[pbreit]

I did not get a good feeling about StartSSL when I tried getting a free cert. First, as many have pointed out, the web site experience is miserable.

Second, I just got a "Error 107 (net::ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR): SSL protocol error." at https://auth.startssl.com

For a product that is supposed to be confidence inspiring, StartSSL is the opposite.

[mike-cardwell]

You're supposed to have installed the client SSL certificate in your browser before visiting that URL. It caught me out too initially. They use client side SSL certificates for authentication. I don't know any other site which does this.

[xolox]

It's the first time I came across client side certificates as well. As others have pointed out you have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get a certificate from StartSSL, but if your free time is cheaper than a certificate from another party it can still be worth it (especially because the cost repeats with other parties). I've been a happy customer for more than a year now.

[pbreit]

So is it not possible to catch that and display a helpful page?

But that basically confirms my contention that the user experience is miserable.

[cinch]

when you sign up they install a certificate in your browser. without that, there's no way to login to your startssl account! so make sure to make a backup of it. i lost my account because i didn't realize this...