Pull in Viget posts

content/elsewhere/sessions-on-pcs-and-macs/index.md

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+---
+title: "Sessions on PCs and Macs"
+date: 2009-02-09T00:00:00+00:00
+draft: false
+needs_review: true
+canonical_url: https://www.viget.com/articles/sessions-on-pcs-and-macs/
+---
+
+When switching from Windows to a Mac, one thing that takes some getting
+used to is the difference between closing and quitting a program. On the
+Mac, as one [Mac-Forums poster puts
+it](http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/99903-does-pushing-red-gel-button-really-close-application.html),
+"To put it simply...you *close* windows. You *quit* applications."
+Windows draws [no such
+distinction](http://www.macobserver.com/article/2008/07/03.6.shtml#435860)
+--- the application ends when its last window is closed. This may not
+seem like much of a difference, but it has serious potential
+ramifications when dealing with browsers and sessions; to quote the
+[Ruby on Rails
+wiki](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/HowtoChangeSessionOptions):
+
+> You can control when the current session will expire by setting the
+> :session_expires value with a Time object. **[If not set, the session
+> will terminate when the user's browser is
+> closed.]{style="font-weight: normal;"}**
+
+In other words, if you use the session to persist information like login
+state, the user experience for an out-of-the-box Rails app is
+dramatically different depending on what operating system is used to
+access it (all IE jokes aside). I probably quit my browser three times a
+week, whereas I close all browser windows closer to three times an hour.
+Were I running Windows, this might not be an option.
+
+On my two most recent projects, I've used Adam Salter's [Sliding
+Sessions
+plugin](https://github.com/adamsalter/sliding_sessions/tree/master),
+which allows me to easily set the duration of the session during every
+request. This way, I can set the session to expire two weeks after the
+last request, independent of browser activity --- a much saner default
+setup, in my opinion.
+
+It's well-known that Mac users are [vastly over-represented among web
+developers](http://www.webdirections.org/the-state-of-the-web-2008/browsers-and-operating-systems/#operating-systems),
+so I think there's a distinct possibility that a silent majority of
+users are receiving a sub-optimal user experience in many Rails
+apps --- and nobody really seems concerned.