Of course solving a problem, even if by accident, doesn't necessarily stop us from yammering on about it here, but the question hasn't seemed to raise a lot of interest so far.

As an incidental note, logging in does nothing except put a cookie on the computer you're using, so you can be logged in on as many different computers, all at the same time, as is convenient. The next time you visit, the 'cat looks to see if you've got a cookie, and knows you're you if it's there.

On your home computer you can probably leave the cookie in place forever (I've been logged in on the same cookie for as long as 8 or 9 years at a time, before it crumbled).

Most people consider it good practice to log out after using a "public" computer, like at a library, so that the cookie isn't left on the computer for someone else to use or steal, and a few nervous sorts have recommended the same for a "work computer" at the office. Whether you'd need to at the office would probably depend on "management attitude."

For a multi-user machine, with separate usernames and passwords for each user, cookies are in a separate place for each user log on, so if nobody else can use your username to run the machine, it's probably okay to leave the 'cat login when you leave the 'cat for a while (and logon as separate users also prevents accidentally posting as your roomie). A site like your bank, where you send/receive personal info, or a site where "hacks" are common, like Facebook, probably should always be "logged out" whenever you leave the site.

If you want to keep it, the mudcat cookie may be a little more "persistent" if you identify the site as "trusted" in your browser. In IE, for example, Tools|Internet Options|Privacy Tab should have a "Sites" button where you can enter "mudcat.org" and click Allow, and having the site name there may reduce cookie losses and other problems with connection. The Sites entry does not affect the connection if the "Security level for this zone" on the Security Tab is set above "Medium High" (in IE8 or IE9) since anything above that is a "don't trust anything" sort of setting.

Other browsers should have similar settings.

John