Your password will expire in n days

Our office network (or more strictly speaking the administrator thereof) compels us to change our log-in password every four weeks. Fair enough, I suppose, though I don't really see the point.

But what bugs me is that two weeks ahead of time you start getting messages when you log in, saying 'your password will expire in 14 days, would you like to change it now?'

No, fuck off, leave me alone, why would I want to change my password two weeks early? That would mean I have to change it twice as often, right?

So I click 'No', and continue to click 'No' every morning until the one where I'm not allowed to log in *without* changing my password.

Which, like so many of the small procedural things imposed on the average office worker, irritates me beyond all reason. When I worked in a small organisation I was able to stick my breasts out at the IT guy and get him to give me a permanent password. A moment of shameful behaviour for four years of being able to type 'turtle' every morning without thinking about it seemed worth it at the time.

But here, that is just not possible. There are Rules.

So what I really want to know, is what is the optimum day to change my password?

Changing it as soon as it asks (8 characters, typed twice, about 15 seconds, another minute or so over the next few days as you type the old one by mistake), let's say 4 minutes and 96 keystrokes a month. Changing it at the last opportunity (click 'No' and say 'fuck *off*' up to thirteen times, then as above), let's say 2.5 minutes and 61 keystrokes a month.

Hmm. If you can bear the irritation, it clearly pays to drag the experience out. But you are more likely to kill one of your colleagues, or at least offend those who only swear at Christmas, if you do.

joella