Logging into Adobe Forums is confusing at best.

[Lazlo_Hollyfeld]

Link my ID to what? Forums are migrating to where? Isn't Adobe supposed to hire the best information architects out on the market? Doesn't San Francisco have like the most Information Architects / Developers per capita. How difficult is it to setup a decent forum site when you have some of the most intelligent IT folks working for your company? Oh wait, I think Adobe might become the new Microsoft soon.

Adobe, your user system is horrible, and confusing at best. At one point, I got a screen that said that the Forums were now using Nicknames. What? Nicknames? Am I in the early eighties with a 2400 baud modem dialing into a BBS? Give me a break. I already signed up, why do you want Nicknames. And how is a nickname different from the username that I entered when I registered? Regardless, I tried about 4 "Nicknames" and then your system said it was already in use. Then I typed in "a;ldfkjal;fdkjadsf" and your system said that was in use. Are your QA people awake? What do they do with their time if not playing casual games on the web.

Keep things simple people, and start hiring people who understand the value of simplicity. Get some decent architects on board. Oh, and add some style to your forums. I feel like I'm writing on a forum created in 1994.

More later. . .

--Laz

[Guest]

http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b7c503 has the explanation.

However, I can give you a short version -

These forums are being migrated to new forum software, which should make you happy.

The name you use here cannot necessarily be used there (never mind why, just take it as read). You'll need to use your Adobe ID name (the name you used to register your software) to log into the new forums instead. If you don't have such an Adobe ID name, you'll have to create one.

The new system needs to be able to match up your Adobe ID name with your forum name from here, so that previous posts from here imported into the new system can be displayed under your Adobe ID name, the name you'll use in the new system. That's why, having logged in here, you were asked to say what your Adobe ID name is, for the system's future reference.

If you choose not to provide the information, your old posts will be shown as having been submitted by "Guest" because the new system will not know otherwise.

Here's an example.

My forum name here is Ozpeter.

My Adobe ID is Goodlooking.

I've provided the requested information (to say that forum user name "Ozpeter" is the same person as Adobe ID name "Goodlooking"). So when you read this post in the new forums, it will be shown as having been posted by user "Goodlooking". And if I log onto the new forum using "Goodlooking" (as I must, that being my Adobe ID), and add another post to this discussion, it too will be shown as having been written by "Goodlooking" as well as this post. So everything will tie up neatly.

(For a short version, that was, admittedly, long).

[Jacob Bugge]

Now the question is: are you, Oz?

[Lazlo_Hollyfeld]

Ozpeter wrote:

>The name you use here cannot necessarily be used there
>(never mind why, just take it as read).

No, I would like to know why. Who was the genius that said this couldn't be possible? If everybody has a unique ID / username on the old forums, that should be able to map to the new forum no matter the software. The developers behind the scenes have the talent and know-how to make that happen.

So, my question remains: why do I have to use a new nickname?

[_Phos_four_dots_]

siiiiiigggggghhhhh.....

[Guest]

there's no sighing involved phos. there's no reason for unique names here if the adobe logon id that the nickname is tied to is unique. all it's going to do is cause arguments and ill will.

[Lazlo_Hollyfeld]

Why the sigh?

[Guest]

The new forums combine two sets of forums, namely these and the former Macromedia forums. If there's an Ozpeter on both sets of forums (two different people) obviously there's a problem. But the Adobe ID names are unique - there's only one Goodlooking. The Ozpeter on the Macromedia forum might have an Adobe ID of "Ugly". So long as Macromedia Ozpeter links his Macromedia forum name to his Adobe ID "Ugly", we'll end up in the new forums with a whole lot of imported posts by "Goodlooking" (me) and a whole lot of posts by "Ugly" (him).

BTW all names are fictional to protect the guilty.

[_Phos_four_dots_]

A siiiiiiggggghhhh, because it's been explained, right here in this sub-sub-forum, about 3 or 4 times, in 3 or 4 slightly different ways.

Read first, then post, please.

(And THANK YOU, Ozpeter, for your continued patience and reiteration.)

[Lazlo_Hollyfeld]

Ah, I see. So it comes down to mergers and acquisitions. Thanks Oz.

Phos, I have read through the FAQ regarding the forums, but didn't really pick up on the reason until Ozpeter explained. Also, if it's been asked multiple times, then having the answer in a "sub-sub-form" probably isn't the best place for them to exist. And a small note about the reasoning could appear on the "Please enter a Nickname" page.

Now it makes sense. . . but wasn't the acquisition years ago? Why are we all dealing with it now if we are all active in the forums?

