localStorage

[undyingking]

Interesting article on Smashing Magazine about localStorage. In summary, it's a JavaScript object that provides an improved alternative to cookies, for storing data on the user's computer. Looks extremely usable and powerful, but also there has to be a certain yikes! factor I think, about the way it can be used to get round users' cookie-storage privacy preferences.

It's not universally supported, but one of the comments says "this is supported by Firefox 3.5 up, IE8 up, Safari 4, and Chrome 4 up" – which would cover almost all of our users.

Another comment points out that you can do the same thing in Flash. Yes, but probably more users have Flash blocked than have JS blocked?

Comments

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

Did you not see the thing about the evil unkillable cookie?
http://samy.pl/evercookie/

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Not only did I see it, I helpfully linked to it in my post above (under "the way it can be used").

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

Oops, didn't spot that.

Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

Personally I would rather write COBOL 60 on punched cards than have to deal with the fetid mess that is web technologies.

Re: Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

One person's fetid mess is another person's (erm…)

I guess it suits young energetic people who can move quickly on from their mistakes.

Re: Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

(I have probably said this before)

I remember a fine quote on some mailing list / forum thing someone said
'I like Ruby on Rails but I'm concerned about its maintainability', to which someone replied 'I've been using it since November and the maintainability's fine' (in about February).

Ah, bless.

Re: Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Heh!

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

Of course I wonder now that having clicked on the Evercookie page I've been automatically infected with one.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

If you have, we all have!

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

probably more users have Flash blocked than have JS blocked?

I have both blocked by default, but it's easy to get me to unblock them, you just have to convince me that there's some worthwhile content to be had.

Evercookie doesn't seem to work for me. I enabled JS but not Flash, and restarting Firefox appears to clear the evercookie, as expected. I set Firefox to clear almost everything on a browser restart, though, including most cookies (some sites excepted), cache and history. So either localStorage is being cleared too, or it just doesn't work properly in the first place.

Flash cookies are the devil, but I assume that deleting them when the browser isn't running will clear evercookies on my setup.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, I'm no Flash whiz but I don't see how they could avoid being cleared if you do that.