No more login with display name?

[Hackerman]

I was previously able to log in with my "display name" and password. But now all of a sudden, when I try to log in, I see this: "Please enter an email address." I can still log in, but I have to use e-mail address and password. Is there any particular reason for this change? Are our e-mail addresses in fact stored as usernames in the database? I see there's a topic for requesting a username change for manual handling and approval.

A "display name" change should technically not require manual handling, and be editable at will, within profile settings or account settings. I think you will find this kind of setup on sites like Disqus and many other sites that have a "display name". I believe all Discourse based forums have this, and they may have even coined the term "display name". Are our display names on MSFN in fact our usernames? Usernames are required to be unique. That's not a requirement for what other sites refer to as display names.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

26 minutes ago, Hackerman said:

Is there any particular reason for this change?

There was no announcement, per se.  It just kind of happened and we all kind of had do find out for ourselves.

There was a one-liner in a miscellanoue topic, forget which one, that our "spam issue has been fixed" and that's basically when login changed from display name to email address.

I've seen spam since this "fix", but not nearly as many as we were being hit with.

[Klemper]

13 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

There was no announcement, per se.  It just kind of happened and we all kind of had do find out for ourselves.

There was a one-liner in a miscellanoue topic, forget which one, that our "spam issue has been fixed" and that's basically when login changed from display name to email address.

I've seen spam since this "fix", but not nearly as many as we were being hit with.

Wait, you're asked for e-mail each time you log-in, or just once? If so, could be the bad IP. Did you try to reset the router to get a new IP? For those without routers, just release and get a new IP.

Could be tough for those with a static IP.

[mina7601]

19 minutes ago, Klemper said:

Wait, you're asked for e-mail each time you log-in, or just once?

It's every time you log in, not just once.

[mina7601]

3 hours ago, Hackerman said:

Are our display names on MSFN in fact our usernames?

Yes, previously, before MSFN required your email address to log in, you had to log in with your current display name. And if your display name gets changed by a supervisor from your request, you had to log in with your new display name, and not with the name you registered with at MSFN.

[Hackerman]

Where do I find miscellaneous topics? Isn't that in General Discussion?

It's not a big deal. Assuming of course you know how to update your records in your password manager. I just find that interesting. Usually, like 95% of all websites with login will use your e-mail address as the username. But then you have discussion boards or web forums (I prefer this term) where you have a username, and a display name, and with some weird website you may even have a nickname.

I have been foruming for a long time, and it's only in more recent years that I have come across the term "displaly name". The idea here is to allow a user to easily change the most prominently displayed name in discussions and on the profile page. Without having to beg, or ask, or request it from administrators. I know the pains and implications of username changes. Depending on the software, some are more workable than others. But usually, if it can't be done easily, or if it means breaking changes, you're left with creating a new account with a new username, and then if possible, merge the two accounts by moving the old topics and comments from the old username to the new one. Typically, this is too much work, so it's never done or it's done but very unwillingly. So this is the gap that the idea behind a "display name" fills. Also, you can have two different usernames with the same display name, without any conflict. Other than possibly impersonation, but that requires a little more than just two users having the same display name.

As for username, this is typically your e-mail address. But some forum software can allow both a username and a display name to be used for login. Usernames have to be unique, but display names don't. This is part of the reason why e-mail addresses are typically used as usernames. The second part being the ability to reset a password and receive a recovery link by e-mail. However, this is also a risk, if someone gains access to your e-mail account. That's also something to consider, for users and for system designers.

In case of MSFN, you have to have a unique "display name". This automatically disqualifies it as such. It's not a display name. It's a username. I'm not sure how changing the login to e-mail address will stop the spam any more than using a "display name" (username in fact). Thankfully we have HTTPS now, otherwise, every login or login attempt you make could be intercepted and your e-mail address revealed and sold to spammers on the black market. That would mean more spam for you personally, maybe not so much for the forum itself.

This forum is using Invision Power Board for software, is it not?

