Forum update this week - SSL - 2020

[Janet H]

This week you will see a small change in the address bar of your browser as we move to an all SSL platform. (more reading here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS)

For a long while now the forum login pages (where password info is passed) have been secure (httpS) but as noted by many, the rest of the site was not. We had delayed updating the entire site because there are thousands of links in posts to offsite images that are not https and those images might break (not display in posts). As those links recede in the rear-view mirror with the passage of time, we're hoping this will not be a major problem for forum readers. Look for the little lock icon in your browser address bar this week.

If you are an app user and run into trouble after the update, you may need to remove and reinstall the app.

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Janet H

This week you will see a small change in the address bar of your browser as we move to an all SSL platform. (more reading here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS)

For a long while now the forum login pages (where password info is passed) have been secure (httpS) but as noted by many, the rest of the site was not. We had delayed updating the entire site because there are thousands of links in posts to offsite images that are not https and those images might break (not display in posts). As those links recede in the rear-view mirror with the passage of time, we're hoping this will not be a major problem for forum readers. Look for the little lock icon in your browser address bar this week.

If you are an app user and run into trouble after the update, you may need to remove and reinstall the app.

Is it possible to 1) fix the broken links in older posts and 2) create an exemption for the minority of offsite links for which there is still no support for httpS?

In the second case, links to certain websites will break if one "fixes" the http into httpS before posting the link. Posting the simple http link is also impossible, because in those cases, the forum will automatically add "IWASNOTSSL" to the URL, which breaks the link.

Right now, there is simply no way of posting such links without breaking them.

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by Janet H

. Look for the little lock icon in your browser address bar this week.

Please explain what this is.

Most sites that do an update lose me so if I am unable to get back please note - I have enjoyed my time here but I don't go chasing a site after an update if I am locked out. I am not computer savvy enough for that.

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

Most sites that do an update lose me so if I am unable to get back please note - I have enjoyed my time here but I don't go chasing a site after an update if I am locked out. I am not computer savvy enough for that.

That is a good point, Iluvbertie. Similarly, I remember that one member discovered that a security update made it nearly impossible to login and post from certain countries. I wonder how many former posters have been locked out altogether.

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

That is a good point, Iluvbertie. Similarly, I remember that one member discovered that a security update made it nearly impossible to login and post from certain countries. I wonder how many former posters have been locked out altogether.

That might have been me. At some point I had to proof I was not a robot 3-4 times before I could post anything which was quite a hassle. So, let's hope this new update is more user-friendly.

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

Please explain what this is.

Most sites that do an update lose me so if I am unable to get back please note - I have enjoyed my time here but I don't go chasing a site after an update if I am locked out. I am not computer savvy enough for that.

It's an icon that is placed in front of the website address in the address bar when the website starts with 'https://'

See this image for an example.

Currently, it shows up for TRF as well in my browser. So, it seems it is working.

[Tatiana Maria]

Just to be clear, the first post in this thread (and therefore the update) dates from 2020. I posted to ask about an ongoing issue with the impossibility of posting links to certain websites as a consequence of that update.

[Somebody]

Thanks for the clarification :) I had missed the date of the original announcement.

[Blog Real]

I come to suggest to TRF that it provide a way to edit older posts, as they currently only allow editing posts for 24 hours.
I think this would be important.

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by Somebody

It's an icon that is placed in front of the website address in the address bar when the website starts with 'https://'

See this image for an example.

Currently, it shows up for TRF as well in my browser. So, it seems it is working.

Thank you for the explanation

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by Blog Real

I come to suggest to TRF that it provide a way to edit older posts, as they currently only allow editing posts for 24 hours.
I think this would be important.

They used to allow that but changed it for some reason to only 24 hours. Some sites allow it for only about 15 minutes so at least 24 hours is good.

I would also like them to return the 'delete' button.

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

Is it possible to 1) fix the broken links in older posts and 2) create an exemption for the minority of offsite links for which there is still no support for httpS?

In the second case, links to certain websites will break if one "fixes" the http into httpS before posting the link. Posting the simple http link is also impossible, because in those cases, the forum will automatically add "IWASNOTSSL" to the URL, which breaks the link.

Right now, there is simply no way of posting such links without breaking them.

I'm sorry but it is not possible to retroactively address this on our end. Most of the http links lead to dead pages. Adding "s" to the url doesn't repair them. The builders of those websites needed to redirect old link to new pages and some have not.

[Tatiana Maria]

Thank you for the reply, Janet H. I am sorry if my post was unclear: I am referring to cases where the URL is still current (not old) and the page itself is working (not dead), but the TRF forum automatically changes "http://www" in a post to "http://IWASNOTSSL-www", which naturally causes the link to stop working. Is it possible to change the forum settings to remove the "IWASNOTSSL-" which has been added to posts by the forum software?

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

Thank you for the reply, Janet H. I am sorry if my post was unclear: I am referring to cases where the URL is still current (not old) and the page itself is working (not dead), but the TRF forum automatically changes "http://www" in a post to "http://IWASNOTSSL-www", which naturally causes the link to stop working. Is it possible to change the forum settings to remove the "IWASNOTSSL-" which has been added to posts by the forum software?

I'm sorry, this will not be possible as that change will break other aspects of the forum and delist TRF in google search results (which will make the forum harder to find for those searching).

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Janet H

I'm sorry, this will not be possible as that change will break other aspects of the forum and delist TRF in google search results (which will make the forum harder to find for those searching).

That's unfortunate. Thank you for the response and explanation.