Forum:
a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
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Argh can’t we all just agree to disagree? There’s so much else to have conversations about 
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Thank you Véro. I was only posting it for the information of ayone who might be interested but I was just beginning to think to myself “Why didn’t I keep my big mouth shut?”
Take care everybody and try not to let the virus get the better of you. Life is too important!
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Excellent suggestion, let’s not voice any more opinions.
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Explanation (in English) how to use the app
Translated from the Lettre Service Publique issued by the French Government.
We just download the form, type in all the info about name etc. in Word or a PDF editor (and the essential stuff like where were you born? Why does this crop up on every French government form) and all the other routine things, then print off a dozen or so - that way you only need to put in the purpose of journey, date and time, etc.
Nevertheless, this seems far preferable to the current, far too vague UK regulations whose limitations and inadequacies seem to be justified by the mentality that, ‘the British people would never accept such restrictions of their liberty, but of course this seems quite acceptable to Johnny foreigner’.
One can also insert the phrase, ‘spirit of the Blitz’ anywhere you like in the above.
Ironically, I’ve not seen anything in the UK press (not even The Grauniad) about how much easier it would have been to enforce a UK lock-down if Parliament had voted for ID cards. I also think that if that had happened a lot of the xenophobia that drove Brexit would have been forestalled.
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yes of course… but it’s such a waste of paper… and another thing to remember. i always have my phone with me - plus it has my id on it!
the gendarme was really grumpy - in the middle of no-where - and also said i couldn’t take the dogs with me in the car! - I was going to the shop and for a walk… all within the regs… he was just having a bad day i guess.
thanks graham - i think i’m using it properly… i have an old i phone… i can’t find the file it generates - that’s the problem - i think it’s a bug ( i HOPE it is - i might be able to contest the fine!)
@Teresa_Ewart I haven’t tried it myself but I think that the pdf is intended to be left open in the browser (Safari?) used on the phone to generate it and you select that tab. Voila! the pdf with all its info including QR code (which can be scanned by the Gendarme) is displayed. Close the browser and the pdf goes with it. A new one has to be generated for each sortie…
I save mine to photos as a screenshot to avoid it disappearing.
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Two screenshots actually, one for the completed form and another for the bar code thing.
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I began working with hi-end computer graphics in 1988 (Quantel Paintbox, if anyone remembers that, there were only four in the UK at the time and each cost upwards of £50K ), So I’m very receptive to digitisation of info, but nevertheless it seems to me that unless one can keep the pre-completed Word or PDF on the phone and update it as necessary, it’s simpler to print out a batch of pre-completed forms, write in the date and time and put it in your wallet or purse.
In addition, I think (albeit without statistical evidence) most gendarmes will respond more positively to a sheet of paper (if only because in France, printed documentation seems the basis for every official decision).
Lastly, a few months ago at Schipol, I saw a japanese-ish young man refused permission to board the plane because of a problem retrieving his boarding card from his state of the art expensive I-phone.
Digital’s great in many respects, but paper’s ‘belt and braces’.
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I disagree. I have been using e-tickets on the French railways, ferries and Eurotunnel for a long time. The technology is commonplace in France. Preparing my electronic attestation is a very quick procedure, all the fields except my date and place of birth populate at the touch of a key. As I’ve said above it’s simple to save the two pages as photos. The gendarmes have readers to read the bar code things, I’ve seen one being used, so they will not be worried about people with smartphones. Much easier than carrying around bits of paper.
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Except bits of paper don’t run out of battery, crash unexpectedly or throw a wobbly…
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Nor does my phone.
I have now printed off a batch of the forms 2 per sheet then ripped in half filled out with Name, address and location filled in - just tick the box, date, time & sign. Quick and easy and in reality I use 4-5 per week.
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Given all the potential problems, one noted in my previous post, I have to ask why is it easier than carrying a round ‘a piece of paper’. Anyway, what’s so wrong with paper? Despite several decades of fairly advanced digital literacy, I still prefer the tangible materiality - and surprising cheapness - of a beautifully bound, hardback book (usually obtained s/h from a North American university press - via Abebooks online if you’re curious).
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The choice is there. You and I can do as we please. It was you who criticised my choice. I just pointed out that your reasoning was flawed. I suppose you were just trying to be funny or something. My phone will be going with me next time I go out, presumably you will take your bit of paper, Everyone happy?