It's fairly easy to do actually, if you're willing to accept the cheat I've used in the past.
You can read the input value with Javascript, so if you add an 'unmask password' button, then that button should effectively replace the input type=password with an input type=password and populate it with the values previously stored in the password element.
There are a number of ways to do this, but switching out elements was the easiest for me -- of course, browsers have come a long way since that implementation. YMMV.
Re:Stop Password Masking
by dinkumthinkum on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @08:06AM
(#670203)
Even if you could make it easy to find such an option, you'd just be giving the users the loaded gun to shoot themselves with.
Well that's actually their responsibility...
However they would appreciate the feature if they can't manage to make their password work (e.g. caps lock, different keyboard layout, etc.)
Re:Stop Password Masking
by jsonscripter on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @09:27AM
(#670339)
I was once typing in my password on a box I forgot I had converted to Dvorak. I was almost panicking because I was so sure I was entering the password correctly.
If only that option could be easily showed and asked for simple users: a little icon within password boxes showing if it's masked or not, and a hotkey / click on the icon to toggle it on/off.