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On a website, if you log in, you're in a logged in state, if you then log out, you are in a logged out state.

What do you call the state before you have ever logged in to a site? Is it correct to also call that being logged out? Is not logged in the same as logged out?

I'm looking for a word or phrase that would apply to either registered or not registered users looking at the site.

Example usage:

We allow configuring some settings from a not logged in view.

Gerli
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  • If you've never logged in, presumably you are not registered with the site. – TrevorD Apr 13 '16 at 10:41
  • @TrevorD, I'm looking for a word that would apply to both registered and not registered users. – Gerli Apr 13 '16 at 10:47
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    "We allow configuring some settings for unregistered users" – Nagarajan Shanmuganathan Apr 13 '16 at 10:48
  • However, you might be registered, but have never used that registration to log in. @Gerli, is there any practical difference between a user who is not logged in (just encountered the site) and one who has logged out? I don't think I've encountered a site where there is any way to differentiate. – Andrew Leach Apr 13 '16 at 10:49
  • A user in a not logged in state is an "anonymous user". – Graffito Apr 13 '16 at 10:49
  • @AndrewLeach, no, there's no difference between those two states. Hence I'm wondering if it's okay to call the people who just encountered the site as also being logged out. – Gerli Apr 13 '16 at 10:51
  • @Graffito, would you say "anonymous user view"? Or just "anonymous view" then? (see example sentence) – Gerli Apr 13 '16 at 10:55
  • It's not clear whether the expression is for internal use or for reading by a user. If it's in a user interface, I don't think "anonymous [user] view" would be intelligible to many users. "Some settings can be configured without logging in" would cover both unregistered & registered users. – TrevorD Apr 13 '16 at 10:58
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    'Unauthenticated', 'unverified', 'unidentified'. – 568ml Apr 13 '16 at 11:15
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    I would say that "anonymous users may configure some settings". You cannot use the expressions "anonymous/unregistred/... view" because these adjectives don't apply to the view. – Graffito Apr 13 '16 at 11:40
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because Qs about "Naming, including naming programming variables/classes" are off-topic for this site. See Help Centre at http://english.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic – TrevorD Apr 13 '16 at 20:40
  • @TrevorD, I would think this is more a "Word choice and usage" question that applies in an online context... but I got some ideas from the comments, although no answers to "Is not logged in the same as logged out?" (which is a linguistic question, IMO) – Gerli Apr 14 '16 at 16:08
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    "logged out" implies that a user was connected and the connection was terminated at his request or for another reason. "not logged" means either that the user didn't log in or that he didn't log out. – Graffito Apr 14 '16 at 16:19
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    @Gerli - I agree with Garffito. "logged out" implies that you have been logged in, but are no longer logged in. "not logged in" could mean (a) you've logged out; or (b) you have never logged in (possibily because you do not have a registration for the site). – TrevorD Apr 14 '16 at 23:15
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    I agree with @TrevorD: "not logged in" could mean (a) you've logged out; or (b) you have never logged in (as yet). Maybe unlogged is applicable, see also http://www.dictionary.com/browse/unlogged – JosefZ Apr 27 '16 at 19:20
  • Possible duplicate:http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/251800/a-word-for-a-non-logged-in-user – Hot Licks Apr 28 '16 at 00:14
  • @HotLicks, I was looking for a word that would apply to the state rather than the user. Yes, some of the answers there could apply to states as well but not really all of them. – Gerli Apr 28 '16 at 15:42

1 Answers1

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The process of confirming a user's credentials and logging them in is often known as 'authentication'. Therefore, a commonly accepted term for a user's state before logging in would be 'unauthenticated'. (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/unauthenticated)

This would apply equally to registered and unregistered users as well as users that have failed to provide the correct tokens - in any of these cases authentication has not been completed.

A distinction can be made between 'not logged in' and 'logged out', in that 'logged out' may imply that the system has a record of a previous session where the user was logged in.

RadioRaheem
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  • Op still hasn't addresses the issue I raised above on 13 April: namely, is the desired expression intended for for internal use or for reading by a user. If it's in a user interface, I there are many users (depending on the audience for the website) who would not immediately understand "anonymous [user] view", and I think the same may apply for "unauthenticated". – TrevorD Apr 13 at 10:58 – TrevorD Apr 28 '16 at 09:37