URGENT - Cakewalk Subscription Management + Forums need upgrading

Boing....

I have confirmed this to be true. 
 
No wonder I don't get any emails for stuff.
 
...and Rob! Why hasn't your cat figured out a big hammer solves everything.
Works for me anyway.
 
 
.

The cube he is working on used to be a squirrel - he just molded it into the cube shape.

Bob Bone

NICE! :)

Honestly, I am fine with the forums version, outdated or not. I mean it is just a forum. I would rather the Bakers stay busy tuning and improving Sonar.

> I wonder if you submitted a Feature Request for upgrading the forum.

More like a bug request. Yes I did about 18 months ago.

> Honestly, I am fine with the forums version, outdated or not.

Fair enough, let's see how happy you will be when somebody performs a cross site scripting attack. Best wait until then eh?

I just KNEW there was some more rant left in you.

Could someone do that - for sure.

Is it likely - dunno - don't think so.

Shouldn't you be off in a bunker somewhere, waiting for Dec 21?

Kidding kidding kidding

In all likelihood, the forum will not rise above 'get to it later, if at all' in the grand scheme of what gets fixed.

It is, what it is.

That does not take away any validity to your points - it is just not likely to change.

Bob Bone

I DO agree with you that are some definite needs for ramping up the forum, and it is most definitely a CRITICAL avenue for the user community, and therefore the company, for self-help, thereby easing the load on the tech support staff.

Think about how many more of us there are, and how many posts are resolved by having such a large pool of folks to draw from to either resolve through someone else having been through the same thing - here try this - seems to happen a LOT.

So, yeah, the fact that searching the forum is better done through GOOGLE than by the search functionality within the forum is something that I agree sould get some attention.

It's all a compromise - folks taken from one place mean a loss of productivity there while they are borrowed - but if it not done then what is the lost productivity from the folks who needed the other folks to get temporarily reassigned.

And so on, and always will be, and will always cost some folks something in the process.  Weighing that cost is the key.

Bob Bone

If you need to understand what the security issues are with ASPPlayground.NET 3.5 suggest contacting them.

Here is a WIKI article as well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-site_scripting

That's what I'm saying Alex. Sure they COULD do it but why? To access my PMs? Not much going on in there. Just a couple of chats and if it's going to delve into anything important I take the convo off site. My name/personal info? I don't provide that to web forums or pretty much anywhere on the net. Credit card info? I don't even think there is a place where you would do that here. In the Cake store sure but that seems to be a completely different site/server with proper security and even then if I wanted actually buy something from the Cake store I'd use Paypal.

Don't get me wrong I am ultra paranoid about that kind of stuff but I just don't think this site is a worthwhile target and even if someone DID bother I doubt they'd get much. As always the general rules of safe intarwebbing apply. Don't provide personal info. Don't say or divulge anything you don't want the whole world to know. Use quality, updated AV software and don't click willy nilly on every link you see.

There are no guarantees of 100% safety in this world but you can reduce risk. However you have to make a choice. How much are you willing to miss out on in life for the sake of safety. This forum is worthwhile and IMO is likely a low risk activity therefore I will continue to use it.

That said yes they do indeed need to start from scratch. I was told that the problem would be moving all the archived data to a new server. People do this all the time so I'm not sure why it's such a big deal but if they don't want to do that I'd suggest a workaround. Set up the new site and close the old site for comments but leave it online. Then if people want to carry on an old discussion they can point to the original thread so everyone can get caught up and continue the discussion on the new site. Not ideal but this site will eventually become completely defunct as technology moves forward.

Just a thought... well a lot of thoughts... but hey, I'm a ramblin' man. ;-) 

I've had that tune stuck in my head since I typed that. lol

This could go on forever

This thread was born in back seat of a Greyhound Bus, rolling down highway 41, 

I think someone could eventually log on to my toaster and hijack my refrigerator, but that won't expose my oven!

Bob Bone

Wrong analogy

If somebody broke into your home, your oven, toaster and refrigerator are exposed. Cross site scripting can access a database server through a web application (i.e. forums software) which can in turn COULD access other data (depending on how it is set up).  This is a back door route. Either way they could get peoples passwords which could be used elsewhere, and you just don't let that happen because database servers have their own security vunerabilities anyway, so you make sure they get nowhere near access the database's tables.

THAT IS SERIOUS.

Said all I need to say but no doubt I'll be bouncing the thread every now and then until somebody from Cake finally takes notice.

If someone can figure out how to come through my toaster into my bank account I will shake their hand in amazement.

Look I have 38 years in IT, I get it - always have.

Your point valid - a couple of us indicated that.

1)  The control of the forum is not something any of us control.  You have passed on your concerns to Cakewalk
2)  I do not happen to agree with you whatsoever on the likelihood of this particular forum containing anything of any particular value to anyone outside of this forum.
3)  If one or many people posting in a public forum are using the same user names and passwords here that they use to access their sensitive and/or financial data from other sites, then they are pretty much deserving to reap the consequences of that ignorance in this day and age.  That would be essentially like someone having an ultra-secure system with their password written on a post-it note stuck to their monitor, or someone leaving a note taped on the door telling the neighborhood teenager where they left the keys to the house while they are gone on vacation, so they can water the petunias.
4)  Get over it or don't - I'm still tapping my foot while humming Ramblin Man, the forum is what it is, and people are who they are.
5)  I bet you my blender that you can't get through my toaster and into my oven, even if you DO hijack my refrigerator!

Bob Bone

I TRICKED you - I don't HAVE a toaster.  Everything went in the divorce.  :)

Bob Bone