Re: Drive Mount Applet only works as root?

["Pfaffenberger, Bryan" <bp virginia edu>]

Here's precisely the usability problem I've been pointing to. Naive users
will not understand Linux's roots in multi-user systems; they won't
understand why users should not have disk drive access by default. When
they're told that they have to consult man pages and figure out how to
configure fstab using a text editor, they'll conclude -- very quickly --
that GNOME isn't doing enough to shield such users from the underlying
complexity of Linux.

In a previous message, I suggested that, on first use, GNOME should start
with a wizard that briefly explains the concepts of root user and user
accounts, and guides the user through the process of setting up a user
account for everyday use. Such a wizard could include an install option
(selected by default) that enables users to configure the system as a
single-user, non-networked system. This option could launch a script that,
behind the scenes, rewrites fstab so that users are granted access to disk
drives.

Bryan Pfaffenberger
Univ. of Virginia

>     You need to specify the 'user' setting in /etc/fstab for each device
you
> wish a user to be able to mount. 'man mount' and 'man fstab' for more
info.

> >Did I miss something obvious, or does the Drive Mount Applet only work
> >if I run it as root? It should have at least some option for setting the
> >command for mount, like "super mount" in my case, maybe some shell
> >script, etc.