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[desktop] Problems related with actual desktops and multiuser/shared systems.



Amaya Rodrigo (amaya@debian.org) and I, based on my previous experiences
with debian installed to my fellow flatmates (see

http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2002/debian-devel-200210/msg02050.html

and the related thread) had a discussion together.

Along with the discussion a proposal for multi-login methods was
proposed.

The idea of a user firing the screen-locker and another user getting the
"Please enter your passwd" banner was not welcome, whenever the new user
knows nothing about the former one and can destroy part of his/her work.

Along with the discussion one idea came up: the possibility of getting a
"Logged users: " banner and a "New login: " àlà Windows XP (tm).

Some users claimed showing the logged users is a security risk. Then a
bug should be filled against gdm/gdm2 since the logging session reports
a different error whether the user is correct and the passwd is entered
wrong and when the user is already incorrectly entered, no matter what
passwd is typed (obviously).

For that, several solutions popped in our minds:

* A user will provide a nickname after login, and it will be stored
  shomewhere, which will be used to provide the "users logged" list.

* No list will be provided, and if an already_logged user tries to log,
  the system will reopen the previous session.

The former idea has the advantage of showing how many users are actually
logged already, so limits can be set. Also, the admin can configure it
so that the 1st logged user can have the session closed, for a new user
to get a login.

The later can obfuscate the number of users, and can also be integrated
with the "last gets his ass off here", but there is not the idea of the
number of users logged, and who is actually there.

I would have put my hands on implementing my ideas, if I were a
programer myself.

mooch

-- 
Jesus Climent | Unix System Admin | Helsinki, Finland.
web: www.hispalinux.es/~data/  |  pumuki.hispalinux.es
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