error when saving information on the cloud

[Dirk Hohndel]

On Sat, Apr 08, 2017 at 11:21:42AM +0200, Davide DB wrote:
> Houston, we have a problem
> 
> Still trying to get everything in working order without too much luck. I'm
> the perfect layman and I'm particolar good at making huge mess with
> software. Sorry for this, bear with me,
> I'm stuck in hyperspace and I try to resume my situation.
> 
> I brought with me my invaluable loogbok V3 taken from my default PC which
> unfortunately is behind an http proxy.
> I've got a computer with a plain connection to internet. BTW there was an
> old 4.4.2 Subsurface version.
> 
> #1 I tried to update the 4.4.2. via help > check for updates. but I get an
> error (unable to contact server, check your internet connection...) Please
> see the attachments.

Fixed. That's the problem with running my own infrastructure. I don't
always notice when things fall down.

> #2  On my default pc (the one behind the proxy) I already had created a
> cloud account and I even verified it receiving and setting a PIN. Now I
> forgot my password so I'm not able to connect to it again.
> (PLEASE Dirk could you reset my password?).

Done

> Problem is that whatever I write in the password field I do not get
> feedback. It's a strange situation because UI behaves differently from the
> other computer when I did not setup a cloud account. Obviously I found no
> trace of user/password in the log-book and this computer had a 4.4.2
> installed before. What's happening?
> After digging into the user manual (RTFM) I discovered that i could go
> directly to https://cloud.subsurface-divelog.org/ . There at least I get a
> reassuring wrong user/password feedback like it used to be :)
> Maybe UI is just missing a popup/status bar message notifying me that
> user/password is wrong?

This I don't quite understand. So you entered the wrong password but got
no error at all? That sounds wrong.

> Summarizing everything:
> 
> #1 There's no way to reset password by themselves. It's simply crazy but at
> lest I would expect a huge bold blinking text mentioning it on the user
> manual.

Yes, there is no way to do that. I don't have the time and energy to write
something that I am comfortable won't be hacked. And given the relatively
small user base of the cloud service (a couple thousand people), one
request every other week doesn't kill me.

> #2 User manual mentions user/password procedure at chapter 9 but the first
> time I find how to create a cloud account is at chapter  5.4.1. "Storing
> and and using GPS locations using Subsurface-mobile". Then at Chapter 8 it
> explain how to export your dives to Facebook. IMHO order of importance is
> completely wrong: 9. "Keeping a Subsurface dive log in the Cloud" and 9.1.
> "Create a cloud storage account" should be the first mention. Even if i
> don't read the user manual sequentially as a novel, I would expect to find
> as the first search occurrence. Instead the first occurence speak about
> Subsurface mobile that (AFAIK) it's not compulsory to use the cloud. I
> would expect a sequence like:
> 
>   1) configure completely Subsurface desktop
>   2) configure other apps

Ideas to improve the manual are always welcome.

> #3 Global user experience on this is really a mess. Even having
> semantically related parameters scattered on two different preference tabs
> (defaults/network) does not help to understand the whole picture. Of course
> I understand that for who wrote and developed the code everything is clear
> but I can assure you that from a stupid user like me is not.

I agree, the user experience could be better.
We don't have anyone with a focus on this. If you want to help us improve
the user experience (and no, I'm not asking you to write the code, I'm
asking to clearly identify the problems and propose solutions) then I'm
sure we can improve that.

> I don't mean to be rude. you know how I love Subsurface and how much I try
> to help while I have free time. Peace and Love.

You aren't rude at all. You put your finger on things that aren't as good
as they could (should) be. And I'm happy to try to make them better -
within the resources we have available.

/D