[X Newbies] Multiple users question

[Michael Winter]

On Friday, May 30, 2003, at 02:12  PM, John B. Thoo wrote:

> I'm going to install OS X on our kids' iMac this weekend and, for the 
> first time, set up OS X for multiple users.  (I currently use OS X on 
> my TiBook, but I'm the only user.)  For what pitfalls should I watch?  
> I assume that they will be able to share apps that are put in 
> /Applications or /Applications (Mac OS 9).

I'll run down a few problems I've run into, particularly pertaining to 
kids.

Yes, everyone can use all the applications in /Applications and 
/Applications (Mac OS 9), but there's one big "gotcha". That is these 
directories can only be modified by admin level users. This has two 
consequences (probably more). First, if your kids are not set up as 
admin users, they can't install software in those folders. They can 
however, install software within an Application folder in their own 
user folder.

Next, many kids' applications (primarily OS 9 apps) keep track of kids' 
names and progress. Most do this by saving files within the application 
folder. For example "Reader Rabbit PreSchool" will save this info 
somewhere in the "Reader Rabbit PreSchool" folder within /Applications 
(Mac OS 9). The problem is if your kids don't have admin privileges, 
they can't "write" to this folder. That means some apps will crash and 
some will simply not progress past the "Please enter your name" window. 
The fix is to either set the privileges for /Applications (Mac OS 9) to 
read+write for everyone (including all enclosed files -be aware of 
possible consequences), or do it on a program-by-program basis.

The next hassle I've run into is that my kids seem to think they need 
to install apps every time they run them (particularly the 5 year old). 
Sometimes he does this using his own login, sometimes he sneaks in and 
does it using someone else's when they don't logout. In the end, I seem 
to end up with multiple copies of applications, one where it's supposed 
to be, one at the root level, one in just about every user's folder.... 
When it comes time to clean house, I end up having to change privileges 
on all this stuff prior to trashing.

There are more, but I'm short on time right now. I'll continue later if 
I have a chance.

-Mike