[Commotion-discuss] Website feedback from hackday on "warning" sign

Wed Jun 12 18:54:17 UTC 2013

Probably, but this warning label is a direct result of Commotion's
billing as a circumvention tool, and specifically the representations of
Commotion's capabilities in the press.

We have a lot of features on the roadmap that aren't implemented yet,
some of which would be bad to get wrong.

-andrew

On 06/12/2013 02:38 PM, Ben West wrote:
> 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?
> 
> 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.
> 
> Boilerplate about "no warranty given or implied / no liability for damage"
> should likely be adequate.
> 
> On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 1:32 PM, Ryan Gerety
> <gerety at opentechinstitute.org>wrote:
> 
>> 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."
>>
>>
>> On Jun 12, 2013, at 1:29 PM, Dan Staples wrote:
>>
>> @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.
>>
>> 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.
>>
>> On 06/12/2013 11:28 AM, Andrew Reynolds wrote:
>>
>> 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. Seehttps://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-1 andhttps://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-2
>>
>> -andrew
>>
>> On 06/12/2013 11:23 AM, Preston Rhea wrote:
>>
>>  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<georgia at opentechinstitute.org> <georgia at opentechinstitute.org> wrote:
>>
>>  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 <s2e at opentechinstitute.org> <s2e at opentechinstitute.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  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:
>>
>>  Some of the feedback I got when walking folks through installation had
>> to do with the "WARNING" sign on the download site:https://commotionwireless.net/download
>>
>>   A couple of folks said that when the first thing they see after
>> clicking according to the instructions
>>
>> (https://code.commotionwireless.net/projects/commotion/wiki/Stock_Ubiquiti_Install_Guide)
>> 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+1-202-570-9770
>> Twitter: @prestonrhea
>>
>>
>>   --
>> Georgia Bullen
>> Field Operations Technologist, Open Technology Institute
>> New America Foundation
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Dan Staples
>>
>> Open Technology Institutehttps://commotionwireless.net
>>
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