About the "forgetfulness" of web services

Almost every service that has a user registration, at the entrance, makes it possible to remember the user. This is implemented through cookies, for the user - only a modest tick "remember me" in the form of authorization and / or registration. A simple technology designed to simplify the work of users with the service , convenient and already familiar.

However, it is annoying when the service suddenly “forgets me” at a certain moment - the term for which the cookies were installed from the very moment when the user ticked and entered is just coming to an end . The user has a problem to remember and enter the password (of course, it’s about the disabled password manager in the browser ), and at the same time there is a question of the motivation to continue using this web service.

There are two simple solutions:

• To set cookies with a very long lifetime - for years to come. The solution is almost universal, but for cases when it is necessary to artificially “cut off” the passive audience is not very suitable.
• Install an additional cookie in which to save the installation time , check how close the end of the lifetime is, during operation, and, if necessary, update the cookie. Plus it gives additional features, because it becomes known the installation time, in each case, you can think about how it can be used.

Both methods are simple, obvious and fix the problem - I hope to see the implementation more often.
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PS: I was inspired by another forum to write this article , which once again “forgot” me today. The forum has lost me as a user forever today, and it seemed to me that the problem was chronic and rather global.

PPS: This is not about the tragic rupture of my love for the forum (this is just an example of a problem that served as a muse), but about simple technological solutions that increase usability, helping to preserve the services of its users. And one of them - also gives some additional opportunity.