Password generator, password vault, form filler and more – A Cloudeight freeware pick

How to lose money honestly. Yep! That’s us! We’re going to give you all a lesson in how not to run a business. We’re going to show you how stupid we are by cutting our own throats right in front of your eyes. Heads up!

As most of you know, we’re big Roboform fans. We’ve been using Roboform for years and years and years. We still love it, we still use it, we still recommend it and we still endorse it. The only problem is, Roboform isn’t free if you need to store more than 10 passwords/usernames. Plus Roboform has lately decided that when it sold its “Lifetime” licenses they really didn’t mean lifetime – as any of you who use Roboform have recently learned. When Roboform version 7 came out – they wanted everyone to pay for this upgrade – then recanted and said users could stick with version six if they wanted to – and use their lifetime licenses for a lifetime. However, version six doesn’t work with many of the new versions of browsers. So Roboform users are stuck. So we’re not real happy with the way Roboform handled this fiasco.

Anyway … in this Era of the Cloud, almost everyone has more than ten passwords – more than ten sites he/she has to log into. And never has there been a time on the Internet when strong passwords have been more important. If you’re still using the same password to log into every site – and that password is something like password or 12345 or your cell phone number – you’re cruising for a bruising — and headed for a bout with an unpleasant destiny.

Those still using weak passwords or the same password for every site are taking as much of a risk as someone who walks alone down a dark alley in the worst sections of Detroit at 2AM. You’re just asking for someone to come and take everything you have. Strong passwords are a necessity. But strong passwords are avoided by many because they’re also very hard to remember. And if you have 20 or 30 of them – or 1100 like TC does (and we’re not kidding), it’s humanly impossible to remember very strong passwords unless you have a photographic memory. So what can you do? Don’t skimp or figure you’re immune to identity theft. Use strong passwords – and use a password manager to generate strong passwords for you and to remember them for you. Password managers are now as important as antivirus and antispyware. In the coming years with more and more applications moving to the cloud, password managers will become more and more important.

Many of our readers keep telling us about Lastpass: “It’s as good as Roboform!” they say. One subscriber said, “It’s as good as Roboform but you’ll never mention it because you are selling Roboform and making a commission!”. Well, dear readers, and skeptics, this week we put your beloved Lastpass through it’s paces and we’re here to tell you – it’s as good as Roboform. So we’re going to lose some money we can ill-afford to lose, because Roboform sales are going to dry up to nothing. And most of you know (and can tell by the “begging bowl”) that we can ill-afford to lose any income that we have. So what we’ve learned about business is – if you want to be 100% honest then you’re never going to get rich. We’re never going to get rich because when it comes to this newsletter, we try to be 100% honest.

We’re a couple of bozos that will never be rich because we do stupid stuff like telling you the truth even when it hurts our already shaky financial condition. But, we have to be honest. Those of you who have not purchased Roboform, you need to get Lastpass – you need it because you need to start using strong passwords and Lastpass will not only generate long and strong passwords for you – it will remember them for you and automatically fill in forms for you – and much, more. And all you have to remember is one master password. Your master password will unlock all your other passwords and when you come upon a site that requires you to login in, Zap! Lastpass will fill in the form and log you in. Sounds a lot like Roboform doesn’t it? It is very much like Roboform -only a bit more modern looking.

There are a couple of concerns we have about Lastpass – basically these are minor concerns, but worth mentioning. While Roboform gives you an option to store your passwords (encrypted of course) on their server so that if you change computers, etc., your passwords are available to you from Roboform’s servers. Lastpass stores your passwords on their servers (encrypted) and on your computer – and you have no choice not to store your passwords on their servers. That’s not too big of an issue – your passwords are encrypted and safely stored – and only you can access them with your master password.

Here are some of the features of Lastpass (there are many more):

• Your LastPass master password is the only password you’ll ever need.
• Set up multiple ‘profiles’ and automatically fill your personal information into web forms accurately and safely.
• Easily log into your websites seamlessly with a single click of your mouse button.
• Your LastPass vault isn’t limited to only securely storing usernames and passwords – ANY confidential text data can be placed in your vault for safe keeping.
• Your sensitive data is encrypted on your PC. Only your LastPass password can unlock your data and only YOU have it.
• Your data is securely synchronized across all devices giving you access to it anywhere at anytime.
• An encrypted backup copy of your data is stored in your account at Lastpass.com. Securely and seamlessly restore your passwords if you change computers.
• Generate hack-proof passwords with a single click, knowing that you’ll never have to remember them or type them in ever again.
• Run the LastPass Security Challenge to analyze your passwords for weaknesses and learn how you can maximize protection against identity theft.
• Using multiple browsers/computers? Your data is securely synchronized across all devices giving you access to it anywhere at anytime.”

You can import your passwords and usernames and other data from Roboform (and other password managers.) and from browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.
You can use Lastpass with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

Those of you who put off buying Roboform because you didn’t want to spend the money, don’t wait to get a password manager any longer. You can’t go on using simple, easy-to-guess, hackable passwords anymore. The Cloud is here to stay – and the Web is going to get much cloudier as time goes on. There will come a day when the operating system you use on your personal computer will be in The Cloud and every program you run and everything you create and save will be in the cloud. It’s not that many years away.

We’re going to lose money by being honest, but Lastpass is every bit as good as Roboform. There, we said it. It is as good as Roboform. And Roboform’s latest shenanigans – charging users with lifetime licenses for a new version – leaves a bad tastes in our mouths. Why Roboform – always a respectable and honest company – would want to alienate its users this way is beyond us.

If you want to learn more about Lastpass – and or download it, please visit the Lastpass web site. Yes, it’s as good as Roboform and it’s free. There is no limit on how many passwords and usernames or other secure data you can store with Lastpass. TC imported over 1100 passwords/usernames and secure items into Lastpass from Roboform. Do you have 1100 passwords? Does anyone sane have that many?

Lastpass: It’s a great program and it’s today’s freeware pick.

See, being honest hurts and feels good at the same time. “Hey EB, do we have an gruel left? I haven’t eaten since Sunday!”

The details:

Lastpass
Windows  XP, Vista and Windows 7
32bit and 64bit systems
7.2 MB Windows Installer (other versions available, sizes vary)
What is Lastpass? It’s a automatic form-filler, password manager, password generator & more