Author Topic: roboform2go or sticky password? (Read 70322 times)

sri · « **Reply #25 on:** November 06, 2007, 11:05 AM »

In the case of password managers there really is no debate. RoboForm is the best.

mwfuss · « **Reply #26 on:** November 06, 2007, 12:39 PM »

I used StickyPassword for quite a while and I was very satisfied with it until it began to interfere with some other programs in very strange ways (would not allow certain other programs to open secondary windows). I am now trying out KeePass.

johnfdeluca · « **Reply #27 on:** November 13, 2007, 10:20 PM »

I've used RoboForm (RF) for years....it is the first thing i install on any new laptop. Well worth the price. The key features I use RF are:

Password Manager: Pretty obvious here. The key drawback to this is that it only works with websites so other apps I use can't have their PW autofilled by RF.
Bookmarks: Rather than using the Bookmarks in IE or Firefox, I use the feature in RF. Since I always have RF, I always have my bookmarks.
Search box: This is perhaps the most useful hidden feature about RF. When saving a website as a bookmark, I can add text into the name and use the seach feature to quickly access a bookmark (and yes it has typeahead feature). This is how I access nearly all my bookmarks. I have "keywords" that I use to access each. If I want to access my American Express, I type amex in the search box and RF opens the website, plugs in my id and password and I am looking at my statement. I don't limit this use to just websites with passwords, but any website....it's only a shortcut away. I know some browsers have this feature but again, no matter which browser I use (and I use a few), all my bookmarks are there...no synching. The search box also has a lot of customizations so it can auto enter whatever I type into a website (such as google searches or pricegrabber searches or amazon searches, etc.). Like I said, this is where I spend 99% of my use in RF.
Safe: I use this to store software keys, etc.

There is more but I think these are the best things about RF. It's one of those apps which never has once crashed, is worth the money, and has a good development cycle of updates. Sticky password may be as good or better....not sure haven't tried it but it has some big shoes to fill if it will replace RF on my machine.

Edit: I have no affiliation with RoboForm other than an end user.

J-Mac · « **Reply #28 on:** November 13, 2007, 11:41 PM »

I'm planning to buy something to carry all my passwords with me (and save me time if I lose my laptop or have to reinstall OS). I heard that FF has a flaw that may let crackers retrieve your stored passwords. I also see people heare swearing by roboform (as a former opera-only guy, I didn't really test it).

There is a portable version of Roboform:
http://www.roboform.com/pass2go.html

Now I found:
http://www.stickypassword.com/

Has anyone compared those? Is the portable roboform less feature-rich than the standard version?
Thanks
-urlwolf (March 04, 2007, 12:04 PM)

I have kicenses for Roboform Pro (2), Roboform2Go, and the PPC version. I have never tried Sticky Password, though.

Roboform and Roboform2Go are identical in every way, except of course you can take the 2Go version with you and use it on any PC you need it. Actually I am using the 2Go version on my desktop PC and it stays plugged in always. Might seem stupid, but I initially purchased it because I traveled a good deal when I was working, before I became disabled. Now I am pretty much housebound so rather than waste it I just keep it plugged into my main PC, and on the rare occasions that I do travel I take it with me. Why use it on a stationary machine? Because as I add more and more web sites to its database, if I were using the regular version, I would have to stop and copy the database over onto the USB key before leaving. On 2 occasions I forgot and was missing a number of passwords I needed!

I tried Keepass on two occasions, and all that I could find it was good for - in my world - was storing passwords for non-Internet-related programs/files/databases, etc. on my PC. As for using it to auto-fill logins on the web, it was not nearly as easy to use as Roboform. Roboform also keeps encrypted notes, as well as Identities. You can fill a form requiring name, address, phone numbers, financial info, etc. with one click - or automatically. But I recommend keeping a click necessary to fill rather than completely automatic - you may end up accidently filling and submitting forms on a page where you don't want to do so.

RF also has a warning pop up whenever you fill a form with financial info - credit card numbers, etc. You can turn that off but I like it personally.

Jim

rjbull · « **Reply #29 on:** November 14, 2007, 03:59 AM »

I've used RoboForm (RF) for years....it is the first thing i install on any new laptop. Well worth the price. The key features I use RF are:
Password Manager: Pretty obvious here. The key drawback to this is that it only works with websites so other apps I use can't have their PW autofilled by RF.
-johnfdeluca (November 13, 2007, 10:20 PM)

KeePass is good at that. It has a "cmd://" construct so you can call a program with the same Ctrl-U hotkey you would normally use to launch a browser with the URL.

