Why do we get timed out so quickly?

yes, I know the workarounds and blah blah blah, I just want to know why the timer on being auto-logged out when replying to a thread is so short?

I've logged in, gone to reply to post, typed for 3 or 4 short paragraphs and "please log-in" screen appears, almost without fail.

Is it 1 minute? 5 minutes? 10 minutes?

And why?

It never happend to me, even after taking a very long time to write a post, maybe something wrong with your settings ?

I don't know why you have that problem, but I don't think "we" is appropriate, as I've never had it - and I've never heard about anyone else having it on this forum.

In fact, this is one of the most reliable sites when it comes to being logged in consistently, in my experience.

No timeout on my side.
Would help if we knew OS, browser, privacy/security settings on your side.

Sounds wrong. I never get timed out when the checkbox to stay logged in is marked.

Tell me more about this checkbox.

Top-right, next to the login box. The tooltip says "remember me".

Thanks, I've ticked the box and I'll write the post again (but remember to right-click copy first) - and no it wasn't on the current off-topic thread.

I'm not the only one to experience this, I've seen many posts over the last few months where people say "I wrote a long response but lost it so I'll just say XYZ", so… I'm guessing the first responders have this box ticked maybe?

What happens if the box is not ticked (as I had it)? Why doesn't it remember you when you're in the reply to a post screen?

The post went out fine, though nowhere near as good as the original, so it seems to be related to this tick-box, so thanks for the useful tip. So just the original question:

What happens when the box is not ticked (as I had it)? Why doesn't it remember you when you're in the reply to a post screen?

Probably a cookie thing. Long time limit in one cookie, short inactivity window or no cookie at all when the the box isn't checked.

If you don't tick the checkbox, it will log you out when you are not changing pages or refreshing the current page. It is a safety feature, which you could use on public computers for example. When you are sure about the computer you are on, ticking the checkbox will save a cookie on the computer, which will keep you logged on.

If I'm making a looong post, I always write it in an ordinary editor and then copy and paste it. Saves me a lot of trouble, for instance loosing what I wrote by accidently hitting a back button.

pibbur who wrote this directly to the input box

Originally Posted by pibbur who
If I'm making a looong post, I always write it in an ordinary editor and then copy and paste it. Saves me a lot of trouble, for instance loosing what I wrote by accidently hitting a back button.

pibbur who wrote this directly to the input box

Exactly … that comes for me from a history dealing with finicky blogging tools / website stuff for all of the various sites I have written for … and the realization that at this point in my life I won't muster the same energy/effort twice.