Install Wizard 'Looks Too Complicated'

[Matt Wheeler]

2009/11/30 James Westby <jw+debian at jameswestby.net>:
> On Mon Nov 30 13:47:34 -0500 2009 John Moser wrote:
>> List some not-silly reasons.
>
> You're serious? Ok.
>
>  * Takes a long time to crack any password that's not in the dictionary and
>    more than a few characters long.
>  * Rainbow tables would be too large to fit on the CD.
>  * We can't know up-front whether we will be able to crack a particular
>    password. Therefore the installer would say "please wait" for some time,
>    probably as long as the entire rest of the install, then may have
>    nothing to show for it.
>  * One OS intentionally "cracking" another would (perhaps rightly) not be
>    seen in a good light, regardless of how noble the reasons or careful
>    the implementation.
>  * It's a feature of dubious value to begin with. After it had taken some
>    time doing its thing you would need to have the user type in the password
>    anyway to confirm (you can't assume, and you can't really show it to them).
>    This will take far longer than just asking for it in the first place, just
>    to have them type it in once, rather than twice, when they should be
>    used to typing it anyway (though those at UDS may find it ironic that I
>    am the one saying that :-).
>
> Can we please spend our time on other worthwhile features and not argue about
> whether "cracking" tools should exist for all to use or not?

Oh, yeah, plus this. My first reason was "it would take too long" -
then I must have had mental block!



-- 
Matt Wheeler
m at funkyHat.org