Bookmarks: Rather than using the Bookmarks in IE or Firefox, I use the feature in RF. Since I always have RF, I always have my bookmarks.

I use the excellent bookmark manager LinkStash. LinkStash keeps secure passwords, so I've put most of the important KeePass ones into it as well. The very new LinkStash 2 doesn't seem to work on my old Win98 laptop, though, at least not yet, so I've gone back to 1.7.3 for now. Not missing anything critical.

Safe: I use this to store software keys, etc.

I sometimes do that with KeePass, but I'm tending now to put them into an encrypted MemPad file. Then I can keep all the relevant information together, copies of e-mails, and successive generations of keys if they change on upgrading, etc.

I didn't like what I heard of RoboForm's business model, with online activation on specific computers (correct me if I'm wrong.) And, I make out Web forms so seldom that it didn't seem worth making the effort to adopt it, especially if the program doesn't have good import/export features, thereby keeping you locked in.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #30 on:** November 14, 2007, 05:11 AM »

Note as standard Roboform2Go is $19.95 if you buy it after buying the pro version of RoboForm. I still haven't bitten the bullet - but I should really!

Like others RoboForm is the major reason I won't consider using Opera - RF is simply brilliant at what it does - I couldn't live without it.

johnfdeluca · « **Reply #31 on:** November 14, 2007, 08:36 AM »

I didn't like what I heard of RoboForm's business model, with online activation on specific computers (correct me if I'm wrong.)
-rjbull (November 14, 2007, 03:59 AM)

Yes, you must activate it over the web with the RoboForm server. I remember being worried about this initially (like what if the company went away)....but I've since forgotton about that. I view that as a necessary evil in order for a software company to protect their intellectual property. OK....maybe not necessary but if I were selling software, I'd likely consider a similar approach so for me, not a showstopper.

Josh · « **Reply #32 on:** November 14, 2007, 08:54 AM »

rjbull: The activation is one time, and takes about 30 seconds. Yes, it does suck that you have to activate, but its a small measure compared to larger corporations which require this, a 25 character key, a hardware hash, a credit card number (last 4), and your email address to activate the product (ala adobe/macromedia).

Roboform and Roboform2go are the best products of their kind and I recommend them whenever I can. I own 4 licenses, two fixed, 1 portable and 1 palm. Great product.

rjbull · « **Reply #33 on:** November 14, 2007, 09:21 AM »

Yes, you must activate it over the web with the RoboForm server. I remember being worried about this initially (like what if the company went away)....but I've since forgotton about that. I view that as a necessary evil in order for a software company to protect their intellectual property.
-johnfdeluca (November 14, 2007, 08:36 AM)

Well, other companies are concerned about their intellectual property, but don't make you jump through so many hoops. If they are going to take that approach, it would be nice if they had some kind of escrow system in case they do go under; not likely in their case, but a good principle. Is there any kind of Web service anywhere that does that?

@Josh: turns out I own two fixed licenses and one portable (DC discount) and never activated any of them

johnfdeluca · « **Reply #34 on:** November 14, 2007, 10:29 AM »

Well, other companies are concerned about their intellectual property, but don't make you jump through so many hoops.
-rjbull (November 14, 2007, 09:21 AM)

Not trying to be argumentative, but I really don't think they make you jump thru so many hoops....just one hoop which is quick, easy and painless.

Josh · « **Reply #35 on:** November 14, 2007, 12:05 PM »

I agree with John. Roboform's activation procedures is actually very tame compared to quite a few other product's I've tried.

Darwin · « **Reply #36 on:** November 14, 2007, 04:08 PM »

Yup. Agreed. It's not too bad and they're very flexible about it. I do, however, worry about the issue of being able to access my data if they go under. However, if that were to happen, the free version is available so you're data would not be inaccessible - it just wouldn't be very convenient!

rjbull · « **Reply #37 on:** November 15, 2007, 05:50 AM »

just one hoop which is quick, easy and painless.
-johnfdeluca (November 14, 2007, 10:29 AM)

OK, it's probably a hoop I have an unreasonable dislike of. What happens if, for example, you more to a new computer; do you have to contact them for activation?

rjbull · « **Reply #38 on:** November 15, 2007, 05:52 AM »

I do, however, worry about the issue of being able to access my data if they go under.
-Darwin (November 14, 2007, 04:08 PM)

Shame no escrow system...

