Re: 'Switch User' action

[Shahms King <shahms shahms com>]

On Fri, 2003-12-05 at 10:27, Calum Benson wrote:
> On Fri, 2003-12-05 at 18:15, Mark McLoughlin wrote:
> 
> > 	The idea behind the feature is that you *don't* log out ... yet you'd
> > have to click on "Logout" ?
> 
> That's how it works on XP.  I make no further comment :)
> 
> To re-iterate Mark's point... what's the actual requirement/typical
> usage scenario for this feature?  Or are we just considering it "because
> we can"?
> 
> Cheeri,
> Calum.

The usage scenario would be, ideally, "your average home user."  Most
people want to be able to come to their computer, sit down and use it
with minimal effort.  This usually includes leaving it running and
logged in.  Just because I'm done using the computer for the moment
doesn't necessarily mean I'm at a place where it's convenient for me to
completely log out.  Not all applications support session management,
for one, and even those that do aren't likely to get you back to your
*exact state* after logging in and out.  I know gnome-terminal doesn't
save and restore it's output log, for one. If you have more than one
person in your household who might want to use the computer, it doesn't
work well to have multiple accounts and just "hope people respect the
system and log out" especially as it doesn't always make sense to do so
(see above).

Take my house as a "case study" if you will.  I have a laptop and a
desktop.  My roommates all have Macs in their rooms.  We spend a fairly
significant time in the common living areas where the only accessible
computer is the laptop and, as such, a lot of different people use it
for a lot of different things.  I have a "guest" account and my own
login account.  Which one gets used by *everyone* essentially depends on
who was the last one to turn it on.  Needless to say, we step on each
other's toes occasionally.  Close browser windows with "active"
information (that may have been the result of X hours of work scouring
the 'net), etc.  All of this is because logging out when you are
finished "for the moment" doesn't work well and switching users in a
manner that my Mac OS using roommates will understand isn't really
possible.  I'd like them to all have their own logins, but without such
a feature it just isn't feasible.
-- 
Shahms King <shahms shahms com>