Along these lines of public perception, is Commotion perhaps the only embedded router firmware out there (compared to DD-WRT, Freifunk, and other OpenWRT derivatives) that includes such warning language on its download page?<br>
<br>If so, and if those other firmware distros are likewise capable of doing 90% to 100% of what Commotion does anyway (albeit with more user configuration effort needed), then I also agree with Ryan. The warning is not serving its intended purpose, and intimidating would-be users.<br>
<br>Boilerplate about "no warranty given or implied / no liability for damage" should likely be adequate.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 1:32 PM, Ryan Gerety <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:gerety@opentechinstitute.org" target="_blank">gerety@opentechinstitute.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word">I agree. I would advocate for removing it--it looks like an error--and also doesnt really help the user navigate the risks. I agree with Georgia that Commotion's often inaccurate press requires us to be proactive around what it cant do (also most software should), but in the end the security is very similar to any router firmware. In most browers the warning takes up most the page, so you cant even see the downloads. I think a link or button that says "Learn more about Security with Commotion" would be sufficient, and then it can say, "as with most home wireless systems, xxx."<div>
<div class="h5"><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Jun 12, 2013, at 1:29 PM, Dan Staples wrote:</div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> @Georgia: I think trying some alternative displays of the warning label on the download page is definitely worth trying. However, I would just as that you clone the page and send us links to that instead of modifying the actual download page until we've decided on any changes.<br>
<br> In general, I think it's better to make users feel empowered than scared. It's already hard enough getting folks to adopt this technology. If someone is concerned about their security, they will likely take note of any warning labels they see, even if it isn't quite the center of attention of the page. I think it's worth considering alterations to the page to make the warning label lower down and/or somewhat smaller.<br>
<br> <div>On 06/12/2013 11:28 AM, Andrew Reynolds wrote:<br> </div> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre>I'm moving this discussion to the commotion-discuss list.
For those just joining in, the issue in question is how to present usage
warnings related to Commotion's current capabilities[1] in a way that
does not imply that the user has misconfigured the software.
On one hand, we need to be very clear about Commotion's current
capabilities, especially given the press around the project. On the
other hand, we don't want to give the impression that a correct
installation has failed somehow.
1. See
<a href="https://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-1" target="_blank">https://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-1</a> and
<a href="https://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-2" target="_blank">https://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-2</a>
-andrew
On 06/12/2013 11:23 AM, Preston Rhea wrote:
</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre>I maintain that when the first thing someone sees upon clicking a link
and landing is a warning - someone who isn't a l33t hacker - they will
think they have come to some page in error, and that creates the wrong
kind of caution. It can cause confusion and mistrust in one's ability
to follow the documentation, instead of invite caution about the
decision you're making to use this sofware.
On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 11:11 AM, Georgia Bullen
<a href="mailto:georgia@opentechinstitute.org" target="_blank"><georgia@opentechinstitute.org></a> wrote:
</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre>I think there's a happy medium, which is maybe just a color change to the
warning label? Or something like that? Pick one of the colors from the color
palette?
On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 10:53 AM, Seamus Tuohy <a href="mailto:s2e@opentechinstitute.org" target="_blank"><s2e@opentechinstitute.org></a>
wrote:
</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre>That means it works! Seriously though, this is the intended effect. A
user should feel uneasy and read the warning when they are going to
download Commotion. Users in non-risky scenarios feeling uncomfortable
is a small price to pay for those at risk being confronted with the
limits of this tool.
s2e
On 06/11/2013 04:39 PM, Preston Rhea wrote:
</pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre>Some of the feedback I got when walking folks through installation had
to do with the "WARNING" sign on the download site:
<a href="https://commotionwireless.net/download" target="_blank">https://commotionwireless.net/download</a>
</pre> </blockquote> <pre></pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre>A couple of folks said that when the first thing they see after
clicking according to the instructions
(<a href="https://code.commotionwireless.net/projects/commotion/wiki/Stock_Ubiquiti_Install_Guide" target="_blank">https://code.commotionwireless.net/projects/commotion/wiki/Stock_Ubiquiti_Install_Guide</a>)
is a warning sign, they feel like they've done something wrong. When
we discussed the purpose of the warning label, they agree that it
should exist, but that it should be moved down below the initial fold
of the page - but before the download links - so that it still serves
its purpose without giving the user a feeling of having committed an
error, or having gone somewhere dangerous.
--
Preston Rhea
Program Associate, Open Technology Institute
New America Foundation
<a href="tel:%2B1-202-570-9770" value="+12025709770" target="_blank">+1-202-570-9770</a>
Twitter: @prestonrhea
</pre> </blockquote> <pre></pre> </blockquote> <pre>--
Georgia Bullen
Field Operations Technologist, Open Technology Institute
New America Foundation
</pre> </blockquote> <pre></pre> </blockquote> <pre></pre> <br> <fieldset></fieldset> <br> <pre>_______________________________________________
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Open Technology Institute
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