Forum software utterly broken! (constantly having to log back in)

[bjornl]

I complained over a month ago about the software being broken. It is still broken. It is worse than ever. I am uncertain but I believe I have had to log back in 14 times today and it is barely noon. At one point I was prompted to log back in 4 times in the span of less than 4 minutes. The main page offers to let me login, but there is a near 100% chance I will be prompted to log in again if I go to a forum. This is ridiculous.


Additionally there is no consistency between which site I am being tossed on to. I start out on tomshardware.com I click on a link and it goes to tomshardware.com or tomshardware.co.uk or sometimes some other random site in the toms hardware group. I have clicked on a link on tomshardware.com re-directed to a tomshardware.com forum-thread. Answered a question. Later I am notified I got a response. And I end up on a completely different site when I follow that response.
To make this even more obvious and more annoying. These sites all have different styles and formatting. For example the tomshardware.com & tomshardware.co.uk look completely different. And everytime you get tossed randomly from one site to another you will once again be prompted to log in.

Passing a credential is not hard. Tracking what site I was on and reasonably expect to remain on is not hard. This is not complex programming. It is just shoddy work. And that it continues month after month is hard to understand.

 

[Saga Lout]

In your alert to the Moderators, you asked for contact details of the management team and here is the e-mail address:- communities@tomshardware.com.

That will put you on the desks of Johnny_5 and Viddyvane who will take it up with the Community Director, Joe Pishgar.

I'm certain we all share your frustration but be assured work is going on in the background to put all this into the past.

 

[bjornl]

Thank you.

 

[bjornl]

Uff...


Message not delivered
Your message couldn't be delivered to communities@tomshardware.com because the remote server is misconfigured. See technical details below for more information.

 

[Saga Lout]

Probably my bad; sorry. I'll trawl through the posts and find the proper address.

Unfortunately, it's a weekend but some of the paid management staff will be available. They operate around US Eastern Time so replies may not be immediate.

 

[randomizer]

The correct email is community@tomshardware.com.

 

[Saga Lout]

One is much obliged.

 

[The Paladin]

I wonder what web browser you using, because I am using MS Edge and aside having to re-log every morning , I have seen no issues. now if I try to use Internet Explorer 11, I see some of what you described.

 

[aquielisunari]

I complained over a month ago about the software being broken. It is still broken. It is worse than ever. I am uncertain but I believe I have had to log back in 14 times today and it is barely noon. At one point I was prompted to log back in 4 times in the span of less than 4 minutes. The main page offers to let me login, but there is a near 100% chance I will be prompted to log in again if I go to a forum. This is ridiculous.


Additionally there is no consistency between which site I am being tossed on to. I start out on tomshardware.com I click on a link and it goes to tomshardware.com or tomshardware.co.uk or sometimes some other random site in the toms hardware group. I have clicked on a link on tomshardware.com re-directed to a tomshardware.com forum-thread. Answered a question. Later I am notified I got a response. And I end up on a completely different site when I follow that response.
To make this even more obvious and more annoying. These sites all have different styles and formatting. For example the tomshardware.com & tomshardware.co.uk look completely different. And everytime you get tossed randomly from one site to another you will once again be prompted to log in.

Passing a credential is not hard. Tracking what site I was on and reasonably expect to remain on is not hard. This is not complex programming. It is just shoddy work. And that it continues month after month is hard to understand.

I had this issue initially when Tom's changed the log-in page and the front page. Aside from having issues over the week following the upgrade the issue isn't there anymore. Sounds like a regional issue or one that is possibly browser based to this uninformed layman.

Chrome, Win 10

 

[Saga Lout]

I have to log in between two pages almost every time. In Windows I was using Firefox 56.0.2 and changed up to 57 with no improvement. My Linux browser is Iceweasel 14 and that's no different.

It's a pain in the rear end and the Development Team is working on the problem but it's clearly more complicated than first thought.

 

[bjornl]

I am using Windows 10 and Chrome. I live in the NW USA. I have the exact same behavior on a completely different PC at another location. I have tried IE and Edge without improvement.

 

[bjornl]

The correct email is community@tomshardware.com.

Thank you.

 

[Graybush]

Hi there bjornl,

We're very aware of the issues that have been going on in the forum software since the new sign-on migration and the homepage update. The developers are keenly aware and are constantly reminded of our awareness to these issues. HTTPS certification is also on the docket for developers, and we will be making announcements on the forums once we have approval to do so.

If you have any screenshots, details, and complaints regarding the forum software I am more than happy to take them and report them. Please be sure to email us at: community@tomshardware.com

Thank you!
Caitlin
Assistant Community Manager

 

[McHenryB]

Came back after a month off to see if things had got any better.

Unfortunately not.

I'll try again in the new year.

 

[Saga Lout]

If you clear your browser caché and you might find it is a lot better than a week ago. The Devs have eased many of the login problems although it's acknowledged there's still a way to go.

I haven't been booted out of the Forum and had to log more than twice this morning and that would have been two dozen a few days ago.

Stick with us, Mac - it will improve even more.

 

[aquielisunari]

If you clear your browser caché and you might find it is a lot better than a week ago. The Devs have eased many of the login problems although it's acknowledged there's still a way to go.

I haven't been booted out of the Forum and had to log more than twice this morning and that would have been two dozen a few days ago.

Stick with us, Mac - it will improve even more.

I do have to refresh my page 100% of the time after logging in. If I don't the Notifications of new answers and private messages with just sit there with those spinning circles and the New Updates box won't ever refresh/post anything. Getting booted has been pretty much eliminated for me. Better? Absolutely. Fixed? Eventually.

I regularly run Ccleaner and Disk Cleanup.

 

[mjslakeridge]

I have also noticed this behavior in the last month or so. In the past I could stay logged into Tom's for months at a time (I normally hibernate my computer at night, rather than shut down). But recently, I have had to log back in a couple of times each day, sometimes more. I use the "see all threads" page on Tom's. I am using Chrome on Windows 8.1 Pro. Southeast Texas is my location. I have cleared the browser's cache just now, so let's see if that helps the matter.

 

[Saga Lout]

To me, it felt like being half logged in and half out but it really is better today.

All the Moderators have been reporting back to the paid staff with comments and your experiences are anonymously passed on as well. It's all useful to the team working on the problem.

 

[mjslakeridge]

I agree with it feeling that I am half logged in. When it happens, a screen pops up asking me to log in, and it already has my user ID and it asks if it is me. I click on my ID and get logged back in without having to enter my password.

 

[Saga Lout]

Absolutely right. It wants me to log in and when I click the page it tells me I last logged in using "my e-mail address". I click that and I'm back in but the stupid thing is, I've only ever logged in using my username and password.

 

[mjslakeridge]

I will have to check the next time it happens. I think it may be my email address, not my username that pops up, but they are similar, and I didn't look that close before clicking on it to log in.

 

[bjornl]

In the past few days it does seem as if it has gotten better.

 

[Saga Lout]

It certainly has. I've been in and out for five hours and have yet to be bounced out.

 

[randomizer]

I've made it past the 24 hour mark on all devices. That's a first.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Well, I just got logged out again. The screen that showed up when I hit Sign In did have my email account name, not my Tom's User Name. I didn't have to enter my password, just clicked on my email account name.