https

[Richard Waller]

One of my pension sites insists that the URL should start with https://www..etc. This is the first time I have met a site that needs this fussy approach. Is it common elsewhere?

[DTP Guy]

It's common on secure sites, Richard - especially where SSL is used to encrypt the connection.

[LoisWakeman]

You've never logged on to Paypal then? :)

As Brian says, it's very common for any secure site where you need to manage finance, make a purchase, input your login etc.

[Richard Waller]

You've never logged on to Paypal then? .Yes but what I type is paypal.co.uk and I only see the https thingy when I want to make a payment. I never get to actually type it.

I think my contacts are just a little unfriendly. It would be easy to have an immediate forward to the funny address.

[dacoyle]

I can't cite a source, but if I'm remembering correctly you need to type the https:// if the URL works as http and https. But you're correct it can be set to forward. Google Mail does that.

[groucho]

Dick, the "s" is for "secured" and what they probably mean is that they want a fully secured site. Common, yes, in banking and financial pages and even some merchant pages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Https

Paypal should--in theory--be switching automatically to an https page for your sign-in, so that your name and password are transmitted (from your computer to them) by encrypted means. If they aren't--that's a security flaw.

They, and many other vendors, switch automatically from an http page to an https page when they are also automatically redirecting you to a secure page, instead of the unsecure one you may have come from.

If I use http: to access my online banking--that page EXISTS, and connects, but then it redirects me to the secured page immediately, without asking me about it.

Your client is probably just a bit confused over what they are asking for, and probably just means they want a "mandatory" fully secured site.