virtualbox.org

When I get an email notification about a reply to a topic, clicking the link in the email leads to a webpage asking for a login. After logging in, I never end up at the page at issue in the e-mail. I see this irrespective of which of two browsers I use and on both Linux and Windows. So far as I am able to tell, I am allowing cookies - at least temporarily - and yet still this irritation persists. Please advise.

I don't have that issue. On the other hand, I use Firefox for my "important" browsing and Safari as my default browser (for a variety of reasons). Copying the link and opening a new tab in Firefox pasting the link, works as intended.

If you are logged in, and your cookies are set as they should, it should work right out of the box... Check your browser.

Thanks, Socratis - but using either Firefox or Iridium (a modification of Chrome), and, as I say, on Linux or Windows, I have the problem. Need I enable persistent cookies?

Persistent cookies? As in to "not delete them when you exit your browser"? Maybe, some of them...

Here's my Firefox setup:

• Cookies are deleted upon exit.
• Windows are restored upon restart.
• Tabs are set to load only when they have the focus.
• I always have about 4-6 windows and about 50-100 tabs.
• The tabs in front of each window, seems to remember their cookies, which is what I want, I don't care about the rest.

When I restart Firefox, I need to re-login. So, new window, https://www.virtualbox.org -> login, https://forums.virtualbox.org -> press the login, it automatically logs you in. Done! The rest of the tabs/windows have the login information at hand.

After that, I'm "permanently" logged in both in the forums and in the main site, until I close Firefox...

Dear socratis

I take it that crucial thing in your setup is: you've logged into Oracle before you try to visit any link provided by an e-mail. Most people will not do that. People should not have to do that. Please find out why I - and quite possibly others - have to do that. I do not have the problem with other websites. It makes the bug reporting process that much harder.

EDIT: for now, I'll pin the Oracle forum tab, and set my cookie manager to 'whitelist' forum cookies. Hopefully that will help. Yet, to repeat: I should not have to do that.

Could very well be the case... And? Do you know what it takes to change the Oracle Single Sign-On (OSSO)?

As they say in my village "A act of God". And we 12 of them (used to at least). You need a majority in the Council of Olympus, not an easy feat...

I suggest that you get in the habit of changing your workflow; first make sure you're logged on, then click on the link. Done. Otherwise waiting for a change (that's not going to happen in any event) is futile...

Well, OK, and thanks for the advice, but this really doesn't endear me to the forum. And I joined the forum only to try to help get a version of VirtualBox that actually works properly (!). Also, to repeat (and add something): nearly every other forum can manage this; most forum users are not being paid for their time; this is a considerable irritation. Please pass on these sentiments to your Guardians of the Portal - who are in fact mortals who are meant to be creating something that serves humankind.

WhatHaveYou wrote:Please pass on these sentiments to your Guardians of the Portal

Not sure what you know (or think you know), but they're not "my" Guardians of the Portal. I'm a user just like you, "not being paid for my time". And I'm not passing anything back or forth...

Socratis: oh dear. I thought you worked for Oracle. After all, you are the main person - actually, the only person? - replying to posts of this beta forum. How very depressing. I am grateful for your help, but if the beta feedback is not read by Oracle, what on earth is the point?

WhatHaveYou wrote:I thought you worked for Oracle.

The Oracle people have an "Oracle" under their name/badge on the right side of the post. I'm just a moderator in the forums. And a VirtualBox enthusiast.

WhatHaveYou wrote:you are the main person - actually, the only person? - replying to posts of this beta forum.

I've been working mainly with the Test builds or the Development snapshots (almost on a permanent base), following the timeline and building my own VirtualBox from source, so I'm quite familiar with what you're seeing in the beta...

WhatHaveYou wrote:but if the beta feedback is not read by Oracle, what on earth is the point?

Oh, it's read, believe me... Maybe not much ACKed as it should, yes, I'm with you on this one. But on the other hand, I'd rather see them working on fixing/improving VirtualBox than dealing with the forums.

But to answer both points with one "stone", here are a couple of posts from the beta, where VirtualBox developers were involved, so you can see their badges:

• viewtopic.php?f=15&t=89955#p431794
• viewtopic.php?f=15&t=89956#p431797
• viewtopic.php?f=15&t=90042#p432232
• viewtopic.php?f=15&t=90019#p432239

Ah, OK. I am reassured. Thank you for that comprehensive answer. I was just about to try to enter a complaint (but I will not do so now). Still, one might wonder a little whether your own good work falls under that tricky category of exploitation.

Do you have a support contract with Oracle? Because a non customer entering a support complaint is going to get pretty short shrift.

WhatHaveYou wrote:one might wonder a little whether your own good work falls under that tricky category of exploitation

You must haven't heard of open-source, Red/Crescent cross, volunteers and others, that actually help people pro bono. I'm not helping Oracle directly, I'm helping other VirtualBox users, just like yourself. Oracle doesn't make money out of my contributions, VirtualBox is a free (beer and spirit) project. That's why it's called a "community"...

This issue was fixed on 1st April 2021 (no joke).