As for "nickname", the only places I have come across that will require or hand out all three types of identifiers (username, display name, and nickname) are sites that for various reasons use more than one piece of software. They could be having comments on blog sections or chats that use nicknames (WordPress I think), and then the remaining two (username and display name) on the site's forum.

Edited August 28, 2024 by Hackerman

[Hackerman]

1 hour ago, Klemper said:

Wait, you're asked for e-mail each time you log-in, or just once? If so, could be the bad IP. Did you try to reset the router to get a new IP? For those without routers, just release and get a new IP.

Could be tough for those with a static IP.

No, it's not related to login verification where you would receive an e-mail with a link to click on in order to verify it's you. Nothing like that at all. It's about the username and password fields when you're logged out and you want to log back in. You could previously either type in your e-mail address or your display name as the username. While now you can only type in your e-mail address as your username, but not the other. That's the change that was made.

I do have a static IP, or public IP rather, and I use a router. I have several of both actually. It's not so difficult to change my public (and static) IP address, but I would have to give my ISP a call. Not as easy as release and renew, but it's workable. I have some public services running from my home. I always figured why only use one half of the Internet service I pay for, for accessing external resources, when I can do the opposite and serve up resources for others to use, including myself. But running servers and services from your home is becoming less common these days. Most people don't know how to do that. But even the techies shy away due to the risks involved by exposing your network to the Internet. But Internet would not be Internet without at least two interconnected networks. The Internet landscape has changed for the worse over the years though, with dark forces lurking around every node. So I do understand people who are perfectly happy with putting their Internet connection devices behind a CGNAT and then host their services with a professional server/VPS provider. (I do that too.)

Edited August 28, 2024 by Hackerman

[NotHereToPlayGames]

1 hour ago, Klemper said:

Wait, you're asked for e-mail each time you log-in, or just once?

He's talking about this (below pic) INPUT BOX.

Mine will look different than yours because I heavily customize via a userstyle sheet here at MSFN.

But "however" you log in, there will be TWO input boxes - one for EMAIL ADDRESS and the other for PASSWORD.

It didn't used to be EMAIL ADDRESS for the first of two input boxes, IT USED TO BE USERNAME - and there was no "forum announcement" for this change, it just "happened one day".

 

[D.Draker]

I don't even have to login anymore, they just let me in. Everyone knows D.Draker.

[Tripredacus]

The forum has a function called Display Name History. I don't know if it is enabled here or potentially it is not used based on how we change names.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

16 hours ago, D.Draker said:

Everyone knows D.Draker.

There is two ways to look at that.
   1)  You're famous.
   2)  You're infamous.

[Dixel]

14 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

There is two ways to look at that.
   1)  You're famous.
   2)  You're infamous.

3) Very famous

4) Simply forgot to clear old cookies.

5) MSFN implemented fingerprinting recognising the device. I saw that on some sites, it's not a joke.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

17 minutes ago, Dixel said:

I saw that on some sites, it's not a joke.

I need *PROOF*, please.  This just sounds way too far-fetched to be real.  Fingerprinting is not as EXACT as that.  Or banking sites would be doing it!

[Tripredacus]

23 minutes ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I need *PROOF*, please.  This just sounds way too far-fetched to be real.  Fingerprinting is not as EXACT as that.  Or banking sites would be doing it!

IPS implementation of it makes it not really useful. It also is not very good since it will list the same device as multiple. I'm sure banks do something similar and so do things like payroll and insurance companies. And for those examples, it is usually tied in with MFA and is more annoying because I'm fairly certain those sites are also seeing 1 device as multiple, and then trigger MFA or confirmation steps. IPS doesn't do anything like that, at least by default. IMO until however these sites come up with this information resolves this duplication issue, they shouldn't be forcing additional steps like they do now.

[Dixel]

12 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I need *PROOF*, please.  This just sounds way too far-fetched to be real.

When I check my account "security settings", it lists all devices and locations I ever logged in from, just check yours.

Edit.

All tracking data is being gathered and stored.

Edited August 29, 2024 by Dixel