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Supporting families downloading bad software is in itself a job. Im always torn if i should get them a password manager or just stick with the handwritten note

Supporting families downloading bad software is in itself a job. Im always torn if i should get them a password manager or just stick with the handwritten notebook. I feel like the book approach is safest

sircastor 3y ago
Password manager. Please, do it. It is a substantially better solution than a notebook. - It's always up to date - Previous values are kept (but hidden) - It encourages stronger passwords - Its automation makes it harder for people to put passwords into the wrong/phishing sites. - You can share passwords across a group - Remote administration - Distributed possession: You have them on your phone out and about, you have them at your desk. Really, a password manager is a really great tool. I don't know your family but I strongly recommend using and supporting one.
- docmars 3y ago
  Unfortunately for many senior folks, using them is just too complicated. I've badgered my parents into using theirs, which is already setup, and it confuses them every time, so they prefer to memorize or write their passwords on a sheet of paper they never lose in their apartment. It's just easier than fiddling with a buggy mess of auto-fill prompts that only work half the time, and when they do show up, they fail to fill in the password, so then you have to open the app, hunt down the entry, copy it to the clipboard, and go back to the app or site you were signing into. Multi-tasking on phones is already very difficult for my parents, and they're well aware of it being a feature. Eventually all of these frustrations add up, and the path of least resistance is writing passwords down, as much as it kills me.
Sander_Marechal 3y ago
It depends on how tech-savvy they are. My dad used a password manager. My mom and grandparents keep a handwritten notebook. Just bookmark https://www.random.org/passwords/?num=1&len=12&format=plain&rnd=new https://www.random.org/passwords/?num=1&len=12&format=plain&... for them to generate a password.

sircastor 3y ago

Password manager. Please, do it. It is a substantially better solution than a notebook. - It's always up to date - Previous values are kept (but hidden) - It encourages stronger passwords - Its automation makes it harder for people to put passwords into the wrong/phishing sites. - You can share passwords across a group - Remote administration - Distributed possession: You have them on your phone out and about, you have them at your desk. Really, a password manager is a really great tool. I don't know your family but I strongly recommend using and supporting one.

docmars 3y ago
Unfortunately for many senior folks, using them is just too complicated. I've badgered my parents into using theirs, which is already setup, and it confuses them every time, so they prefer to memorize or write their passwords on a sheet of paper they never lose in their apartment. It's just easier than fiddling with a buggy mess of auto-fill prompts that only work half the time, and when they do show up, they fail to fill in the password, so then you have to open the app, hunt down the entry, copy it to the clipboard, and go back to the app or site you were signing into. Multi-tasking on phones is already very difficult for my parents, and they're well aware of it being a feature. Eventually all of these frustrations add up, and the path of least resistance is writing passwords down, as much as it kills me.

Sander_Marechal 3y ago

It depends on how tech-savvy they are. My dad used a password manager. My mom and grandparents keep a handwritten notebook. Just bookmark https://www.random.org/passwords/?num=1&len=12&format=plain&rnd=new https://www.random.org/passwords/?num=1&len=12&format=plain&... for them to generate a password.