Yes, it does work 100% []/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/]. First, the php version can be set to use cookies OR sessions to keep track of visitors during each visit. Even if you use sessions, it can initially recognize you via a cookie. For this to work; you need to change one of the default values in your php.ini file. Change session.cookie_lifetime to the same value in your config.inc.php file. For example, to have cookies expire in a year, use:
session.cookie_lifetime = 31536000
Works perfectly. My php forum uses it, located at
http://www.thetechguide.com/forum.