[_Phos_four_dots_]

> "Why are we all dealing with it now if we are all active in the forums?"

The merge happened awhile back, yes.

And twice, attempts to merge the older Adobe Forums with the newly-acquired Macromedia forums, have been tried, and aborted, because neither of the forum apps currently in use could handle it, and/or it just proved to be enormously difficult for the people doing the work.

Soooo, they decided to just ditch both WebCrossing (Adobeforums.com forums) and FuseTalk (the ColdFusion-based app that the old Macromedia forums were based upon), and go with something newJivetalk's Clearspace platform.

That's been explained too, elsewhere here. But given the relatively low traffic in this section about the switchover, something tells me that a lot of people are going to be knocked off their barstools over the changes, not the least of which are the advocates for whichever system they prefer.

[Guest]

>If there's an Ozpeter on both sets of forums (two different people) obviously there's a problem.

nope. no issue. the id that the combined posts belong to is the one associated behind the scenes. there's no reason why there shouldn't be 2 ozpeters after the merge as long as you remain Ugly and Handsome to adobe's servers.

[_Phos_four_dots_]

That may be true in theory, Dave, but quite frankly, I don't WANT to seeand have to differentiate between n number of users named "Dave" or "John" or "Mary".

[Guest]

>I don't WANT to seeand have to differentiate betweenn number of users named "Dave" or "John" or "Mary".

tough cookies. :)

[Jacob Bugge]

It might be said that last time the MM members were first in line. Whose turn is it this time? I know what buko would say.

[_BJBBJB_]

I have read the FAQ's and posts....

Just one question. When "Adobe ID" is mentioned above, do you really mean the "screen name" on the new forum that is associated with your Adobe ID which for most people is an e-mail address?

My understanding on how it was supposed to work is you have a screen name here...if you migrate it to the new forums, your posts show up there. With .....well, not sure whether they show with your old screen name or the new one you were forced to pick on the new forum.
And new posts there show up with the screen name you had to choose when migrating.

Some have reported that e-mail addresses for some posters are still showing up when you click on them even though they say they have hidden them. But that could be "user error".

Is my understanding correct?

BJBBJB

[Kath-H]

>When "Adobe ID" is mentioned above, do you really mean the "screen name" on the new forum

No.

Your Adobe ID is an item of information that is permanently associated with your software registrations, purchases and such. You cannot change it. If you try, you will be creating a new account and will lose the association with your product registrations etc.

The Adobe ID is, for many people, an email address, although not for everyone. Using an email address in this way is, IMO, a bad idea because people *do* change their email addresses, often having to when they change ISP. Also hotmail email addresses are subject to hijacking.

In the new forums you can choose a screen name. You also enter your real name (although this need not be, in fact, your real name). You can change either of these whenever you like.

If you go through the association procedure, I *think* your old posts will be picked up, and shown under your new screen name.

[_BJBBJB_]

Kath,
Thanks. I was actually referring to the following post from another contributor. Based on your explanation and what I have read, this description is only true if your screen name was the same as your Adobe ID unless I am misunderstanding. I would not want or expect your adobe ID to be viewable or linked with anything public whether it is an e-mail address or not.

>My Adobe ID is Goodlooking.

I've provided the requested information (to say that forum user name "Ozpeter" is the same person as Adobe ID name "Goodlooking"). So when you read this post in the new forums, it will be shown as having been posted by user "Goodlooking". And if I log onto the new forum using "Goodlooking" (as I must, that being my Adobe ID), and add another post to this discussion, it too will be shown as having been written by "Goodlooking" as well as this post. So everything will tie up neatly.

[Kath-H]

That last paragraph is incorrect. This part especially:

> if I log onto the new forum using "Goodlooking" (as I must, that being my Adobe ID),

You log on using your Adobe ID, which is definitely NOT your screenname. Unless, I suppose, you choose to make them the same.

I log on with my Adobe ID, which is an email address, and I post as Kath-H, which is my screen name.

I have done the association, so I assume I will continue to log in using my Adobe ID (email address) and posts I've made in here will show up under my screen name of Kath-H. what happens if I change that screenname, which I can do at any time, I'm not sure, but I think the tie-in will hold up.

It sounds as though Ozpeter has *chosen* to use his Adobe ID as his screen name - but he doesn't have to, and if your ID is an email address, it would be very unwise.

The point of doing the association is so that the person with a specific Adobe ID is recognised as the person using a specific forum name in these forums here. That doesn't at all mean that your Adobe ID will show up by your posts.