[Wintonian]

I am able to log in to this forum using a self-chosen user name and a self-chosen password. Both of these are easy for me to remember without writing them down.

And yet...... Throughout the .Net Control Panel and other things on the server system, some misguided programmers have decided that they must dictate that at least one numeric and one non text character MUST BE USED!!
Programmers are given too much power to make this sort of decision. Whilst they are very clever people, generally speaking they are not very experienced in day-to-day business matters and, whilst they may be very good coders, I would not ask one to run a company.

Now I must abandon my favourite password and use a new one which must be WRITTEN DOWN.

Surely, a password that is written on a Post-It note and stuck somewhere near the PC is a well-known problem? Yet the feature that the programmers insist upon almost guarantees that this will happen. So the password will be less secure than my random string of letters (random but memorable).

Only a few companies are not aware of this fact of life. We are not, after all, dealing with bank accounts here!

I find it very irritating.