However, if that were to happen, the free version is available so you're data would not be inaccessible - it just wouldn't be very convenient!

I thought the free versions only offered 10 entries, except for one older one which did 30 or so. If you have more entries than that - not very convenient at all...

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #39 on:** November 15, 2007, 06:06 AM »

just one hoop which is quick, easy and painless.
-johnfdeluca (November 14, 2007, 10:29 AM)

OK, it's probably a hoop I have an unreasonable dislike of. What happens if, for example, you more to a new computer; do you have to contact them for activation?
-rjbull (November 15, 2007, 05:50 AM)

Not usually - if you reinstall a lot you may need to contact them to ask for an activation but I found when that happened they got back to me within a couple of hours.

Josh · « **Reply #40 on:** November 15, 2007, 07:02 AM »

Yes, I ran out of activations (I think its around 10 per license) once. I contacted them about it and asked for more and they reset my count. It took about 2 hours for them to reply.

rjbull · « **Reply #41 on:** November 15, 2007, 08:40 AM »

OK, so they behave honourably regarding (re)activation. That's good to know.

Phew - you Roboform ~~zealots~~ fans are almost as keen as FARR fans!

Josh · « **Reply #42 on:** November 15, 2007, 08:43 AM »

I am always willing to defend a fine piece of software. I am not saying RF is without flaws, by all means its far from flawless, but it does its job well and the bugs encountered are a rarity. Please, dont confuse liking a product with zealotism. After all, we are all not ZRidling and willing to jump down anyone's throat for saying anything remotely negative about a prodcut they like.

Darwin · « **Reply #43 on:** November 15, 2007, 08:54 AM »

Ditto - I had the same experience as Josh. Regarding the free version, yes, you are limited to 10 passcards but you can load your passcards 10 at a time and convert them to a different format (assuming that you can no longer activate the pro version because they've gone out of business or something). I have 327 passcards, so this would be a major PIA. I *suppose* I should be backing the data up to a different format as a backup...

rjbull · « **Reply #44 on:** November 15, 2007, 08:57 AM »

OK, but bear in mind that extreme enthusiasm is difficult to distinguish from zealotry to passers-by...

Please take a look at this thread Auto browser open, form field fill batch script - I assume this is what Roboform does well, even if the OP wanted a different solution.

rjbull · « **Reply #45 on:** November 15, 2007, 08:58 AM »

I *suppose* I should be backing the data up to a different format as a backup...
-Darwin (November 15, 2007, 08:54 AM)

Can you do that? I thought one of the drawbacks of Roboform was limited import/export, which if true would look like trying to lock you in.

Armando · « **Reply #46 on:** November 15, 2007, 11:14 AM »

This is probably the main reason why i've always postponed the moment to really try roboform.

And... Forgive my ignorance, but how does one manage if she/he doesn't have roboform with her/him, and needs to access stuff on a different computer where she/he need her/his recorded (and "unmemorizable") passwords? It might seem like a stupid question... but it would be a situation where I'd find myself, I'm sure.

tinjaw · « **Reply #47 on:** November 15, 2007, 12:52 PM »

If you are worried about not being able to access your RoboForm data at some point in the future, I suggest you save the data to a TXT file and compress it, encrypt it, put it on two different pieces of removable media, keep one at home and one in a safety deposit box.

And this is advice you may want to follow for all of your important data and not just restrict yourself to RoboForm.

Lashiec · « **Reply #48 on:** November 15, 2007, 01:01 PM »

Taking tinjaw's suggestion as the starting point, you could dump the exported data in fSekrit or in KeePass. Or do something like jgpaiva (I think) does with Opera: storing the passwords in KeePass and in Opera the same time. The same thing is possible with Firefox or you preferred portable browser, so you'd have the data at hand and safe from prying eyes watching over your shoulder.

Darwin · « **Reply #49 on:** November 15, 2007, 03:47 PM »

Roboform gives you the option of exporting your data as either Firefox bookmarks or as IE favourites. I've not tried this in the past, but am doing so as I write this. It offers to export to a your Favourites folder - from this dialogue you can select an existing folder and create a new one. I've created on called "Roboform" - dead clever, don't you think? It's finished and I must restart Maxthon to view the results. Back in a flash.