Just looking for a SIMPLE, FUNCTIONAL password manager

I'll give it a try. It LOOKS LIKE I've got both Firefox and Chrome playing nicely and keeping the vault alive. I can now open them in either order, close them in either order, and reopen and the Lastpass is there.

I don't know how long it'll stay (hour, days, indefinitely), but at least it appears to not require logging in every time.

Thanks for the help...

I should be able to try everything between my desktop and laptop, using different logins and accounts to see if lastpass is a better choice than Dashlane.

AND, I finally got an answer from Lastpass on the question I asked... Right around 49 HOURS to get an answer. That's a HUGE reason NOT to switch - though Dashlane sucks at support, you CAN get someone on chat. Lastpass doesn't appear to even have that, and according to the folks in the forum, Lastpass has STOPPED having any of their people in the forum to provide help.

Pejole2165 said:

A little black book, not tied to any one PC, very unlikely to be stolen in a break in, and even if it is, you have more issues than just a missing list of passwords.

But when you're on a small screen, manually typing them in is, IMHO, a really negative.

-G.

Compumind said:

You didn't say definitely comfortable - that infers doubt.

Here's my little rule for cloud storage:

"If in doubt, keep the data out."

Amen! I have yet to use any cloud but Amazon's where they keep "my" music and books. No choice there but also no security risk.

Clouds are for rain.

You'll have to make sacrifices if you want to maximise the effectiveness of using a decent password manager. You'll also have to make sacrifices if you want your browser to operate in a more safe, privacy conscious and secure manner. Your browser should ideally NEVER remember any information from the last session. Just like an ATM should NEVER remember the last persons PIN code and/or session at the screen ie withdrawing money, balance enquiry etc. If this was the case why have PIN codes and bank cards in the first place if the information on them persisted everywhere we went? The same can be said for your browser.

The less information it has, the better. If that means logging in to your password manager the next time then so be it. At least if someone else accessing it next isn't you they won't be getting in. You should be practicing stuff like this all the time. The fact that browsers are going in this direction (requiring information on every session it would have previously stored) should make it obvious to you that there's a need to pull back on how open our computers, software and networks work. The reason we use password managers is because our approach to storing them has been poor. The reason browsers now opt and recommend users to clear their data everytime they exit is because this data has, will and is being used to violate people's privacy rights and fundamental freedoms. It's why the GPDR was invented but also why privacy is now something taken fairly seriously. Data is king and so browsers are now trying to reduce their footprints so they do not become victims in this data collection process. The reason you're told to use a VPN on a public WiFi network should be obvious. If you want to argue how inconvenient it is to not use VPN on an untrusted open network where your connections are not encrypted and potentially visible to anyone who knows how to monitor them then you can be that person who broadcasts everything they do and all their personal information while browsing at Starbucks. It's very easy to then intercept this traffic, downgrade the encryption, perhaps hijack the session itself etc. That's your choice.

To better improve your security and privacy you'll simply have to adapt to learn to do things differently. Or simply do things your own way and take the risks as and when they appear. There are best practices for a reason and if you're willing to compromise these then you want convenience over security and privacy. If this is what you want then you don't actually want or need things like a password manager. You may as well opt to have your browser permanantely store everything, as well as your computer in general be a treasure trove for whoever dares to compromise it, or simply to violate your rights to privacy and your personal information not be whored out to whoever is the highest bidder. And well, then you'll simply be another number to the list of victims and then you may want to change your approach. The fact you mentioned your friends having experienced similiar things should mean you want to do things differently, and not to want to do things how you want to do them but also add a little sprinkling of security and privacy as well. It's either you're doing things the maximise the areas of concern, or you're not. You're either logging in everytime your browser starts up, or you're not. You're either using HTTPS on every website, or you're not. You're either blocking tracking cookies, or you're not. Your browser is allowing Flash plugins, or it's not. Your browser is leaking your IP address, or it's not. Data is stored permanantely, or it is not. There are ways to do things and ways not to do things and when you're talking about security it's pretty concrete when you establish what puts your data at risk and what doesn't. And what puts your computer at risk, more specifically.

Putting a USB stick that holds data for 30,000 customers on a train and leaving it there is bad practice. This is final. You wouldn't do it. Likewise, demanding things be more secure but then poking holes in that security is no different.

Also, I recommend BitWarden. It works on Android and Windows. It's among the best password managers out there.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure I see the choice between "log in to the password manager every time you start any browser" and "opt to have your browser permanently store everything, as well as your computer in general be a treasure trove for whoever dares to compromise it, or simply to violate your rights to privacy and your personal information not be whored out to whoever is the highest bidder" as binary as you make it sound, but I get your point.

I'm trying to keep the system(s) as secure as reasonably possible, while maintaining domestic tranquility and not making using tools on the computers so cumbersome that reasonable security practices gt thrown away. Just like (I presume) thousands or millions of other people.