’t mention anything about it having to have upper and lower case letters, numbers, a limited number of punctuation marks but not some others and letters of the Greek, Hangul and Kanji alphabet .
Some companies have $illy @ss rules that make it impossible to make a memorable password.
I use a password manager (LastPass – I use the free version). Some browsers will remember your password – on that specific machine or until you clear the cache. LastPass can be used across devices. Now the master password I have for it is 21 characters long which is NOT a record breaker for the length of passwords that I have used.
A recent password I’ve used (now retired, so I can “blow its cover” is Aileen_09-07-21. Which is my mother’s real name and her date of birth. I’ve also used automobile model. make and year + old license plate number or old house address, telephone number + zip code.
I also have a spreadsheet with 5 pages of passwords. I also include the answers to the security questions (to which I often lie).
Another sheet contains license keys for various software packages that I still own (I now “rent” some of my software) and the unlock keys for my account with the three major credit agencies.
When I want to CHANGE a password I’m invariably asked to enter the CURRENT password first. Some websites will send a new password to the registered email address. I’m about to get divorced from my years-long password manager. I really HATE my software morphing into a subscription when frequent paid upgrades apparently weren’t lucrative enough.
LookingGlass Premium Member over 3 years ago
The only problem is – in order to reset your password, you have to input the original, first!!
:-(
The Reader Premium Member over 3 years ago
But not to a past word.
sandpiper over 3 years ago
Where’s your handwritten password file, Bub? You know, that little notebook you planned on using to keep up with changes. Very few people can remember well enough to hold more than a half dozen, if that, and every change makes recall that much harder.
dflak over 3 years ago
This is one of my pet peeves. A good password should be long, easy to remember and difficult to guess. Note that I didn’t mention anything about it having to have upper and lower case letters, numbers, a limited number of punctuation marks but not some others and letters of the Greek, Hangul and Kanji alphabet .
Some companies have $illy @ss rules that make it impossible to make a memorable password.
I use a password manager (LastPass – I use the free version). Some browsers will remember your password – on that specific machine or until you clear the cache. LastPass can be used across devices. Now the master password I have for it is 21 characters long which is NOT a record breaker for the length of passwords that I have used.
A recent password I’ve used (now retired, so I can “blow its cover” is Aileen_09-07-21. Which is my mother’s real name and her date of birth. I’ve also used automobile model. make and year + old license plate number or old house address, telephone number + zip code.
I also have a spreadsheet with 5 pages of passwords. I also include the answers to the security questions (to which I often lie).
Another sheet contains license keys for various software packages that I still own (I now “rent” some of my software) and the unlock keys for my account with the three major credit agencies.
walstib Premium Member over 3 years ago
Our HS French teacher used to tell us, “If at first you don’t succeed, persévérer, persévérer, persévérer.”
John Phillips over 3 years ago
The first sign of trouble should have been that to shut it down, you have to press “start.” My ex-wife is more logical than that.
vree66 Premium Member over 3 years ago
Amen
Michael G. over 3 years ago
I use Linux Mint 20.1. I have a button that says “Quit”. Well, it’s not literally a “button”. And it doesn’t say “Quit” aloud.
l3i7l over 3 years ago
Make your new password If0rgotmypa$$word
LeftCoastBoomer Premium Member over 3 years ago
When I want to CHANGE a password I’m invariably asked to enter the CURRENT password first. Some websites will send a new password to the registered email address. I’m about to get divorced from my years-long password manager. I really HATE my software morphing into a subscription when frequent paid upgrades apparently weren’t lucrative enough.