Users and Groups

[Frank Cox]

On Sat, 08 Dec 2007 12:17:31 -0600
Les Mikesell <lesmikesell at gmail.com> wrote:

> But the 'console' isn't something special in a multiuser system. 

Perhaps it isn't, on your system.

However, on almost everyone else's system, it is.  The fact that you don't like
it or that it somehow offends you notwithstanding.

> Personally, I do almost all Linux work through NX/freenx, remote X, or 
> ssh connections.  I may be near enough to want to use speakers or CD 
> devices but not using the attached keyboard - if there is one.

You can easily set it up to do that, if you wish.  It's a highly configurable
setting.

> If you throw away the concepts of remote access and multiuser operation.

Why?  In this case, you really CAN have your cake and eat it too.  You lose
nothing, and if you truly believe otherwise, you can easily disable it.
> 
> > For example, You may want to set it up so the user
> > that is syncing their PDA is the only one that can access it.
> > Because they have to be at the local console to use the sync cradle,
> > you limit the access to the local user.
> 
> Like I said, I may be 'near' a machine but not using its keyboard.

Then set you machine up to allow that.  I run into this situation regularly, as
I have a few LTSP terminal setups.  It's not usually too difficult to make
things work.

> It's not _just_ that it has always been done that way - it was done that 
> way for good reasons and it doesn't make much sense to dumb down an 
> elegant system designed for multiuser and network access and pretend it 
> can only be accessed for certain things if you happen to be typing at a 
> certain keyboard.  As an _option_ that you could active if you happen to 
> have that sort of situation and don't care about network/remote access 
> it would make sense, but it is throwing away a lot to pretend that it is 
> only designed to be used from one special device and make the other 
> things break by default.

IT IS AN OPTION.  You are free to disable or modify it as you see fit.
Therefore, as you just stated here, it really does make sense.


-- 
MELVILLE THEATRE ~ Melville Sask ~ http://www.melvilletheatre.com