Password Feature

[Mike or Penny Novack]

Ray Little wrote:

>I disagree with you on the need for a password feature.  First, not 
>everyone uses Linux (it would be great if they did but that's another 
>argument).
>
>In your argument against a built-in password feature you mention how 
>you're not sure you could do it well.  However, I'm not under attack by 
>the Russians (or the Chinese).  I would like a much smaller measure of 
>protection.  I'm using a WinXP system in my office and it would be nice 
>to have a little something to keep the curious grandkids or guests at 
>bay when I step away from the computer.
>  
>
Ray, how can the visiting grandkids or guests log in to YOUR account 
under WinXP? Surely you have it set up so that when visiting the 
grandkids have to log in to your computer using the "grandkid" account 
and visiting guests log in to the "visitors" account (the built in 
"guest" feature is too limited, roll your own). If you didn't set your 
XP system up to take advantage of XP's capabilities, separate accounts, 
only accounts with administrator rights can look at data belonging to 
other accounts, etc. that's the problem, not individual application 
passwords.

XP is designed to be "multiuser" (multiple SEQUENTIAL users -- although 
99+% of Linux users also only have sequential multiple users, the 'nix 
operating systems DO support multiple simultaneous users and this has 
some bearing apps like GnuCash designed to be multi-platform -- why 
there is a data lock).

The machine I am writing this to you at the moment is up under XP pro. 
If I walked away from it, within moments I would have to log back in. 
Visiting grandkids or family friends can use this computer, but not 
knowing the password for the Penny&Mike account, they'd have to log in 
via the "Kith&Kin" account which has no password, no administrator 
rights, but logged in that way can't look at ANY data in the Mike&Penny 
data area let alone the data from one particular application. And yes 
data can be shared between log ins, but you have to set that up as 
"shared".

BTW -- we didn't do this just for "security". Otherwise, following every 
visit by grandkids or teenage kids of house guests we'd have to get our 
preferred settings back!

Michael